The Buffalo Sabres were looking to get back on track on Wednesday night after losing to the Florida Panthers on Monday. They wasted no time doing that as they would score first, a power play goal by Rasmus Dahlin, while adding a second goal before the end of the first period.
It was more of the same in the second period, as the Sabres scored two more and took a 4-1 lead into the third period after goals by Jack Quinn and Dahlin again for his second goal of the night. The two teams would trade goals in the third, but the Sabres secured an empty net goal to win 5-2.
This is a game where the Buffalo Sabres clearly looked like the better team, and they will try to keep that momentum going as they will play tomorrow night against the Montreal Canadiens.
While the Sabres got the win, their 14th in 16 games, it wasn't all good as they saw one of their key players leave in the second period with an injury and was unable to return. More on that and some of the other takeaways from this game.
Rasmus Dahlin sparks the power play with two goals, first goal in 10 games
The Buffalo Sabres' power play has been almost non-existent for a majority of the season, but that wasn't the case against the Philadelphia Flyers. On Wednesday night, the first goal of the game was by Rasmus Dahlin on the power play after Cam York was called for a cross-check.
It was not only good to see the Sabres capitalize on the man advantage, but it was Dahlin who scored the goal. The Sabres' star defenseman has not had the same season fans have come to expect, and hasn't scored a goal since December 20th against the New York Islanders.
He wasn't done there as he added another power play goal in the second period to push the lead back to three at 4-1.
With how much scoring the Sabres are getting from their blue line, like Mattias Samuelsson and Bowen Byram, there hasn't been as much pressure on Dahlin. However, if he does find that scoring touch, it only makes this team stronger.
Josh Doan continues to deliver with the hustle plays
Josh Doan continues to have a breakout season as he adds to his career totals with an assist in the first period. However, the goal by Mattias Samuelsson doesn't happen if it isn't for the effort and hustle Doan showed. These are some of the things he does on the ice that don't necessarily show up in the box score but are having such an impact on this team.
In the first period, the Flyers were moving the puck through the neutral zone, and Doan was able to catch up and steal the puck from behind. He controlled the puck and quickly passed it off to Noah Ostlund, who found Samuelsson for the one-timer.
This play was very similar to the play he made against the Anaheim Ducks, as he didn't give up on the play. He would steal the puck from behind as they were trying to carry it out of the zone, and he was able to find Peyton Krebs, who passed it to Tage Thompson for the goal.
Josh Norris raises concerns as he leaves in the second period with upper-body injury
The new forward lines for the Buffalo Sabres looked great to start the game, and it looked like the team found something that could be used long-term. Unfortunately, that was short-lived as Josh Norris left the ice after Rasmus Dahlin's second power play goal in the second and didn't return.
Before the third period, the Sabres tweeted that Norris had an upper-body injury and wouldn't be returning to this game. The hope is that this is just precautionary, considering the score at the time, because he has been excellent since returning at the beginning of December. The concern is that Norris has an extensive injury history dating back to his time with the Ottawa Senators.
Norris played in the first game of the season but would then miss 25 games before returning on December 1st. Since his return, Norris has had 17 points in 18 games, including an assist against the Flyers. Hopefully, Lindy Ruff provides an update postgame, but at this point, it seems unlikely that Norris will play against the Canadiens.
Buffalo Sabres have shown resiliency as they bounce back from losses
One of the reasons for the Buffalo Sabres' struggles over the years, and even earlier this season, is that losses seem to linger past the game. After a few games with success, the Sabres suffer a loss, and this spirals into multiple losses.
This was one of the big concerns for the Buffalo Sabres coming out of their 10-game win streak because the last time they had a 10-game win streak, back in 2018-19, they would go on to lose five games in a row.
However, this time around, the Buffalo Sabres have shown they can put those games behind them and get back to playing their game. After their loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets to end their first win streak, the Sabres would go on to win three straight.
It was another statement game from the Sabres after a loss on Wednesday night as they jumped all over the Flyers, scoring the first two goals of the game, and went on to win by a final score of 5-2. Their ability to not let these losses affect them and have a short memory will be big for them down the stretch.