The Buffalo Sabres, in a season with little of it, have managed to garner a bit of momentum. Whooping the Pittsburgh Penguins 7-3 and even toppling the Winnipeg Jets 5-3 will do that. A trip to Philadelphia to take on the struggling Flyers felt like a recipe for a fourth straight win.
Instead, things got ugly late. After taking a 3-2 lead, it was all downhill for the Sabres. Alex Tuch’s 29th of the season came too little too late, and the Sabres dropped a tough one to the Flyers 7-4. Let’s get into those takeaways.
Matvei Michkov Is a Superstar
There hasn’t been much to go right for the Flyers this season, but it is clear that they have a superstar in Matvei Michkov. He is currently tied with Montreal Canadiens superstar defenseman Lane Hutson for the NHL rookie scoring lead with 56 points, ahead of Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, and other top rookies.
Michkov has looked like a new player since head coach John Tortorella was relieved of his duties. Notorious for being a bit hard on players, especially young ones, Michkov and “Torts” battled one another throughout the season.
Michkov has scored four goals in two games since Tortorella was let go, looking and playing freely. He had a nasty wrist shot to start the game’s scoring and played with great speed and skill throughout. He’s going to be one to watch from here on out.
The Sabres Need to Find a Way to Lock Down Quinn and Peterka
It is easy to say because the duo combined for five points on the night, but the Sabres have a really tough road ahead when it comes to J.J. Peterka and Jack Quinn. Peterka has been one of the few consistent spots for the team this season, hitting career highs in assists and points. Quinn, meanwhile, has had massive struggles, but has flashed the potential that made him everyone’s breakout candidate before the season.
It is clear that the team has to pay Peterka. He’s 23 years old and has only gotten better with each season. But Quinn, a restricted free agent, feels like a question mark. Is he just now fully healed from the Achilles injury that derailed his 2023-24 season? The Sabres have plenty of injury concerns to worry about, but Quinn may finally be out of the woods.
Related: Should the Buffalo Sabres Be Worried About Josh Norris’ Injury Concerns?
Peterka is someone who has to be signed virtually no matter what the number is. Quinn is tougher. He’s clearly talented, but the start to his season – seven points in 27 games, including just three goals – is a major concern. He’s come to life over the last 37 games, posting 10 goals and 24 points in that span. It isn’t what we all expected, but it isn’t the complete fall-off he had to start the season.
Both are talented pieces and should be part of the future of the Sabres. The water gets murkier when it comes to Quinn, but the Sabres need to make an effort to get both of them signed.
Next Season Is Going to Be Make-or-Break for Luukkonen
A disclaimer before going forward: the team is awful. It is hard to be a goaltender on a bad team because you can play well, but the numbers won’t really tell the story of how well you’re playing unless you see it with your own eyes.
That said, this hasn’t been a good season for Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. He has had stretches where he looked like one of the best goaltenders in the league, but other times, he has looked frustrated and struggled with consistency.
He was not good against the Flyers. There are several times where he just hasn’t been good. The 2025-26 season is going to be the point where we find out who he really is. The Sabres really need a win, and getting a bounce back from UPL is something that must happen.
That Was Ugly
There isn’t a whole lot to say about this one. They grabbed the lead and then things immediately swung. It’s kind of the narrative of the season, blown leads all over the place. To see the Flyers quickly erase the 3-2 deficit and then score three more before the Sabres responded was disappointing.
There are 10 games left, a lot of them, tough. If they can go .500 with teams like the Washington Capitals, Ottawa Senators, Tampa Bay Lightning (twice), Carolina Hurricanes, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Florida Panthers, it would be a big win for what has been a nightmare season.
