POSTGAME 5: Flyers Fall in Buffalo, 4-3

The Philadelphia Flyers lost to the Buffalo Sabres, 4-3, at KeyBank Center on Saturday evening. The Flyers led 2-0 after one period but the wheels fell off in the second period, as Buffalo exploded for four goals (two on the power play, one at 6-on-5 on a delayed penalty) and a 4-3 lead. In the third period, the Flyers had three successive power plays but failed to tie the game.

The teams will rematch at the Wells Fargo Center on Sunday.
Early first period goals by Joel Farabee (17th of the season) and Owen Tippett (9th overall, 3rd as a Flyer) gave Philadelphia a quick 2-0 lead within the first four minutes of the game.
Kyle Okposo (power play, 20th) cut the gap in half early in the middle frame before Rasmus Dahlin (11th) tied the score at 2-2 on a delayed Flyers penalty before the midway point of regulation. After Travis Konecny (14th) briefly restored a Philadelphia lead at 14:06, the Sabres responded with tallies by Vinnie Hinostroza (12th) and Tage Thompson (power play, 34th) to take a 4-3 lead to the second intermission.
The Flyers outshot the Sabres in the third period, 10-2, but could not find an equalizer.
Martin Jones stopped 25 of 29 shots in a losing cause for the Flyers. Craig Anderson earned the win with 18 saves on 21 shots.
The Flyers went 0-for-4 on the power play. The Sabres went 2-for-4.
TURNING POINT
The Flyers have had far too many awful second periods this season regardless of what has happened in the 1st. This second period was especially lopsided in the Sabres' favor. The Flyers momentarily had a ray of hope as Konecny went around Mattias Samuelsson and roofed a shot over Anderson for a short-lived 3-2 lead but the Sabres immediately reclaimed control.
MELTZER'S TAKE
1) The game got off to a cautious start. The Flyers iced the puck in the opening minute. Buffalo won the ensuing left circle faceoff and Owen Power eluded Travis Konecny before his shot attempt was blocked by Scott Laughton. At 1:41, the Flyers got the game's first goal.The Flyers attacked off a counter rush with Bobby Brink taking the puck to the net and Farabee knocking it over the goal line, Keith Yandle got the secondary assist.

Jones made a tough deflection save on Anders Bjork at the 3:00 mark after some extended puck possession by Buffalo. He then made a save on Dylan Cozens.
At 3:55, the Flyers made it 2-0. TIppett had a wide open lane over the middle where he claimed the bouncing puck and chipped it nicely under the crossbar on the backhand. The play was ruled as a Rasmus Dahlin turnover off his stick and was credited as an unassisted goal,

Oskar Lindblom held onto the puck a little too long and Victor Olofsson took it away and moved in toward Jones. The Flyers' goalie made the save.
Konecny landed a hit on Rasmus Dahlin in the Buffalo zone, leading to a scrum behind the play. The Flyers got the game's first power play as Dahlin took a retaliatory minor for slashing. Just before the penalty expired, Brink made a move toward the net on Anderson, who stretched out to make the save. With the penalty over, Dahlin went back at Konecny, and this time the Flyers' forward took a roughing penalty with 6:40 remaining. Jones stopped an Alex Tuch one-timer from below the left circle. With 1:35 left on Buffalo's power play, Travis Sanheim and Tuch were both penalized , respectively, for roughing (Sanheim) and slashing (Tuch).
With 49.7 seconds left in the first period, Ivan Provorov took an unforced icing. Jeff Skinner won the ensuing faceoff against Morgan Frost. Frost subsequently made a good defensive play and chipped the puck to Brink.
2) First period shots on goal ended up 9-7 in Buffalo's favor, but the Flyers had the 2-0 edge on the scoreboard. Shot attempts were 17-8 Sabres (68 percent Corsi), Scoring chances were 7-3 Sabres but high-danger chances were 3-2 Flyers and Philly scored on two of them.
3) The Flyers escaped an early failed clear by Zamula as Okoposo narrowly missed converting a feed by Cozens. On the next shift, Skinner maneuvered around Tippett and fired a shot on Jones.
Buffalo went to their second power play at 1:41 on a marginal hooking penalty called on Ivan Provorov. The Sabres' second power play unit cashed in at 3:17 . Buffalo generated a clean entry and found operating space. The Flyers PKers went at Cozens in front. Okposo received a pass from Peyton Krebs and beat Jones. The secondary assist went to Henri Jokiharju.
The Sabres continued to dominate puck possession, winning by far most of the battles. Through 7:18, shots on goal were 5-1 Sabres.
Buffalo knotted the score at 2-2 on a delayed penalty on James van Riemsdyk. Skinner fed the puck to Dahlin, who fired home a shot past Jones at 8:27.
The Sabres had a 2-on-1 opportunity with a chance to take the lead about nine minutes into the second period but missed connections. Shots were 8-2a Sabres for the period at the midway mark of the game.
The Flyers were nearly stationary as the Sabres generated a wrister by Casey Fitzgerald from the top of the right circle and then a pair of shots in succession by Zemgus Girgensons. The latter wast stopped by Jones at the doorstep.
Philadelphia's fourth-line, about 12 minutes into the period, created the first forechecking pressure of the period for Philadelphia.
The Flyers re-took a 3-2 lead at 14:06. Konecny took a pass from Noah Cates (1st NHL assist), attacked the net and beat Anderson over the shoulder high to the short-side. Travis Sanheim collected the secondary assist.

The lead lasted a mere 90 seconds. Nate Thompson was unable to control the puck in the defensive slot. Hinostroza promptly fired it into the net. The assists went to Girrgensons and Fitzgerald at 15:36.
With 2:53 remaining in the second period, the Sabres went to their third power play of the game as Cates was called for hooking at 17:07. The Sabres worked the puck around and Thompson ripped a shot into the net at 17:58. The helpers were credited to Casey Mittelstadt and Dahkin.
4) The Flyers were thoroughly out-competed and out-skated in the disastrous second period. Shots on goal were a whopping 18-4 in Buffalo's favor. Shot attempts were 28-5 Buffalo. Scoring chances were a whopping 10-1 Sabres.
5) Olofsson fired a shot off Jones and into the corner on a 2-on-1 rush about 90 seconds into the third period. At 2:16, Frost won a right-side offensive zone draw and then had a crack at a loose puck at the doorstep. Anderson, who had trouble controlling the puck, made the stop.
Kevin Hayes, at the 4:00 mark, grabbed hold of Skinner and lost his stick in the process as he took a penalty. The Flyers killed it off. Solid work by Cates stood out as did Konecny in the waning portion.
Skinner maneuvered into the Flyers' zone, lost the puck to Sanheim and then tripped the Flyers defenseman for a Philadelphia power play at 8:00. Frost worked a give-and-go with JVR and then set up a chance for Tippett; the only opportunity of note during the man advantage. Hinostroza blocked the shot.
The Flyers went back to the power play at 12:01. Girgensons wrapped up Laughton on a Buffalo forecheck. Hayes had two early chances, including one near the right post. Tippett fired a long range slap shot that Anderson handled easily. The Sabres had a 2-on-1 chance after a Frost pass for Provorov missed connections and JVR had a shot going the other way.
Philadelphia went to their third straight power play as the fourth line generated a Thompson tripping penalty with 5:11 on the clock. Brink helped set up two shots for Farabee. On the latter part of the power play, van Riemsdyk set up a look for Laughton but the shot missed the net and rimmed out.
The Flyers pulled Jones for an extra attacker. With 1:06 remaining and an offensive zone faceoff upcoming, Philadelphia called timeout. The Sabres iced the puck with 18:1 seconds left. The Flyers were unable to generate any further looks.
Saturday's game was aired on
NBC Sports Philadelphia+.