Photo Credits: FNG’s Rob Windfelder
The struggling Flyers came into Buffalo after three straight losses at home. Jamey Drysdale is back from injury and Rasmus Ristolainen is out. The red hot Buffalo Sabres have won 13 of their last 15. One of these two teams is going to skate away sitting in the final wildcard spot. Up until this recent stretch the Flyers have been fantastic at bouncing back from losses. This current situation has become a different test of resilience. When will the bleeding stop.
Flyers vs Buffalo
Odd start to the game, Sabres netminder Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen took a penalty less than two minutes in for taking Christian Dvorak down behind the Buffalo net. Unfortunately the Flyers were able to do nothing with the man advantage.
The Flyers held their own against their speedy opponent during the opening minutes of play. The Flyers kept the Sabres without a shot on goal well into the first half of the opening period.
Robbery
Owen Tippett teed up the perfect tap in pass to Nikita Grebenkin at the side of the Buffalo net. Grebenkin did the right thing, slap it don’t tap it. Somehow Luukkonen still managed to get his glove over in time to make the unbelievable save. Call the cops.
Buffalo went on a power-play and scored on their first shot of the game 9:30 into the match. Rasmus Dahlin PPG wrister through traffic long side. 1-0
Things were getting a bit shaky and shysty in the Flyers zone. The Sabres stole the puck off the Flyers top line in the neutral zone. Mattiaas Samuelsson fired a wrist shot from the slot and beat Vladar blocker side at 15:13. Buffalo had two goals on three shots. You can add two posts into the mix as well.
The Flyers needed to get out of the first period. They looked unsure of absolutely everything. Even a perfect situation like Travis Konecny and Trevor Zegras on a 2-on-0 break couldn’t produce a shot on goal.
2nd period shocker
The middle period started with Samuel Ersson skating out and into the Flyers net to take over between the pipes. Dan Vladar would not be returning to the game due to injury. This could possibly be the worst news a Flyers team in free fall could receive. Vladar has been their key to success so far this season. When it rains it pours.
Jack Quinn was the first to sail one past Ersson 4:22 into the second. It was a wrister from the slot, through traffic, high blocker side. The preferred shot of the night apparently. 3-0
Goose, gander, goal
The Flyers got on the board at 9:32 when Owen Tippett fired a wrist shot through traffic from the top of the circle. It’s been working for the Sabres all night, why not give it a shot. 3-1
Rasmus Dahlin scored his 2nd power-play goal of the game 13:51 into the middle period. Wrister, through traffic, top of the slot. Glove side just to finally mix it up just a little bit. 4-1
After the goal there was some late contact with Samuel Ersson and tempers started to flare and remained smoldering throughout the rest of the period.
Last call
The Flyers had twenty minutes left to try and put a stop to the free-fall. Early in the new year with the Metropolitan Division tight as a drum the Flyers have lost their #1 goaltender and their mojo. Here in Buffalo they have one final period to find their boot straps and their offense.
The Flyers have been outscored 16-4 over the last eight periods played. People were wondering if and when we may see Aleksei Kolosov make his season debut. The Lehigh Valley goaltender was recently named AHL player of the week after stopping 60 of 61 shots for a .50 GAA over two games. He very well may have been packing a bag as the puck dropped to start the 3rd period in Buffalo.
The first half of the 3rd period was littered with pointless penalties. The pace was choppy as heck.
Finally at 12:23 the Flyers scored a power-play goal. Konecny with a cross slot pass that had Zegras just a bit jammed up. TK had to wait for the lane to open up. By the time the puck got to Zegras it was past his stick and ticked in of his skate. Skate vs stick, it didn’t seem to matter the goal stood. 4-2
Moments later Noah Juulsen spiked a dead ringer off the post. The Flyers seemed to be on the move. They were outshooting the Sabres 20-12 at that point.
Ersson headed to the Philadelphia bench in exchange for the extra attacker with 3:20 left on the clock.
Matvei Michkov drew a penalty at 2:15 giving the Flyers a 6-on-4 opportunity. The Flyers had total control of the puck but could not get a quality chance through to the net. Buffalo went up 5-2 on an empty net goal by Ryan McLeod with 39 seconds left in regulation. The free-fall continues.
Next Up: No rest for the weary that’s for sure. Flyers vs Penguins tomorrow night in Pittsburgh.
About Author
