Sabres Classics: Dumont, Pominville tally hat tricks against Flyers

Game 1 of the 2006 Eastern Conference Quarterfinal against Philadelphia was something of a marathon. The Flyers erased a 2-0 deficit in regulation, thanks in no small part to a 55-save performance from goaltender Robert Esche. It took until the second overtime for Daniel Briere to net the winner for the Buffalo Sabres.
Game 2 - well, that's a different story.
The Sabres pounced on Esche and the Flyers early and never relented during an 8-2 victory, sending the best-of-seven series back to Philadelphia with a 2-0 lead. The offensive barrage featured hat tricks from both J.P. Dumont and Jason Pominville.

You can catch the game Tuesday at 8 p.m. on MSG as the latest "Sabres Classics" installment.

The Sabres were no stranger to offensive outbursts during the 2005-06 season. They scored 10 goals during a January win over Los Angeles, during which Pominville earned his first career hat trick. They scored eight goals in a game on three other occasions.
In this one, they scored five goals on 10 shots in the first period alone. Dumont's first two goals bookended a run that also saw Chris Drury, Ales Kotalik, and Pominville find the back of the net.
Dumont completed his hat trick midway through the second period to make the score 6-1. Pominville did his best to ensure there were no hats left in the crowd of 18,690 with a pair of goals in the third period, the last of which came with 1:18 remaining.

Meanwhile, intensity was boiling on the ice in the wake of Brian Campbell's hit on R.J. Umberger in overtime of Game 1. Campbell drew multiple penalties in Game 2, prompting some criticism from Sabres coach Lindy Ruff in his postgame session with the media.
"The more they acted like idiots, the more we wanted to play," Ruff said.