Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - The Buffalo Sabres closed out their 2024-25 campaign Thursday night with a 5-4 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers at KeyBank Center.
With the win, Lindy Ruff earned his 900th career win as a head coach in the NHL.
Alex Tuch grabbed the early 1-0 lead for the Sabres just 4:35 into the game, as he crashed the net on a nice pass from the wall by Jason Zucker.
Later in the period, with Jacob Bernard-Docker in the penalty box for delay of game, Peyton Krebs broke in alone shorthanded and roofed a backhand over Flyers goalie Aleksei Kolosov to extend the Sabres' lead to 2-0.
On the same power play, though, the Flyers cut the lead to 2-1 as Matvei Michkov scored on a wrist shot from the slot over the glove of Sabres goalie James Reimer.
Buffalo regained its two-goal lead again just over a minute later with Ryan McLeod making a pretty move towards the net, feeding Jack Quinn to make it 3-1 late in the first period.
It took just over a minute for the Sabres to make it a 4-1 game in the second with McLeod setting up another goal on a 2-on-1 rush. This time, he set up JJ Peterka to snap the puck home.
The Flyers stuck back to make it 4-2 midway through the second period with Michkov getting his second of the game for Philadelphia.
The Flyers made it a one-goal game just 15 seconds into the third period, as forward Tyson Foerster made it a 4-3 game.
The Sabres thought they scored to make it a 5-3, but the goal was challenged for goaltender interference and overturned. The score remained 4-3 with 3:26 left in regulation.
The Flyers pulled their goaltender in the final minute of regulation, and McLeod made no mistake by hitting the empty net, making it 5-3 with 47 seconds left in regulation.
The goal ended up being important, as Philadelphia pulled their goaltender once again, giving Bobby Brink the opportunity to score with the extra man to make it 5-4 with 18 seconds remaining.
Despite the late tally, the Sabres managed to hold off any further push from the Flyers and secure the victory.
Alex Tuch finished his 2024-25 season by earning some accolades, as he became the NHL's single-season record holder for blocked shots by a forward with 112 blocks.
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SCORING RECAP
First Period:
BUF: 4:35 - Alex Tuch (36) (Jason Zucker, Jacob Bernard-Docker); 13:49 - Peyton Krebs (10) SHG (Alex Tuch, Connor Clifton); 16:11 - Jack Quinn (15) (Ryan McLeod, JJ Peterka)
PHI: 15:09 - Matvei Michkov (25) PPG (Tyson Foerster, Sean Couturier)
Second Period:
BUF: 1:24 - JJ Peterka (27) (Ryan McLeod)
PHI: 7:11 - Matvei Michkov (26) (Sean Couturier, Travis Konecny)
Third Period:
BUF: 19:12 - Ryan McLeod (20) ENG (Zach Benson)
PHI: 0:15 - Tyson Foerster (18) (Noah Cates, Bobby Brink); 19:41 - Bobby Brink (12) (Matvei Michkov, Ryan Poeling)
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Three Stars of the Game:
1.) Alex Tuch - BUF
2.) Ryan McLeod - BUF
3.) Jack Quinn - BUF
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What's next:
The Sabres will clean out their lockers out Friday and Saturday this week. Head coach Lindy Ruff and general manager Kevyn Adams are expected to address the media for their end-of-season press conferences on Saturday.
Coverage of locker room cleanouts can be heard on WGR Sports Radio 550.