In a “must win” game against a universally disrespected opponent, the Flyers in large part did exactly what they were supposed to do. They thoroughly outplayed their opponent at all strengths, and put up enough chances to win. In total, the Sabres were held to just nine scoring chances at all strengths. The Flyers doubled them up at evens, 16-8.
Ray Emery, as well as he’s played of late, let the team down in this one. When the opposition is held to nine scoring chances, the rest of the team is doing their part.
The Sabres had some life early in the game, but mid-way through the second period the ice was completely tilted in the Flyers favor. Buffalo only managed a single scoring chance in the final 25 minutes of play, while the Flyers racked up 11 of their own.
Home/Away Chance Locations
A short disclaimer: there was some wonky line scrambling going on throughout this game so you’re going to some divergent results between linemates. We saw just about every player get a rotation on the top line, including two golden scoring chances for Chris VandeVelde.
That makes it tough to draw conclusions about how any one line played, but we can say with confidence that Giroux and Voracek had a strong night. We saw these two start to show flashes of their game against Columbus and they absolutely feasted on Buffalo, combining for over half of the Flyers even strength chances.
On the other hand, the Bellemare line turned in a dud of a performance offensively.
Every line either outright one their most common match up or at the very least broke even, which is a huge improvement from the last time these two teams met.
Even on the defensive side of the puck there is very little to complain about. What can you ask the team to do, outclass the Sabres more than they already did?
- Set Up – The primary pass on a scoring chance, including rebounds.
- Chance – The primary shot on a scoring chance, including deflections.
- Involved – The sum of both set ups and chances.
The broadcast team was fawning over Ryan White’s performance in this game and for good reason. He piled up good looks at the net, and was able to cash in on one for his first goal as a Flyer.
Both the 1st and 3rd line had strong nights creating offense for the team. And they did it without compromising their play in the other end.
