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Sabres blow lead, lose in SO, 4-3

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Claude Giroux and Jake Voracek scored shootout goals to cap a fantastic Philadelphia Flyers rally in a 4-3 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night.

Trailing 3-1, Brayden Schenn and Mark Streit scored the tying power-play goals with 3:05 left in regulation.

Buffalo’s Dmitry Kulikov was whistled for charging when he wiped out Jake Voracek late in the game to start a scrum between the two teams. Schenn quickly followed with a power-play goal with 3:05 left to make it 3-2. Streit scored with 1:51 left in regulation when he knocked in the puck on the fourth rebound past a stunned Anders Nilsson.

Travis Konecny also scored for the Flyers. Matt Moulson scored two goals for the Sabres.

Moulson scored both goals in a three-goal second period that chased Flyers goalie Michal Neuvirth. Neuvirth allowed three goals on 17 shots and was pulled from net for his second straight start.

The Flyers were listless in their third game in four nights and were soundly booed off the ice at the end of the second.

Those jeers turned to cheers by the time Voracek knocked in Philly’s second shootout goal.

Moulson had his first two-goal game since Dec. 11, 2014 against Calgary and has four goals this season. He had eight in 81 games last season.

The Sabres had the last four days off and were clearly sharper early than the Flyers. The Flyers had 10 giveaways through the first two periods and Giroux’s boarding penalty early in the second sparked Buffalo to two straight goals.

Tyler Ennis opened the scoring 2:06 into the second when the puck appeared to deflect off Streit’s right leg.

Battling for the puck behind the net, Giroux plowed his left shoulder into Zemgus Girgensons and sent the center face-first into the boards. With Giroux in the box, the Sabres capitalized on the man advantage. Moulson’s power-play past Neuvirth made it 2-0 and started the boos at the Wells Fargo Center.

Moulson’s second power-play goal of the game – and league-high fourth of the season – sent Neuvirth to the bench. Steve Mason, in a battle for the No. 1 spot, replaced Neuvirth and made a nifty stop later in the period to deny Moulson a hat trick.

The Flyers got a needed lift in the third when Konecny scored his first career goal. The 19-year-old forward was Philadelphia’s first-round pick in the 2015 draft and is one of the hopeful cornerstones for the rebuilding franchise.

Nilsson, who stopped 49 of 50 shots in two preseason games, was solid until the late collapse in his first start of the season. Robin Lehner didn’t make the trip after coming down with an illness on Sunday night.

NOTES: Flyers D Radko Gudas returned from a six-game suspension for his head shot in a preseason game. … Sabres F Evander Kane remained sidelined with cracked ribs. “It’s more of a pain and discomfort than anything at this point in time. He should be able to start moving here shortly, not crazily, but he should be able to start moving shortly here and kind of go from there,” coach Dan Bylsma said.

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