The Philadelphia Flyers erupted for three quick goals in the first period, as they cruised past the Buffalo Sabres, 5-2, to snag their fourth win in five games, at the Xfinity Arena on Wednesday night.
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After building an early 1-0 lead, the Flyers retaliated with speed and ferocity as they gushed the Sabres with quick hitters to turn the tables around. Philadelphia piled on its goal advantage while also responding to Buffalo’s offensive push. The Sabres also took a major hit as they lost their captain, Rasmus Dahlin, after he committed a game misconduct penalty.
Game Recap
The Flyers flew right out of the gates, seizing control of their offensive zone. Trevor Zegras wristed a shot before Emil Andrae ripped one, with Colten Ellis gloving the puck from the former and denying the latter’s attempt. The tides would shift early on as the Sabres earned a power play for delay of game. Buffalo capitalized on the man-advantage as Josh Doan dished a pass from behind the net as Jason Zucker drilled the first goal of the night, giving the Sabres a 1-0 lead.
Less than a minute later, the Sabres gained another power-play opportunity after the referees deemed an interference penalty for Philadelphia. The Sabres came up empty on their second man advantage, with successive penalties worsening Buffalo’s situation. Ellis came up with timely saves on the 5-on-3 disadvantage, and the penalty kill unit stood their ground as Ryan McLeod knocked a puck away as the Flyers made a pass attempt.
What ensued was a Philadelphia offensive onslaught. After the Sabres failed to clear the puck, the Flyers took possession. Travis Konecny sniped a goal with his fellow skaters screening in front of the net, tying the game at 1-1. Buffalo’s head coach, Lindy Ruff, thought that a Philadelphia skater made contact with Ellis; thus, he challenged the call on the goal. The Flyers went on the power play after the challenge was considered unsuccessful.
Travis Sanheim found Trevor Zegras in the right faceoff circle as he rifled a goal that deflected off a Sabres’ leg. Just after the previous possession, Buffalo gave the puck away as Noah Cates and Bobby Brink went on an odd-man rush, as the latter buried a rebound from the former’s shot to net their third goal in 59 seconds, stretching their lead to 3-1.
The Sabres tried to counter with their offense as Noah Ostlund slipped a cross-ice pass to Alex Tuch before handing it to the striding Doan, who fired a shot, which Samuel Ersson thwarted. The two teams incurred penalties in succession. Buffalo failed to exploit the man advantage while Philadelphia’s power play carried over to the next period.
Despite not converting on the man advantage, the Flyers pounced on a play seconds after their power play to score another goal, giving themselves a comfortable 4-1 cushion. The Sabres amped up their offensive pressure as they unleashed shots from all cylinders. Their persistence would be rewarded after Bowen Byram dumped a rebound from the near side to put Buffalo back into the game, 4-2.
As soon as the Sabres got their momentum going, Philadelphia shut the door on any hopes of a comeback. Owen Tippett took the puck from a forecheck and snapped a shot, tapping a rebound from it, which ended up in the back of the net, swaying the favor back to the Flyers’ side. The Flyers kept their foot on the pedal for the remainder of the period and into the last frame. Zach Benson’s offside play caused his backhand goal to be overturned, as Philadelphia walked away with a win.
What’s Next?
The Sabres will continue their six-game road slate against the Winnipeg Jets on Friday. On the other hand, the Flyers will weather the storm on their home ice as they take on the league-leading Colorado Avalanche on Sunday.
