Limit Buffalo to 20 shots; Sanheim scores first NHL goal for Philadelphia.
By Adam Kimelman / NHL.com Deputy Managing Editor
PHILADELPHIA, PA. — Valtteri Filppula scored the go-ahead goal late in the second period to lift the Philadelphia Flyers to their fifth consecutive win, 2-1 against the Buffalo Sabres at Wells Fargo Center on Thursday.
Rookie defenseman Travis Sanheim scored his first NHL goal for the Flyers (13-11-7), and Brian Elliott made 19 saves. It’s Philadelphia’s longest winning streak since they won 10 in a row Nov. 27-Dec. 14, 2016.
Ryan O’Reilly scored for the Sabres (8-18-6), and Robin Lehner made 25 saves. It was Buffalo’s first loss in regulation in five games (2-1-2).
Filppula put the Flyers ahead 2-1 at 17:27 of the second period. After defenseman Robert Hagg got his stick on a Sabres clearing attempt, Michael Raffl was first to the loose puck and passed it to Jakub Voracek at the bottom of the right face-off circle. Voracek faked a shot and then sent it to a cutting Filppula, who one-timed it over Lehner’s right shoulder.
The assist was Voracek’s NHL-leading 31st of the season.
Buffalo started the third period with 1:46 of carryover power-play time but failed to get a shot on goal. The Sabres entered the game 30th in the NHL with the man-advantage (13.3 percent) but had scored a power-play goal in its three previous games.
O’Reilly gave the Sabres a 1-0 lead 1:29 into the game. Elliott went behind the net to play a dump-in but shot it into Sabres forward Zemgus Girgensons, who passed it in front to O’Reilly for a shot into an open net.
The Flyers tied it on Sanheim’s goal at 4:02 of the first when he one-timed a Dale Weise pass from the left circle past Lehner.