The Buffalo Sabres got a boost from two familiar faces on Wednesday night, but the night still ended the same way too often has this season: with a loss that never fully let them exhale. Back home after a three-game road trip, Buffalo took on the Philadelphia Flyers with Rasmus Dahlin back in the lineup and Jason Zucker making his season debut, but the Sabres still came out on the short end of a 3-1 final.
There were stretches where Buffalo looked like the better team, especially early. The Sabres controlled much of the first period, outshooting Philadelphia 16-9 and creating pressure around Dan Vladar.
Their first power play was the kind of sequence that should at least perk up the building, especially with Dahlin back on the top unit for the first time in three games. Buffalo moved the puck well, pulled the Flyers out of shape, and generated chances, including a close-range look from Noah Ostlund that tried to slip between Vladar’s legs.
It didn’t produce a goal, but it was a cleaner, more dangerous power play than this group has usually shown.
Then came the swing that buried the Sabres in the opening frame. Oliver Bonk fired from the blue line, Cole Knuble found space in front, and the Flyers struck first on the rebound.
Buffalo had a chance to answer on the power play, but that chance evaporated when Noah Ostlund was whistled for slashing. The game shifted to 4-on-4 briefly before Philadelphia went back on the man advantage and made it count with a little more than 40 seconds left in the period.
Buffalo’s problems weren’t done there, either. After a turnover at center ice, the Flyers generated another chance, and Jack Quinn dove to knock the puck away before taking a tripping penalty with one second remaining.
The Sabres had looked solid for most of the period, but they still walked off down 2-0 for the sixth time this season.
The second period brought more frustration before Buffalo finally got one to drop. The Sabres hit two posts early, first with Zach Benson on a short-handed chance carried over from the opening period, then later with Jack Quinn.
They were also handed a tough break when Owen Power was called for a high stick even though the Flyers player appeared to be struck by a teammate’s stick. Because it was a two-minute minor, there was no review, and Buffalo had to survive a 5-on-3.
Once that ended, the Sabres earned another power play almost immediately and cashed in at last. Jason Zucker scored the first Buffalo goal of the night, a fitting moment for a player who missed the start of the season after offseason surgery and has long been a key part of the Sabres’ power play.
It was also a reminder that he’s on track for a third straight season with double-digit power-play goals.
Even with that spark, Buffalo couldn’t fully climb out of the hole. The Flyers answered in the third period to restore a two-goal cushion and close the door on another comeback attempt.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen did enough to keep the Sabres within reach, but not enough to flip the result. He stopped 23 of 26 shots, and all three goals came in messy, difficult circumstances rather than on obvious softies.
The opener came on a rebound off a long shot. The second was Trevor Zegras swatting a rebound out of the air on the power play.
The third, from Knuble, came after Luukkonen got just a bit out of position and the puck was banked in off the back of his skate for Knuble’s second goal of the night. It was Luukkonen’s seventh start of the season, and for the seventh time, he allowed at least three goals.
Buffalo now has a few days before its next game, which comes Saturday night against the Washington Capitals. That will be the first meeting with former teammate Alex Tuch after he was part of a sign-and-trade to Washington.
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