(Kate Frese/SB Nation)
In his 28th NHL game, Travis Sanheim finally got over the hump.
The rookie blueliner put the Flyers on the board, for his first NHL goal. Skating up to the faceoff circle while jumping into the rush, he potted a one-timer top shelf from Dale Weise, knotting the game at 1.
First NHL goals are always impactful, and always go a long way in helping teams win games. This case was no different for the Flyers, as it helped them extend their winning streak to five games with a 2-1 win against the Sabres.
Sanheim's goal was a quick change in fortune for the Flyers (12-11-7), as they quickly found themselves behind early on. Just 89 seconds after puck drop, Ryan O'Reilly put the Sabres on the board, capitalizing on a Brian Elliott miscue behind the net.
The game stayed even through the rest of the 1st and much of the 2nd periods, until Valtteri Filppula took exception. He buried a Jakub Voracek one-timer late in the second stanza, which would stand as the go-ahead goal.
Despite his early flub, Elliott recovered quickly and turned away everything he saw from there. O'Reilly's goal was on the Sabres' second shot of the game, giving him 18 consecutive saves. He got some help from the defensemen in front of him as well, as he faced just 13 shots over the last two periods and 20 in total.
Robin Lehner did what he could in net for the Sabres, stopping 25 of 27 shots. The bulk of his work came in the 2nd period, where the Flyers finished with 14 shots.
With the assist on Filppula's goal, Voracek earned his 31st assist of the season, pulling ahead of Steven Stamkos, Blake Wheeler and Josh Bailey. All three were in action on Thursday, though, so the race will remain close. Also earning an assist on the Filppula goal was Michael Raffl, for the 100th point of his career.
The Flyers' homestand continues on Saturday, when they welcome the Dallas Stars to town.
Box Score
| 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
| Sabres | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Flyers | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
Scoring Summary
1st Period
- BUF – Ryan O'Reilly (8, 1:29) from Zemgus Girgensons (3)
- PHI – Travis Sanheim (1, 4:01) from Dale Weise (2) and Jordan Weal (6)
2nd Period
- PHI – Valtteri Filppula (8, 17:27) from Jakub Voracek (31) and Michael Raffl (4)
3rd Period
- No scoring
Game Statistics
| Flyers | Sabres | |
| Shots | 27 | 20 |
| Power Plays | 0/2 | 0/1 |
| Hits | 30 | 31 |
| Faceoff % | 55% | 46% |
| Giveaways | 8 | 9 |
| Takeaways | 7 | 5 |
| Blocked Shots | 19 | 12 |
| Penalty Minutes | 2 | 4 |
