Flyers-Sabres Preview: First of Five

An unlikely win on the road in Ottawa has set the stage for a long stretch at home. The Flyers will play their next five games on home ice as the season rapidly approaches the quarter-mark.

The first of those five games comes on Saturday night, as the Flyers take on the Buffalo Sabres.

Game time is 7 p.m.

Team Leaders

Philadelphia Flyers	GP	G	A	P	Buffalo Sabres	GP	G	A	P
Travis Konecny	17	9	10	19	Tage Thompson	16	11	7	18
Matvei Michkov	15	6	7	13	Alex Tuch	17	5	11	16
Travis Sanheim	17	4	5	9	JJ Peterka	15	7	8	15
Owen Tippett	17	3	6	9	Rasmus Dahlin	17	4	10	14
Bobby Brink	14	3	5	8	Owen Power	17	3	10	13

Travis Sanheim has played four straight games with over 28 minutes of ice time, and it's leading to some positive results. Sanheim had a three-point game in Ottawa after picking up just one assist in his previous seven games.

Rasmus Dahlin enters the game on a five-game points streak. Dahlin had a goal in his last game against St. Louis on Thursday, his third goal in the last four games. Dahlin has 12 points in his last nine games.

Ivan Fedotov gets the start for the Flyers. Fedotov picked up his second straight win on Thursday, making 33 saves on 37 shots and helping to keep the Flyers in the game.

Devon Levi gets the start for the Sabres. Levi made 24 saves on 27 shots in a win over St. Louis in his last start on Thursday, snapping a personal three-game losing streak.

Projected Lineups

Flyers Scratches: Cam York (injury), Sam Ersson (injury), Jamie Drysdale (injury), Morgan Frost (healthy), Nick Deslauriers (healthy)

Sabres Scratches: Tage Thompson (injury), Jordan Greenway (injury), Mattias Samuelsson (injury), Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (injury), Henri Jokiharju (healthy)

Lineup Notes

Flyers: All indications are that Sean Couturier will return to the lineup after missing Thursday's game with an injury. If he's able to play, Morgan Frost will come out of the lineup. No other changes are expected.
Sabres: Jordan Greenway will be out for Saturday's game. Jiri Kulich comes into the lineup.

Game Notes

Power Play: Flyers (18.5% - 20th), Sabres (17.3% - 22nd)
Penalty Kill: Flyers (87.9% - 3rd), Sabres (76.8% - 24th)
Recent History vs. Sabres
- April 5, 2024 - Sabres 4, Flyers 2 (at BUF)
- Nov. 3, 2024 - Flyers 5, Sabres 1 (at BUF)
- Nov. 1, 2024 - Sabres 5, Flyers 2 (at PHI)
Flyers Leaders vs. Sabres
- Joel Farabee: 17 GP, 6 G, 9 A, 15 P
- Sean Couturier: 30 GP, 7 G, 17 A, 24 P
- Travis Konecny: 25 GP, 7 G, 11 A, 18 P
- Owen Tippett: 9 GP, 5 G, 1 A, 6 P
- Ivan Fedotov: 1 GP, 0-1-0, 4.31 GAA, .790 SV%
Milestone Watch
- Erik Johnson plays in his 1,000th NHL game tonight.
- Travis Sanheim plays in his 515th game as a Flyer, moving past Brad Marsh for 12th all-time in games played for Flyers defensemen.
- Scott Laughton needs three goals to reach 100 for his career.