After getting back on the winning end of a points streak, the Philadelphia Flyers look to keep rolling when they visit the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday.
The Flyers are 2-0-3 in their last five games, but they had dropped three consecutive games in overtime or a shootout before Tuesday’s 4-1 road win over the Montreal Canadiens.
Alexandre Texier scored to give the Habs a 1-0 lead 19:00 into the first period, but Carl Grundstrom’s equalizer just 39 seconds later triggered four unanswered Philadelphia goals. It was also the first of three late daggers for the Flyers, who scored in the final two minutes of each period.
Forward Trevor Zegras praised his teammates’ “pretty timely goals,” noting that Grundstrom’s goal in particular was “massive, giving us a whole lot of confidence going into the room and then obviously into the second (period).”
Philadelphia has a league-best 12 victories this season when allowing the game’s opening goal. The Flyers (12-6-4) and the league-leading Colorado Avalanche (7-1-3) are the only teams who have won more than they’ve lost when trailing first in a game.
The Sabres are returning home after a six-game road trip that began with a 5-2 loss on Dec. 3 in Philadelphia. Buffalo dropped the first three games of the trip before rebounding for three consecutive victories to earn the club’s longest winning streak of the season.
Buffalo remains in last place in the Eastern Conference, however, which has led to an organizational shake-up. Thursday marks the Sabres’ first game under Jarmo Kekalainen, who was named general manager on Monday after Kevyn Adams was fired.
Lindy Ruff remains behind the Sabres’ bench, and the head coach said that the outlook has remained the same since the front office change.
“(Kekaleinen’s) message is keep putting the work in,” Ruff said. “Keep trying to coach these players up and win hockey games.”
A victory on Thursday would be the 915th of Ruff’s career, making him the fourth-winningest coach in NHL history. He currently shares fourth with Barry Trotz, who currently serves as the Nashville Predators’ general manager.
Defenseman Michael Kesselring is expected to play Thursday after missing Buffalo’s last 14 games with a lower-body injury. Forward Peyton Krebs is questionable after missing Wednesday’s practice with an illness that Ruff said was hampering several Sabres players.
Buffalo has one of the NHL’s top penalty kills, but the unit has hit a bit of a slump. The Sabres killed only 15 of 21 penalties during their six-game road trip. The Flyers might still be hard-pressed to take advantage, as Philadelphia’s struggling power play is 0-for-13 over its last six games.
Zegras and Buffalo’s Tage Thompson lead their respective teams in both goals and points, and both star forwards are on four-game goal streaks. Zegras’ scoring run comes within a larger five-game points streak that has seen the Flyers center amass seven points (four goals, three assists). Thompson also has seven points (four goals, three assists) during his scoring streak.
Alex Lyon has gotten the win in each of Buffalo’s last three games. He has not started more than three consecutive games since opening the season in net for Buffalo’s first five, but he could start again Thursday if the Sabres want to ride the hot hand. For the season, Lyon is 6-6-3 with a 2.99 goals-against average and .905 save percentage.
The Flyers have gotten good goaltending from both Daniel Vladar and Samuel Ersson this season, though Vladar has had the majority of starts. Vladar has started four of the Flyers’ last five games, posting a 1.70 GAA, .926 save percentage and 2-0-2 record in those four outings.
