By Mark Scott
Buffalo, NY – Chris Drury and Thomas Vanek scored 10 minutes apart Friday night, rallying the Sabres to a 3-2 win against the New York Rangers to take a 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal series.
"The timing was pretty good," Drury said, who scored 24 seconds into the period to tie the game at 2. "Out of the break, we talked about having a good 5 minutes. We got one right away and it energized us."
Vanek then scored his second straight game winner, converting a scramble in front with 9:49 remaining.
Coach Lindy Ruff could sense the boost the Sabres got from Drury's goal.
"It's great for us and does harm to them for their psyche," Ruff said.
Sabres Goalie Ryan Miller stopped 31 shots, including all 11 in the final period.
The Rangers, who lost 5-2 on Wednesday, need to regroup quickly with the best-of-seven series shifting to New York for Game 3 on Sunday.