Buffalo 8, Philadelphia 2 (Buffalo leads 2-0)


(3 goals and an assist Monday night for the Sabres’ J.P. Dumont)

Robert Esche : 5 goals allowed on the first 10 Buffalo shots. Which might have a little something to do with his eagerness to mix it up before the first period ended. From TSN :

Buffalo Sabres coach Lindy Ruff took one last big shot at the Philadelphia Flyers, saying they played like “idiots” when the score got out of hand.

Two nights after Philadelphia’s R.J. Umberger was knocked woozy by Brian Campbell‘s heavy but legal hit in Buffalo’s Game 1 victory, the Sabres flattened the rest of the Flyers in an 8-2 blowout win Monday night.

“Use a different word if you want, but I thought they did,” Ruff said. “The more they acted like idiots, the more we wanted to play.”

Flyers coach Ken Hitchcock took offence to Ruff’s description after the Flyers took 17 penalties, including Denis Gauthier‘s ejection and Ben Eager‘s two misconducts when the play deteriorated as the Sabres built a 5-0 first-period lead.

“That’s Lindy’s opinion,” Hitchcock said. “I’ve seen his teams do the same thing. So he ought not to talk about that.”

Hitchcock took one more question before abruptly leaving the podium. On his way out, he used two profanities in muttering aloud that Ruff should mind his own business.

Esche’s frustrations spilled over 16 minutes into the first period when he dropped his gloves and challenged Buffalo’s Derek Roy and Toni Lydman to fight.

Sabres fans then rubbed it in, chanting “USA! USA!” in a poke at Esche, who was chosen ahead of Buffalo rookie Ryan Miller to represent the United States in the Turin Olympics in February.