The last time Samuel Ersson got a start in goal was a week ago on Jan. 2. He got plenty of run support, as the Flyers opened up a 4-0 lead on the Anaheim Ducks, and came within 40 seconds of his first career shutout. Facing the Sabres in a previously-unscheduled stop in Buffalo on Monday night, the Flyers delivered the same type of support. This time, he got the shutout too.
A three-goal first period set the tone as the Flyers commanded the game against the Sabres on their way to a 4-0 victory on Monday night.
The Flyers got things going right away, taking the early lead just 2:04 into the game. Zack MacEwen went hard to the net and slammed home a feed from Patrick Brown for his fourth goal of the season.
Past the midpoint of the period, the Flyers added two more goals in short order. Off a turnover, Joel Farabee snapped a shot past Craig Anderson for his ninth of the season at 13:31. Just 1:27 later, Noah Cates pounced on a rebound off a shot by Travis Konecny to score his fifth goal of the season at 14:58.
Through 20 minutes, shots were 16-5 Flyers.
The Sabres made a push in the second period, getting 12 shots on goal, but Ersson was up to the task on all of them. The Flyers managed 13 shots of their own, but did not add to their lead in the middle frame.
Early in the third period, the Flyers added to the lead. Wade Allison put home the centering feed from Kevin Hayes off a face-off, scoring his fifth goal of the season at 1:56 to make it 4-0.
That was enough for Ersson, who finished with 28 saves to complete his first career shutout and fourth straight win.
Anderson stopped 34 of 38 shots in the loss for Buffalo. Konecny and Farabee each finished with two points. For Konecny, it extended his points streak to nine games, currently the longest active streak in the NHL.
The Flyers get back on the ice on Wednesday night to take on the Washington Capitals in the first game of a home-and-home at Wells Fargo Center at 7 p.m.
Box Score
| 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
| Flyers | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Sabres | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Scoring Summary
1st Period
- PHI Zack MacEwen (4) (Patrick Brown, Nick Deslauriers) 2:04
- PHI Joel Farabee (9) (Travis Sanheim, Travis Konecny) 13:31
- PHI Noah Cates (5) (Konecny, Farabee) 14:58
2nd Period
- No Scoring
3rd Period
- PHI Wade Allison (5) (Kevin Hayes) 1:56
Game Statistics
| Flyers | Sabres | |
| Shots | 38 | 28 |
| Power Play | 0/3 | 0/1 |
| Hits | 16 | 8 |
| Faceoff % | 52.8% | 47.2% |
| Giveaways | 3 | 7 |
| Takeaways | 4 | 4 |
| Blocked Shots | 8 | 14 |
| Penalty Minutes | 4 | 8 |
