5 Observations: A Tale of Two Games in Flyers 5-3 Loss to the Sabres

The Philadelphia Flyers’ five-game point streak was snapped on Thursday as they were beaten 5-3 by the Buffalo Sabres at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York.

With goals scored by Noah Cates, Cam York, and Travis Konecny, the Flyers’ effort was not enough to beat Buffalo in the first game of the Jarmo Kekalainen era. It seemed as if the Flyers had control of the game through the first 30 minutes of the game. However, something clicked for the Sabres mid-game, and the tides changed entirely.

The Sabres got into the driver’s seat of the game and continued to apply pressure. They fought off a late push from the Flyers and held on to the win.

Here are 5 observations from the game.

Read More: Sabres Flip Script on Flyers, Philadelphia Falls 5-3 on Thursday

5 observations from Flyers’ loss vs. Sabres

1. The power play looked better, but still not good enough. Philadelphia had three chances on the man-advantage, including one late in the game with a 6-on-4 advantage, but still could not bury one. The power play still was not good enough, but it showed improvement. Jamie Dyrsdale, especially, was not afraid to shoot from the middle of the ice. There is still a long way to go, but it was definitely a step forward.

2. Sean Couturier was trying to get an extra step on Rasmus Dahlin on the rush as Travis Sanheim was trying to send the puck along the boards. Dahlin saw Couturier leave the zone and intercepted the pass. He had all the time and space in the world on the play, leading to Tage Thompson’s then game-tying goal—a tough break for the Flyers, and a pivotal goal for the Sabres.

3. Matvei Michkov had a solid game. He did not earn a point in the game. However, he was pretty noticeable, but his underlying numbers tell a better story. He was third on the team in individual expected goals for with .29. Michkov was also tied for second on the Flyers with 4 individual scoring chances, and tied for second with an individual Corsi of 5. He has been very good with Brink and Cates. That line may deserve to get second-line minutes moving forward.

4. Speaking of outstanding individual performances, Christian Dvorak was absolutely everywhere, especially in the first period. It seemed like whenever there was Flyers’ action in the first, Dvorak was part of the play. Like Michkov, Dvorak did not earn a point, but his individual numbers were insane. He had an expected goals of .84, 5 individual high-danger scoring chances, and an individual Corsi of 5. Thursday was another great game for Dvorak.

5. The Flyers dominated the first 30 minutes of the game. They were controlling possession, really attacking the Sabres’ defense, putting pressure on Alex Lyon and the Sabres. Philadelphia was clogging the neutral zone, playing aggressively along the boards, and winning battles. Then, right around the halfway mark of the game, that momentum just flipped. It became an entirely different game. The Sabres were doing the things that the Flyers were doing, and sucked the life out of the Flyers. It was a bizarre change of events.

All stats used are from Natural Stat Trick, unless noted otherwise.

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