Get Back on Track
Philadelphia Flyers (22-14-8) vs Buffalo Sabres (24-16-4)
Puck Drop: 7:30 pm Eastern Time | Keybank Center | Buffalo, New York
TV: TNT
Radio: WGR 550
Know Your Opponent
Philadelphia Flyers
Record: (22-14-8) | 52 PTS
Last Game: Lost to Tampa 5-1
Division Ranking: 3rd place in the Metro
PP: 31st, 15.3% (Sabres: 22nd, 17.8%)
PK: 14th, 79.9% (Sabres: 4th, 84.7%)
What to Watch
1.Tough Stretch, Need Results
The Florida Panthers won two of three periods from the Sabres on Monday night, leading to Buffalo’s 4-3 defeat. Our boys were just not good enough against the Champs, even though they were a banged up group. That was the first game of a brutal stretch for the Blue and Gold, with 8 games in 13 days. Beyond Philadelphia tonight, there is some very good competition ahead with contests against Minnesota, Montreal and AT Carolina. (Buffalo’s dead zone) The Sabres must have a good showing in this jam-packed portion of the schedule if they are to keep up with the Joneses. Even if they go 4-4 in the next two weeks, they will likely lose ground in the playoff race. Buffalo will need to pull out all the stops to come away with a winning record in this stretch. The good news is that goaltender Alex Lyon should be returning soon from injury to help bolster Buffalo between the pipes. Michael Kesselring is expected back on defense soon as well.
2. Paging Rasmus Dahlin
With all the recent success the Sabres have had, one key ingredient has still been missing. Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo’s captain and most highly skilled player, has not been a factor in this run like you would expect him to be. The points have not been there and his defense has been a struggle. Something isn’t right when your number one defensemen is playing like your third best defender. (Shout out to Sammy and Bo) I’m not going to lay into him too hard, everyone knows the adversity he is going through in his personal life. But it would be nice to see him as more of a catalyst in this Sabres’ success rather than a passenger. Buffalo is winning now like we have not seen in ages. This group has a golden opportunity to finally make the playoffs after so long, yet our top player hasn’t been playing like it. If Dahlin’s performances started to match the rest of the team, they might be damn near unstoppable. I don’t like calling out the captain, especially considering his circumstances, but we really do need you Rasmus. We need more from you, we need the Dahlin we know and love. The Buffalo Sabres will smash that playoff threshold almost assuredly if you can elevate your game again. If not, despite all the prosperity around here, this group might come up short once again.
3. Surprise, Surprise
Like Buffalo, the Flyers are a surprise riser this season, with much more success so far than was expected. Part of that turnaround has been the play of Trevor Zegras. The former Ducks player was flashy and skilled but wasn’t looked upon as a team player, more of a me-first guy. He seemed a little immature and was not respected much around the league. He was even voted “Most overrated player in the NHL” by his peers. Today, he seems like a new man. The trade to Philly has done wonders for Zegras. He has grown up and taken on more responsibility and is having a strong season for the Flyers. He is playing at nearly a point per game pace and looks to set career highs this season in goals, assists and points. Trevor seems to have finally matured from the red flags of his past, surprising many of us. Including me.
Projected Lineups
Buffalo Sabres
Forwards
Zach Benson – Tage Thompson – Josh Doan
Noah Ostlund – Josh Norris – Alex Tuch
Jason Zucker – Ryan McLeod – Jack Quinn
Jordan Greenway – Peyton Krebs – Beck Malenstyn
Defense
Mattias Samuelsson – Rasmus Dahlin
Bowen Byram – Owen Power
Jacob Bryson – Zach Metsa
Goalies: Ukko Pekka Luukkonen, Colten Ellis
Philadelphia Flyers
Forwards
Trevor Zegras – Christian Dvorak – Travis Konecny
Denver Barkey – Sean Couturier – Owen Tippett
Matvei Michkov – Noah Cates – Carl Grundstrom
Nikita Grebenkin – Rodrigo Abols – Garnet Hathaway
Defense
Cam York – Travis Sanheim
Nick Seeler – Rasmus Ristolainen
Emil Andrae – Noah Juulsen
Goalies: Dan Vladar, Samuel Ersson