With six games remaining in their regular season schedule, John Tortorella's Philadelphia Flyers (36-29-11) are in New York State on Friday to take on Don Granato's Buffalo Sabres (36-35-5) at KeyBank Center. Game time is 7:00 p.m. EDT.
The game will be televised on NBCSP. The radio broadcast is on 97.5 The Fanatic with an online simulcast on Flyers Radio 24/7.
This is the third and final meeting of the season series between the teams and the second game in Buffalo. The teams split a home-and-home set in November. On Nov. 1, the Flyers lost on home ice by a 5-2 score. Two nights later in Buffalo, the Flyers prevailed in a 5-1 game.
The Flyers enter play on Friday clinging onto third place in the Metropolitan Division via tiebreaker (28 regulation wins to 25) over the New York Islanders, one point (83 to 82) over the Washington Capitals and two points over the Pittsburgh Penguins. In the wildcard chase, the Flyers are also just one point ahead of the Detroit Red Wings.
The Flyers are winless in their last five games (0-3-2), including a 4-3 overtime home loss to the New York Islanders on Monday. Over the last 10 games, Tortorella's team is 2-5-3. On the road this season, the Flyers have a 17-13-7 record.
The Sabres, coming off a 6-2 home win over the Capitals on Tuesday, are 3-2-0 in their last five games and 5-5-0 over the last 10. On home ice this season, the Sabres are 19-19-1.
Here are five things to watch on Friday:
1. Patience and Persistence
Since the All-Star break, the Sabres rank in the top one-third of the NHL in lowest team goals against average (2.74 GAA, 7th). Goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has had a strong overall season (25-20-3, 2.57 GAA, .910 SV%, five shutouts) and has a 2.52 goals against average and .912 save percentage since the All-Star break.
The Flyers will need to be patient and diligent in how they approach the game from an attacking standpoint. As the season has progressed, the Sabres have tightened up their defensive play. Buffalo is not a high-scoring team (2.98 goals per game average before the All-Star break, 3.00 GPG since the break), so they rely on their improved two-way discipline.
Prior to the Flyers' current five-game swoon, the team played a series of games where the process was strong even as the end results were mixed. If the Flyers can get back to the type of hockey played during their seven-game gauntlet -- particularly in the wins over Toronto and Boston as well as the first two periods of an overtime loss to the Rangers -- they stand a good chance of success.
Bottom line: The Flyers have to be ready to answer the bell from the outset. They cannot afford to put themselves in a situation where they are trying to chase the game.
2. All Hands on Deck
The Flyers announced on Thursday that center Sean Couturier will not be available to play in either Friday's game in Buffalo or Saturday's match in Columbus. Couturier suffered an upper body injury during the first period of Monday's game against the Islanders.
After Couturier exited the game, Noah Cates (who scored his fourth goal of the season early in the first period) moved from wing. On the blueline, the Flyers are still rather banged up, but Nick Seeler and Jamie Drysdale both recently returned to the lineup.
Tortorella has said many times this season that the Flyers need to be a scoring-by-committee team to muster enough offense to win with consistency. The Flyers cannot afford to have any passengers in the lineup. Everyone needs to contribute something positive, even if he is not scoring or setting up goals.
Dating back to All-Star break, Travis Konecny leads the Flyers with 23 points (9g. 14a). Owen Tippett (9g, 10a) and Morgan Frost (6g, 13a) have 19 points apiece, while Scott Laughton (8g, 9a) has posted 17. Tyson Foerster leads the team with 11 goals among his 13 points since the break. Travis Sanheim leads the blueline with 15 points (6g, 9a) over the Flyers' last 26 games.
3. Flyers Power Play vs. Sabres PK
Over the last 10 games, the Flyers are 4-for-31 (12.9 percent) on the power play. For the season overall, the team is also 12.9 percent (31-for-240, ranked 32nd).
Based on Thursday's practice, one Flyers power play unit may consist of Drysdale, Konecny, Frost, Foerster, and Bobby Brink. The other unit may feature Cam York, Tippett, Cates, Laughton, and Joel Farabee.
The Sabres' penalty kill ranks 16th in the NHL this season (79.3 percent) and 19th since the All-Star break (78.1 percent). Over the last 10 games, the PK is 27-for-32 (84.4 percent).
4. Flyers PK vs. Sabres Power Play
Over the last three weeks, the Flyers' penalty kill dropped from the top ranking in the NHL to a tie for third (83.7 percent). One positive from Monday's game against the Islanders was that the Flyers took just two minor penalties and went 2-for-2 on the PK.
The Flyers still lead the NHL with 15 shorthanded goals scored: five by Konecny, three by Ryan Poehling, two by Laughton, two by former Flyers defenseman Sean Walker (now with Colorado), and one apiece by Garnet Hathaway, Sanheim and Foerster. The most recent one was scored by Foerster against Toronto on March 14.
The Sabres' power play ranks 28th in the NHL at 16.4 percent (35-for-213) overall but 21.1 percent (15-for-71) since the All-Star break. Over the last 10 games, the power play has gone 4-for-26 (15.4 percent).
5. Behind Enemy Lines: Buffalo Sabres
Defenseman Rasmus Dahlin leads the Sabres in scoring with 56 points (18g, 38a) this season. The gifted Swedish blueliner is followed by Alex Tuch (20g, 34a. 54 points), Tage Thompson (27g. 25a. 52 points). JJ Peterka (28g. 21a, 49 points), Jeff Skinner (24g. 21a. 45 points), Dylan Cozens (15g, 27a, 42 points) and young defenseman Owen Power (6g, 24a, 30 points).
Coming off a monstrous 47-goal, 94-point season in 2022-23, expectations were higher for Thompson this season than what he's produced. However, over his last five games, he's racked up six goals (including a four-goal performance against the Devils) and nine points.
Defenseman Mattias Samuelsson is on IR for the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery in February. Jordan Greenway (upper-body) is considered day-to-day and may be able to return to play against the Flyers.
