Sabres down Flyers, 4-2

In Buffalo Friday night, the Philadelphia Flyers had a chance to gain some ground in the Metropolitan Division in a game with the lowly Sabres.

Instead, the Sabres rattled the Flyers in a 4-2 defeat for their second loss in three games.

The game was tight with the Sabres leading 2-1 with 2:10 left in regulation after a strike by Michael Raffl .

Jack Eichel made it 3-1 on an empty-netter before the Flyers’ Shayne Gostisbehere scored to cut the deficit to 3-2.

“We did a good job in the third sticking with it,” Eichel said. “I think there’s been times this year where we’ve had good period and nothing to show for it after two. … Tonight we just did a good job of sticking with our game plan through the 60 minutes.”

Eichel then netted a second empty net goal, the first time that trick has been done in Buffalo franchise history.

“You got to take them when you can,” Eichel said.

The Flyers were coming off a six-game win streak that followed a 10-game skid before the current woes.

“We didn’t win nearly enough puck races or puck battles,” Flyers head coach Dave Hakstol said. “Really, Brian Elliott gave us a chance after two periods to go out and salvage the game in the third period, but we didn’t do it.”

The win pushed the Sabres to 9-19-7.

Robin Lehner made 33 stops in picking up the win but did not get offensive support until the late-game outburst.

“You go back to all the games he’s played recently on home ice, he’s given us a chance to win every time he’s getting in between the pipes, and we finally got some goal support for him, because they did get some good looks in the second period and [he] made some big saves for us,” Sabres head coach Phil Housley said after the win.

The Flyers dropped to 15-13-7 with the loss.

“We came out really good in the second,” Lehner said. “[The] other team’s going to have some momentum in the game, but I think we took it back. I think we did the right things and we made them earn their opportunities. … That’s a good step forward.”

Ryan O’Reilly and Evander Kane also scored for Buffalo.

“I give credit to our guys, because we’ve been in that position before where nothing’s going in and ‘Here we go again’ so to speak, but they stuck with it. I kept telling them to keep throwing pucks to the net, it’s going to happen, and finally we broke through. We didn’t get away from what we were talking about,” Housley said after the Sabres held on late for the win.

[WATCH: All Flyers vs. Sabres highlights]

Brian Elliott made 33 saves in the loss.

“Obviously we did some good things at home on the homestand, but it’s one thing to do that at home. You have to do it on the road too. You’re not going to be a playoff team if you can’t win on the road,” Gostisbehere said after the loss.