The Flyers and Buffalo Sabres were in a foul mood today.
Both were going through tough times. The Flyers returned to the Wachovia Center after a mostly bumpy five-game road trip. The Sabres entered the matinee with a season-longest four-game losing streak.
So it wasn't surprising that the teams were testy in a physical, sometimes dirty affair in which the Sabres prevailed, 4-2, before a sellout crowd of 19,673.
Flyer Dan Carcillo was in two fights with Buffalo's Craig Rivet and won both.
Philadelphia's Jared Ross suffered a head injury when the Sabres' Patrick Kaleta sent Ross into the boards in the first period. Keleta received a game misconduct.
Flyers wingers Scott Hartnell and Riley Cote tried to check every Sabre that was in the same area code.
Maybe they should have called it Black and Blue Friday.
Center Tim Connolly had two goals and two assists for Buffalo.
Buffalo took a 3-2 lead on Connolly's goal with 13 minutes, 21 seconds left in the third period.
Clarke MacArthur skated into the Flyers' zone and, form the high slot, put a perfect through-the-legs backward pass to Connolly, who wristed a shot from the top of the left circle past goalie Ray Emery.
With 9:08 to play, Connolly, to the right of the net, flipped a shot that traveled perhaps three feet and bounced off Emery's helmet and into the net, making it 4-2.
Earlier in the game, after allowing a fluke Buffalo goal that deflected off defenseman Matt Carle's stick, the Flyers scored twice in the final minute of the first period to take a 2-1 lead.
Mike Richards took a slick pass from James van Riemsdyk and sent a backhander off goalie Ryan Miller's left pad to tie the score with 34 seconds left in the opening period.
With just four seconds left in the period, Braydon Coburn's point shot deflected off Connolly and past Miller to put the Flyers ahead, 2-1.
Buffalo tied it on Paul Gaustad's power-play goal with 13:51 left in the second period, one that included a pair of fights between Carcillo and Rivet. After the second bout, Rivet pulled Carcillo's hair as officials were pulling them apart.
An incensed Carcillo screamed at the referee and appeared to push him away; he received a 10-minute misconduct on top of the fighting penalty.
The Flyers' already-long injury list grew when right winger Ian Laperriere and center Jared Ross suffered first period injuries.
Ross injured his head when he was sent heavily into the boards by Kaleta midway through the opening period. Kaleta was given a five-minute boarding penalty and a game misconduct and could face a suspension. Ross did not return to the game.
Laperriere was hit in the mouth as he blocked Jason Pominville's point drive with 2 minutes, 10 seconds left in the period. He received several stitches, but he returned to the game wearing a protective shield and face mask with 16:40 left in the third period.
General manager Paul Holmgren said he will likely recall a player from the AHL Phantoms for Saturday's game in Atlanta.
The Flyers are already missing Simon Gagne, Darroll Powe and Blair Betts because of injuries