The Buffalo Sabres came into their game against the Philadelphia Flyers needing only one point to secure a playoff birth and midway through the third period they were trailing 3-2. If the result had held that way they would need to gain that point at Columbus Saturday night and give both Carolina and New York another way into the postseason.
At 10:03 of the third period Nathan Gerbe changed all those calculations with a beautiful spinning backhand shot that beat Sergei Bobrovsky top shelf to tie the game at 3-3 and would end up being the goal that sent the Sabres into the playoffs. Gerbe's both on the skill of the play and the context for the season is easily one of the best goals of the year in the NHL.
