Joseph Corvo scored with a bouncing 13m shot 4:58 into the second overtime, lifting the Ottawa Senators to a 4-3 win over the Buffalo Sabres in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals on Saturday.
Ottawa overcame its own history -- winning the first two games of a series for the first time -- and fought off the disappointment of Daniel Briere's tying goal with 5.8 seconds left in regulation that forced overtime.
Daniel Alfredsson, Wade Redden and Mike Fisher also scored for the Senators, who improved to 10-2 this postseason and moved within two wins of their first trip to the Stanley Cup finals.
Ottawa pulled out the victory after spotting the Sabres a 2-0 lead seven minutes in.
The next two games of the best-of-seven series are in Ottawa today and Wednesday.
spezza stars
Jason Spezza had three assists, including setting up the winner. Spezza beat Chris Drury on a faceoff to the right of the Buffalo net and drew it back to Corvo. Stepping into the middle, Corvo blasted a knuckler, that bounced once and skipped past Ryan Miller.
The top-seeded Sabres continued their uncharacteristic stretch of inconsistent play following a 5-2 loss on Thursday. And they lost Saturday's game by producing an unlikely first after going 40-0 in the regular season and 6-0 this postseason when holding a two-goal lead.
Thomas Vanek and Jochen Hecht also scored for the Sabres, who have never won a series when losing the first two games. Buffalo was 0-for-7 on the power play and is 0-for-12 in the series.
The Senators outplayed the Sabres over the final two periods, and appeared to take control when Redden capped a three-goal rally by scoring on a one-timer during a two-man advantage with 16 seconds left in the second.
six shots
The Senators then limited the Sabres to six shots through the first 19 minutes of the third, but couldn't pull the victory out in regulation.
Briere lifted fans in the sold-out arena to their feet when he tied the game, converting a loose puck that dribbled to him at the right post. The puck got loose after Tim Connolly's shot from the left circle deflected off defender Chris Phillips.
Ottawa's Anton Vermette had two opportunities to win it in the first overtime. Set up in the slot by Spezza, Vermette's first shot was stopped by Miller. Vermette got the rebound but missed the open right side when his backhander slid directly into Miller's pads, leading Vermette to slap his stick on the ice in frustration.
Miller finished with 28 saves, but allowed four goals for the third straight time.
Ottawa's Ray Emery stopped 34 shots and improved to 1-4 in playoff overtime games.
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