The Philadelphia Flyers emerged from tonight’s clash against the Buffalo Sabres with another win secured.
Erik Johnson’s 1,000th game
Tonight’s game was unique for defenseman Erik Johnson as he took the ice for his 1,000th NHL career game. Johnson was the first overall draft pick in 2006 to St. Louis. The Minnesota native spent two and a half seasons with St. Louis before getting traded to Colorado, where he would play for the majority of his career.
In the 2021-2022 season, Johnson won his first-ever Stanley Cup with Colorado. After his time in Colorado, Johnson played 50 games for the Buffalo Sabres before being dealt with to the Philadelphia Flyers last season. Johnson has reached a new milestone in his career between the four teams. He will be honored on Monday night’s game against the Colorado Avalanche.
Flyers vs Sabres recap
The Philadelphia Flyers took the ice looking to continue their four-game point streak and begin their five-game homestead on the right foot. In the first frame, the Flyers and Sabres were battling evenly, but the home side displayed more offensive dominance. However, Tyson Foerster poked the puck behind Devon Levi on the power play, giving Philadelphia a 1-0 lead. Anthony Richard and Joel Farabee assisted on Foerster’s goal. Travis Sanheim increased the Flyers’ lead two minutes later with a powerful snapshot. Egor Zamula was a crucial element in the goal as he had a short but straightforward pass to Sanheim to set the puck in perfect position. The Flyers would exit the first period with a 2-0 lead.
In the second frame, Philadelphia attacked on the ice early on, and Egor Zamula got his first goal – a wrist shot that Richard set up. The Flyers led the Sabres 3-0 and continued to display confidence. But then they hit a bump. The Flyers were short-handed for what was supposed to be two minutes due to Emil Andrae‘s hooking call, and then things leveled out.
All momentum shifted as Buffalo’s Rasmus Dahlin went to the box for slashing. With four-on-four play, Matvei Michkov had a breakaway and wanted Konecny to make a pass, which Konency scored off of. Michkov displayed great discipline and hockey IQ, which continues to impress those who watch him. After the goal, some punches were thrown from Konency as some Sabres looked to start with Michkov. However, after 40 minutes, the Flyers lead the Sabres 4-0.
In the final frame, the aggressiveness between the teams was clear. Buffalo was getting more frustrated on the ice and began taking more shots. A penalty against Sanheim allowed Buffalo to score its first goal.
Rasmus Dahlin’s goal prevented Fedotov from having a shutout. However, the Flyers still maintained a three-goal lead. Although the Flyers were the better team throughout the contest, it was apparent that Buffalo had a surge of energy. But when the Sabres scored once more with an extra attacker, Travis Konency answered back with an empty netter. The Flyers defeated the Sabres 5-2 and continued on the five-game point streak.
Following the game, Fedotov talked about how he feels more confident about taking the right measures, such as working with the goalie coach and trusting himself more. On the other hand, Johnson was more sentimental about his time in Philadelphia as he played his 1,000th game. “I really think the culture here is awesome, and the people here are amazing, and it makes it that much better to come to the rink every day and play hockey.” The defense continued, “This is one of my favorite places. I love being a Flyer, coming to the rink every day, and beating up these guys. How they supported me tonight was awesome.”
Bench boss John Tortorella credited Sanheim, Konency, Johnson, and Michkov for having good games tonight. The Flyers get back in action and face the Avalanche on Monday.
Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
