Ryan Miller was remarkable in stopping 15 shots in the third period, and Chris Drury and Derek Roy each had a goal and assist as the Buffalo Sabres edged the Ottawa Senators 3-2 and stayed alive in the NHL playoffs on Wednesday.
The Sabres nearly squandered a three-goal lead but staved off elimination, cutting the Senators' lead to 3-1 in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals and making Game 5 necessary in Buffalo tomorrow.
The Senators put a big scare into the Sabres, rallying for two goals in a 1:46 span, cutting Buffalo's lead to 3-2 with 3:19 left in the second period.
Miller, however, stopped 31 shots -- the same number he stopped in a 1-0 loss on Monday.
Ottawa enjoyed back-to-back power plays in the third period but failed to get a puck past Miller, despite getting 10 shots on net during a 4:30 stretch. Miller made a key save when he waved his glove and batted down Joe Corvo's snap shot from the slot.
Ottawa defenseman Wade Redden also had a shot from the slot sail just wide of an open left side.
Peter Schaefer and Dean McAmmond scored for the Senators, who had a six-game winning streak snapped, one victory short of reaching the Stanley Cup finals for the first time.
Maxim Afinogenov also scored for Buffalo, the Presidents' Trophy winner in the regular season.
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