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BOX SCORE
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) -- John LeClair had no doubt the puck was going in this time.
|  | | Brian Boucher gloves a shot by Dixon Ward, one of 17 saves made by the rookie goalie. |
LeClair got a conventional goal Sunday night as the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Buffalo Sabres 2-0 to take a commanding lead in their first-round playoff series.
After spending the weekend answering questions about Friday's controversial goal that cut through the mesh of the net, LeClair -- one of the NHL's most imposing snipers -- showed that he can dribble one over the goal line.
"I kind of had a good feeling about this one," LeClair said.
Philadelphia has a 3-0 lead in the best-of-7 Eastern Conference series. Game 4 will be played at Buffalo on Tuesday.
LeClair's power-play goal with 4:30 left in first period stood
up as the game-winner while Mark Recchi sealed the victory scoring into an empty net with 37.9 seconds remaining. Rookie goalie Brian Boucher recorded his first playoff shutout -- and fifth of his NHL career -- by stopping 17 shots.
"From the second half of the season, he just got stronger and stronger as the year went on," Recchi said of Boucher. "You've got to give him credit. He got up and grabbed it. (The coaches) had no choice but to keep putting him in."
The Flyers effectively put Friday's controversy to rest.
"That controversy had nothing to do with us," LeClair said. "We know we got a break and let's move on and we played hard tonight."
Simon Gagne, from behind the net, fed a centering pass to LeClair, who snuck a shot through Dominik Hasek's legs. Boucher,
who was hardly tested, and the stifling Flyers' defense did the rest.
The Sabres, who've managed just three goals in the series, had
trouble generating any offense, outshot 27-17.
After blaming the NHL and its officials for Friday's 2-1 loss,
the Sabres are now in a hole, and have only themselves to blame.
"We've got some guys who haven't played up to par," Sabres
coach Lindy Ruff said. "We're going to win as a team or lose as a
team. ... Collectively, we haven't gotten the job done."
The Sabres aren't pulling the plug.
"By no means are we out of it," Curtis Brown said. "We're still believing we'll get our share of goals. And if we do, we'll
be right back in the series."
Only two teams -- the 1975 New York Islanders and the 1942
Toronto Maple Leafs -- have rallied from a 3-0 deficit in NHL
playoff history.
"It's never a sure thing," Recchi said. "Obviously, we're in
the driver's seat, no question, but I don't think it's ever a sure
thing. If we keep playing this way, we'll make it difficult."
Buffalo's best opportunity came with eight minutes left in the second period when Brown pounced on a turnover in front. His first shot was stopped and Brown fanned on a second opportunity.
Any thoughts that officials would give the Sabres a break Sunday
were quickly dispelled. The Flyers were awarded a first-period
penalty shot and had six power plays -- including three straight in
the second period -- to Buffalo's three.
Six of the Flyers' seven goals in the series have come on special
teams, five on the power play and the other scored shorthanded.
Recchi's empty-net goal marked the first time in the three games
that a team had a two-goal lead.
The Flyers did miss on a penalty shot taken by Eric Desjardins
11:25 in. Desjardins took the shot in place of Peter White, who was
on a breakaway and hooked down from behind by Alexei Zhitnik.
White was shaken up when he hit the back of his head on the ice but returned in the second period.
It was the 36th penalty shot taken in playoff history, and first
since Toronto's Mats Sundin beat Hasek in last year's conference
final. The Flyers are 1-for-5 in playoff penalty shots, the only
goal coming when Eric Lindros beat Buffalo's Steve Shields in 1997.
The game was played in a raucous environment, as the sold out
HSBC Arena was packed with fans expressing their displeasure over
Friday's controversial goal.
One placard read: "Bettman and D'Amico are really Beavis and
Butthead," in reference to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and John
D'Amico, the senior game official supervising this series.
Bettman, in an interview during a televised interview during coverage
of the Florida-New Jersey playoff game, defended the NHL over the
goal.
"It's unfortunate that it happened," Bettman said. "There is nothing wrong with the system, it just happened.
"Out of 6,000 goals, if this happens a handful of times you have to live with it."
Coincidentally, Sunday was the first playoff game Buffalo has
hosted since the Sabres lost last June's sixth and deciding Stanley
Cup final game against Dallas, which was won on Brett Hull's controversial overtime goal.
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ALSO SEE
NHL Scoreboard
Philadelphia Clubhouse
Buffalo Clubhouse
RECAPS
Edmonton 5
Dallas 2
Philadelphia 2
Buffalo 0
New Jersey 2
Florida 1
AUDIO/VIDEO
 John Leclair scores the power-play goal against Buffalo.
avi: 612 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Mark Recchi scores the empty net goal against Buffalo.
avi: 696 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
 John LeClair says it is important to get up early on Dominik Hasek.
wav: 180 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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