Sabres at Flyers | How to watch, lineup notes, and storylines

PHILADELPHIA – The Buffalo Sabres look to build upon their last two wins as they face the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

Four times this season, the Sabres have seen a winning streak end at two games. Now, after Saturday’s shootout thriller in Minnesota and Monday’s blowout of Winnipeg, they’ve got another chance at their first three-game streak of 2025-26.

The Jets game, highlighted by Josh Norris’ emphatic two-goal return to action, pulled Buffalo back to .500 (11-11-4) for the fourth time. That 82-point pace has the Sabres near the bottom of the crowded Eastern Conference but also just four points out of playoff position.

So, as has been the case since opening night, the Sabres are a couple strong weeks from getting right back in the mix. They’ll need to do it on the road, though, as Wednesday’s game opens a six-game road trip – the team’s longest since January 2012.

“One road win at a time,” coach Lindy Ruff said after Saturday’s in Minnesota. “… The only way to get back in the race, right in the thick of it, is win road games.”

The Sabres are 2-6-2 on the road, but both wins have come in the last three and every game has been close, so they’re plenty confident as they begin this crucial stretch.

Here’s what you need to know before puck drop.

How to watch

TV (National): TNT

Streaming: HBO Max

Radio: WGR 550 / Buffalo Sabres App

More ways to watch/listen to Sabres games

Lineup notes (updated 7:05 p.m.)

Colten Ellis gets the start in net. He last played Saturday, making 22 saves – including two in overtime – to beat the Wild.

Here are the full lines from warmups, with Tyson Kozak (minor undisclosed injury) out again and Josh Dunne replacing Jordan Greenway (load management) on the fourth line:

First line, first impressions

Against Winnipeg, for the first time all season, Buffalo deployed a healthy first line of Norris, Tage Thompson and Zach Benson. Much like in the preseason, they displayed instant chemistry.

The trio played 11:01 together at 5-on-5, led 8-3 in shots and combined for Norris’ first two goals of the year. Both plays saw Benson receive a breakout pass – the first from Mattias Samuelsson, the second from Rasmus Dahlin – and lead the transition through the neutral zone. Benson’s playmaking, combined with Norris’ and Thompson’s finishing touch, gives this top group massive potential.

Here's Norris’ breakaway goal in the third period – check out Benson’s perfect one-touch feed:

“We saw his speed, saw some of the plays he made, good on the power play,” Ruff said of Norris, who’d been out with an upper-body injury since the season opener. “… That’s what we were hoping to see. I thought he had a great night from start to finish.”

Scouting the Flyers

The Flyers are coming off a 5-1 loss to Pittsburgh on Monday. Still, they’ve won eight of their last 13 games (8-3-2) and sit near the top of the Metropolitan Division.

Compared to last year, when they got an NHL-worst .872 save percentage, the Flyers have improved to a middle-of-the-pack .890. Offseason signing Dan Vladar has gone 10-5-1 with a .906 save percentage and 2.59 goals-against average.

Forward Trevor Zegras, acquired from Anaheim in June, has 25 points (9+16) in as many games. At his current pace, he’d be the first Flyer to reach 80 points in a season since Claude Giroux (85) in 2018-19.

Matvei Michkov started the season slowly, but he’s got seven goals in his last 12 games. The Russian winger had seven points (4+3) in three games versus Buffalo as a rookie last year.

The Sabres went 1-2-0 against Philadelphia in 2024-25, with both losses coming at Xfinity Mobile Arena.