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Today, the Flyers have a matinee against the New York Islanders and then leave for tomorrow night's contest against Jacques Demers' revived Lightning squad in Tampa. ``We've still got some things left to do, but tonight was a good first step,'' Cashman said Wednesday of the victory over Buffalo. ``Everybody played within their game.'' Sticking with a set lineup of just six defensemen playing regular shifts, the Flyers seemed comfortable on defense and had a strong third period when the Sabres cranked it up on goalie Garth Snow. ``Absolutely, it's better to go with six,'' said blue liner Chris Therien, who had a strong game with partner Eric Desjardins and also picked up two assists. ``You can get a better rotation with six, and you always know who your partner is. ``Seven is good for some guys to play, but six allows your team to play at their best.'' Brind'Amour was at his best with two points, giving him 464 career Flyer points, good enough to pass Rick Tocchet and move into 10th place on the Flyers' all-time scoring list. Besides his usual strong backchecking game, Brind'Amour scored two goals off the wing, including the eventual game-winner in the first period. Since last season's playoffs, no one on the Flyers has played a better, more consistent game than Brind'Amour. ``Rod comes to play every night,'' Cashman said. ``He's the first guy at the rink in the morning. He knows how to compete, and he keeps himself mentally ready. I just wish he would shoot more.'' Brind'Amour had four shots on goal. His two goals gave him 11, second only to John LeClair (18) on the club. Cashman had Brind'Amour back on Chris Gratton's line at left wing, with Pat Falloon on the right side. Brind'Amour, who still tends to move into center when Gratton is near the boards, says he's becoming used to playing on the left side. But he still feels he's earned the right to center that line. ``The way my season started with all the moves we made, I just thought that everything I did last season was forgotten,'' Brind'Amour said. ``I was ticked off. I wanted to play center, but I've learned to accept my role. ``But I'm always looking to jump into the opening. If Grats goes to the wing, I'll jump in there. I'm still looking to play center, and I figure before it's over, I'll get back there.'' Goalie Garth Snow was back in the nets against Buffalo and finished with 26 saves as he raised his record to 7-5-0. Snow played a terrific third period and had a half-dozen difficult saves, including a sliding stick-and-body save on Alexei Zhitnik's bullet at the doorstep off a cross-ice pass on a Sabres power play in the final period. ``I remember in our team meetings that Woody [assistant coach Keith Acton] told me they like to bring a guy backdoor and give him a quick pass,'' Snow said. ``So when Buffalo was on the power play, I was actually looking for that. I saw him pull off the boards, and I knew what he was going to do.'' That's good scouting by Paul Holmgren's crew and good work by Acton to drive home the point that Buffalo slides a player off the half-boards to the crease on the power play for a quick pass. The Sabres did that four times, and Snow had two saves. Two other times, the passes were errant. Cashman's gamble. Cashman did not dress either of his remaining healthy tough guys, Daniel Lacroix or Brantt Myhres. That left Snow, who took on goalie Steve Shields and forward Rob Ray last season, as the only ``fighter'' in the lineup. ``We didn't want to get involved with all that stuff, anyway,'' Snow said of what was a surprisingly clean game without any fights. Eric's slump. Eric Lindros has now gone eight games without a goal. For only the second time this season, Lindros was held without a shot. However, his presence on the power play was enough to draw attention so Brind'Amour could get a lane to the net. Lindros centered LeClair and Dainius Zubrus. Prospal's line. Prospal centered the ``Phantoms' line'' of Colin Forbes and Paul Healey. He actually centered that line with the Phantoms, too. ``We didn't get much ice against Buffalo, but a couple of times, we had some chances,'' Prospal said. ``The big plus was that our line didn't get scored upon, and we got into the zone when we had the puck.''