Postgame 5: Flyers offense erupts in 7-4 win over Buffalo

The Philadelphia Flyers drubbed the Buffalo Sabres, 7-4, on Saturday afternoon at Wells Fargo Center. Matvei Michkov notched a pair of goals, while Noah Cates (1g, 2a) had a three-point day.

A pair of closely spaced Flyers' goals off the rush built a quick two-goal lead for the Flyers in the first period. Buffalo narrowed the deficit midway through the frame.

Converting a 2-on-1 rush, Flyers rookie Michkov (23rd goal of the season) took a pass from Travis Konecny and sniped a shot from the right circle past goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen at 5:27.

Scoring his first goal as a Flyer, Jakob Pelletier (5th overall of the season) made it 2-0 as Owen Tippett sped down the ice in transition and fed over to Pelletier. With half of the net open, Pelletier made no mistake. Ryan Poehling drew the secondary assist at 5:27.

Jack Quinn (12th) trimmed the Flyers' lead to 2-1 at 10:57. JJ Peterka won a puck battle along the left side boards with Nic Deslauriers. From the slot, Quinn beat Samuel Ersson through the five-hole. The assists went to Peterka and Ryan McLeod.

The Flyers went to the game's first power play at 12:11. Fifty-eight seconds into the penalty, Tyson Foerster was called for a questionable boarding penalty. The team skated 4-on-4 before Buffalo went on a brief power play.

First period shots on goal were 12-7 in the Flyers' favor.

Buffalo tied the game quickly early in the second period. Konency was unable to slam-dunk a near tic tac toe goal in Buffalo's end. Immediately thereafter, at 1:41, Peterka (23rd) scored from close range to forge a 2-2 deadlock. The assists went to Quinn and Peyton Krebs.

Rodrigo Abols was called for hooking at 6:18. With five seconds left on the man advantage, Buffalo took a 3-2 lead at 8:13. Using Cam York as a screen, Quinn shot between the defenseman's legs from the top of the right circle for his second tally of the game (PPG, 13th). The apples were collected by Ryan McLeod and Owen Power.

The scorching-hot Michkov (23rd) notched his second goal of the game to re-tie the game at 3-3 at the 10:36 mark. Michkov scored on a backhander from the bottom of the right circle. The lone assist went to Konecny, who fed ahead to the young winger. Rather than going to his forehand, where defenseman Connor Clifton could have checked the puck away, Michkov kept the puck on his backhand and beat Luukkonnen.

At 11:27, Ersson stoned Beck Malenstyn from close range. At the other end of the ice, Drysdale pinched in for a right side shot and Tippett one-timed the juicy rebound on the other side. Luukkonen made his 14th save of the game.

Noah Cates (15th) broke a 13-game drought and opened a 4-3 lead at 15:47. Foerster took the puck across the right circle after coming away with the puck as two Sabres converged on Bobby Brink. Foerster found Cates with an open shooting lane from the mid-slot between the circles. Foerster received the lone assist.

Second period shots on goal were 8-7 Flyers (20-13 Flyers through two periods).

The Flyers went on their second power play of the game when Krebs was called for tripping at 4:53 of the third period. The Flyers coughed up a shorthanded 2-on-1 rush but Ersson gloved away a McLeod shot. At the other end, at 6:39, Tippett (PPG, 20th) one-timed home a goal from above the left circle. The assists went to Olle Lycksell and Jamie Drysdale. The tally ended a 15-game goal drought for Tippett.

Scoring in back-to-back games, Foerster (18th) inched one-goal closer to the 20-goal mark at 10:13. The assists went to Brink and Cates as Foerster ripped the puck from well above the hash marks.

At 14:23, Zach Benson committed a high-sticking penalty in the offensive zone corner. The Flyers went to their fourth power play of the afternoon. Using a five-forward first power play unit, the Flyers got burned. Alex Tuch (SHG, 29th) struck shorthanded, cutting around Brink and beating Ersson. McLeod drew the sole assist.

While still on the power play, the Flyers got the goal back for a 7-4 lead as Cates set up Ryan Poehling (PPG, 9th) alone at the right post.

Ersson earned the win with 15 saves on 19 shots. Luukkonen stopped 25 of 32 shots. Third period shots on goal favored the Flyers, 12-8.

The Flyers went 2-for-3 on the power play (but allowed a shorthanded goal). They were 1-for-2 on the penalty kill.

FLYERS STARTING LINEUP

71 Tyson Foerster -27 Noah Cates - 10 Bobby Brink
39 Matvei Michkov - 14 Sean Couturier - 11 Travis Konecny
22 Jakob Pelletier - 25 Ryan Poehling - 74 Owen Tippett
44 Nicolas Deslauriers - 18 Rodrigo Abols - 15 Olle Lycksell

24 Nick Seeler - 6 Travis Sanheim
8 Cam York - 9 Jamie Drysdale
5 Egor Zamula - 36 Emil Andrae

33 Samuel Ersson
[82 Ivan Fedotov]

Scratches: 55 Rasmus Ristolainen (upper body), 19 Garnet Hathaway (upper body), 35 Aleksei Kolosov (healthy).

PP1: Konecny, Couturier, Brink, Foerster, Michkov
PP2: Sanheim, Tippett, Cates, Lycksell, Drysdale

TURNING POINT

Michkov's electrifying second goal of the day, which came right on the heels of the Sabres scoring their third goal in a row to take a lead, catapulted the Flyers into overdrive offensively. The rookie has racked up four goals in the two games since Brad Shaw assumed interim head coaching duties.

POSTGAME 5 ("RAV4 THINGS" REVISITED)

1. Sean Couturier point streak: The Flyers captain brought a five-game point streak (four goals, four assists, eight points) into Saturday's matinee. Against the Sabres, Couturier did not get on the scoresheet -- linemates Konecny and Michkov provided the fireworks -- but made a couple subtle plays that helped keep things from going off the rails when it may have.

2. Travis Sanheim shouldering heavy minutes: On his 29th birthday, Sanheim was plus-three at 5-on-5 with three shots on goal and three blocked shots in 24: 41 of ice time (29 shifts).

3. York returns to the lineup: The defenseman skated on the second pairing. He skated 24 shifts, logging 18:54 of ice time. He blocked two shots.

4. Tippett success vs. Sabres: The Flyers winger entered the game with five career goals in 10 games against Buffalo. On Saturday, he made it six goals in 11 games against Buffalo and hit the 20-goal mark for the third straight season.

5. X-factor -- Tracking Tage Thompson: The McLeod line did the damage for Buffalo in this game. Thompson had a rough day (minus three, three charged giveaways, three shot attempts blocked on five attempted shots, 0-for-4 on faceoffs).