GAME NOTES
QUICK STATS
Season Series: 1-1-0
All-Time Record: 183gp (93-63-20-7)
Leading Scorer:
PHI - 22 pts: James van Riemsdyk (9g-13a)
BUF - 15 pts: Victor Olofsson (7g-8a)
1. TIME CRUNCH
The Flyers come into today's game playing their fourth game in a 20-day span due to a COVID-protocol break in early February, but it also kicks off the first of six games in a nine-day stretch... For the Sabres, the weekend set will end a stretch of nine games in a 14-day span after they went the first 14 days of February without games due to their own COVID protocol... Since returning, the Flyers have gone 1-1-1 in three games including a win in their last outing (4-3 vs. NYR)... The Sabres enter today having earned points in three of their last four games (2-1-1).
2. SPECIAL DELIVERY
The Sabres own the NHL's best power play operating at 34.6 percent, scoring 19 times on 55 opportunities, which also accounts for 45 percent of their total goals (19 of 42)... They have scored a goal on the man advantage in five straight games, going 6-for-12 (50%), as well as 11 of their last 12 games... The Flyers have scored on the man-advantage in two straight, but have also given up a goal on the penalty kill in four straight... The Sabres have allowed a goal on the PK in four of their last five games.
3. AT HOME ON THE ROAD
The Sabres have dropped their last four games on home ice (0-3-1) and are tied for the worst winning percentage (.333) at home in the NHL... Victor Olofsson leads the team with nine points (3g-6a) in nine home games, seven of which have come on the power play... Despite a loss in the last road game (outdoors in Lake Tahoe) the Flyers have won three of their last four road games and earned points in four of six road contests this season (3-2-1)... James van Riemsdyk leads the team with six goals and 10 points in six road games for the Flyers this season.
4. COMPLETELY RANDOM
Claude Giroux will pass Bill Barber for the 2nd all-time in games played as a Philadelphia Flyers with his 904th game... Curtis Lazar will play in his 300th NHL game tonight... Both Sean Couturier (3g-4a) and Joel Farabee (2g-4a) have four-game point streaks entering tonight's game... Sam Reinhardt has a five-game point streak with seven points (4g-3a), while Rasmus Dahlin has assists in four straight games... It's the fifth daytime start for the Sabres, who own a 3-1-0 record in their previous afternoon starts... The Flyers will play back-to-back daytime starts this weekend with today being just the second daytime start - they won their only day start (7-4 at Washington).
5. PLAYERS TO WATCH
FLYERS (G: #37 - Brian Elliott)
Elliott will get the call for the second straight game for the first time in over a calendar year when he had three straight starts from Feb. 3-8, 2020... He is coming off a 4-3 win over the Rangers and has a lifetime record of 14-2-2 with a 2.43 GAA and .923 save percentage against the Sabres, including a 3-0 shutout win this season on Jan. 19.
SABRES (LW: #4 - Taylor Hall)
Hall posted three assists in the first meeting of the year but was shut out in the second, marking just the fourth time out of 22 games he had failed to score a point against the Flyers in his career... He has 27 points (10g-17a) against the Flyers in that span... He also has points in two straight and three of his last four, but has only one goal on the season, which he scored on opening night and has not scored in his last 16 games.
