BUFFALO _ Two nights after dropping a hard-fought overtime decision to the NHL's best team, Columbus, the Flyers showed they can also lose to one of the league's bottom-feeders.
Buffalo 4, Flyers 1.
Backup goalie Anders Nilsson, who was in the lineup because Robin Lehner came down with the flu, made 39 saves Tuesday night at the KeyBank Center.
Defensive breakdowns, sloppy execution, and the inability to finish their quality scoring chances doomed the Flyers, who have lost nine of their last 11 since their 10-game winning streak was snapped.
Only three of the NHL's 30 teams had fewer points than Buffalo entering the night. But it was the Flyers who looked lost.
The Flyers averted a shutout on Brayden Schenn's power-play goal _ they had a six-on-four because goalie Steve Mason was pulled for an extra attacker _ with 2 minutes, 7 seconds left.
Buffalo's Marcus Foligno scored an empty-net goal with 3.3 seconds remaining.
The Sabres took a 3-0 lead on second-period goals by Sam Reinhart (power-play score from near the left post), Will Carrier (juicy rebound), and Evander Kane.
The Kane goal was a killer. His 25-foot shot beat Mason with 8.9 seconds left in the period and it followed a turnover by Andrew MacDonald (minus-2) and a botched clearing attempt by Wayne Simmonds.
The Flyers, who still hold the Eastern Conference's final wild-card spot despite their skid, also faced a 3-0 deficit to Buffalo entering the third period when the teams met Oct. 25. The Flyers, sparked by three power-play goals, rallied for a 4-3 shootout victory.
This time, there was no dramatic comeback.
The Flyers had the last nine shots in the first period, but the 6-foot-6, 229-pound Nilsson had all the answers, including six saves during a sharp Flyers power play. The period ended scoreless.
In the second period, Nilsson made nice stops on Jake Voracek and Shayne Gostisbehere among his 13 saves. With about two minutes left in the second and the Flyers in a 2-0 hole, Gostisbehere was robbed from close range, and his backhander went wide on the rebound.
Mason made his 24th start in the last 27 games, and though his workload figures to decrease in the season's second half, he will play a bulk of the contests, coach Dave Hakstol said after the morning skate.
When the season started, it was a wide-open goalie battle between Mason and Michal Neuvirth. The goalie who was hot was the one who would be in the nets.
But Mason took over the No. 1 job when Neuvirth went down with a knee injury Nov. 12 and didn't return until Saturday. Mason did enough in that time to convince Hakstol that he deserves the top spot.
"Mase has been our guy ... and, no, I don't have a plan right now to go back and forth with a rotation," Hakstol said.
Neuvirth recorded a 4-2 win Saturday over Tampa Bay in his only appearance since returning.
"We know what Neuvy brings to the table," Hakstol said. "He's played one good game (after) coming off a lengthy absence with an injury. I think there's still a few steps for him to take to get back to midseason form."
Then again, it won't matter who is in the net if the Flyers' offense keeps sputtering. They have just 18 goals in their last 11 games.
