Philadelphia, Pa. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - For a second-consecutive game, the Buffalo Sabres played in a game where one of the teams scored seven goals. Unlike Thursday at home against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Sabres were on the wrong end of a 7-4 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday at Wells Fargo Center.
The Flyers got started quickly with a pair of goals just 29 seconds apart to take an early 2-0 edge in the first.
First, it was rookie forward Matvei Michkov leading a 2-on-1 chance before firing a shot that beat Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen on the glove side.
Shortly after, Flyers forward Owen Tippett dished off a nice pass in front of Luukkonen that found the stick of forward Jakob Pelletier. It was Pelletier's fifth goal of the season.
Just past the halfway point of the opening frame, the Sabres answered back.
A nifty stick lift from JJ Peterka on the left boards resulted in the winger feeding linemate Jack Quinn for his 12th goal of the year.
Early in the second period, it was Quinn feeding Peterka to tie the game at 2-2, as Peterka was parked on the doorstep waiting for the feed. The goal was Peterka's 23rd goal of the 2024-25 campaign.
With 8:13 gone in the middle stanza, Buffalo grabbed its first lead of the afternoon.
The third unanswered goal came off the stick of Quinn, who scored his second goal of the game right after a quick pass from Ryan McLeod on a Sabres power play.
Two minutes later, though, Philadelphia put an end to Buffalo's run of goal-scoring.
Michkov struck for his second goal of the contest to knot the score up at 3-3.
With just over six minutes left in the second period, the Flyers took the lead back after winning a battle in the corner.
After the puck loosened from the right corner, Flyers forward Tyson Foerster gathered it and set up forward Noah Cates for the go-ahead score.
Philadelphia pulled further ahead six-and-a-half minutes into the third period while working on a power play.
Forward Owen Tippett ripped a one-time blast past Luukkonen to make it 5-3, Flyers, as the game of goal-scoring runs continued.
The hits kept coming four minutes later, as Foerster stepped into a slapshot off the rush to help Philadelphia double up the Sabres, 6-3.
Buffalo was within two goals for all of 29 seconds before the Flyers snatched all hope away. Alex Tuch scored his team-leading fifth shorthanded goal, which was quickly thwarted by Ryan Poehling's power play marker for Philadelphia.
----------
SCORING RECAP
First Period:
BUF: 10:57 - Jack Quinn (12) (JJ Peterka, Ryan McLeod)
PHI: 5:27 - Matvei Michkov (23) (Travis Konecny, Egor Zamula); 5:56 - Jakob Pelletier (5) (Owen Tippett, Ryan Poehling)
Second Period:
BUF: 1:41 - JJ Peterka (23) (Jack Quinn, Peyton Krebs); 8:13 - Jack Quinn (13) PPG (Ryan McLeod, Owen Power)
PHI: 10:36 - Matvei Michkov (24) (Travis Konecny); 14:11 - Noah Cates (15) (Tyson Foerster)
Third Period:
BUF: 15:05 - Alex Tuch (29) SHG (Ryan McLeod)
PHI: 6:39 - Owen Tippett (20) PPG (Olle Lycksell, Jamie Drysdale); 10:13 - Tyson Foerster (18) (Bobby Brink, Noah Cates); 15:34 - Ryan Poehling (9) PPG (Noah Cates)
----------
----------
Three Stars of the Game:
1.) Matvei Michkov - PHI
2.) Tyson Foerster - PHI
3.) Jack Quinn - BUF
----------
What's next:
The Sabres head to the nation's capital on Sunday to visit the Washington Capitals for another afternoon matinee. Puck drop at Capital One Arena is set for 3 p.m. with Dan Dunleavy and Rob Ray on the call.