National Hockey League
Philadelphia 6, Buffalo 1
When: 7:00 PM ET, Thursday, December 19, 2019
Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Referees: Brian Pochmara, Furman South
Linesmen: Mark Shewchyk, James Tobias
Attendance: 18124

James van Riemsdyk scored two goals, Matt Niskanen added one goal and one assist, and the host Philadelphia Flyers routed the Buffalo Sabres 6-1 on Thursday.

Mikhail Vorobyev, Ivan Provorov and Tyler Pitlick each scored one goal while Travis Konecny recorded three assists for the Flyers, who won their second in a row.

Kevin Hayes and Sean Couturier had two assists apiece for the Flyers, who improved to 12-2-4 at home.

Flyers goaltender Carter Hart made 16 saves.

Buffalo's Jack Eichel, who had a 17-game streak with at least one point, was a late scratch with an upper body injury. The league also ruled that because Eichel missed the game with an injury, his point scoring streak has now come to an end.

Victor Olofsson scored the lone goal for the Sabres, who dropped their third in a row (0-2-1).

Sabres goaltender Carter Hutton struggled the entire game and stopped 23 shots.

The Flyers went ahead 1-0 at 13:04 of the first period when Vorobyev recorded his first goal of the season. The shot appeared to deflect off Buffalo's Conor Sheary.

Soon after at 15:32, Hayes beat Sheary to a loose puck, spun around and sent a pass to van Riemsdyk, who scored for a 2-0 advantage.

Philadelphia continued to dominate as Niskanen connected on the power play at 17:05 for a 3-0 lead.

The Sabres' offense was relatively stagnant as they managed only five shots on goal in the first period.

The Flyers kept up their aggressive style, drew a power play and then went ahead 4-0 when Provorov scored at 8:20 of the second. Pitlick scored just 1:02 later for a 5-0 lead.

Philadelphia scored on the power play for the third time when van Riemsdyk connected at 12:27 of the middle period for a commanding 6-0 advantage.

The Sabres' frustration escalated as Rasmus Dahlin became entangled with Konecny at 18:36 of the second. Dahlin was given a double minor for slashing and cross-checking and appeared visibly upset. Konency was penalized for roughing.

Olofsson got the Sabres on the board with a power-play goal at 11:35 of the third.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Buffalo   Philadelphia
Victor Olofsson 1 Points Travis Konecny 3
Victor Olofsson 1 Goals James van Riemsdyk 2
Rasmus Dahlin 1 Assists Travis Konecny 3
Victor Olofsson 1 Power Play Goals James van Riemsdyk 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Carter Hutton .793 Save Percentage Carter Hart .941
Carter Hutton 23 Saves Carter Hart 16
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Buffalo 17 1 1-2 2-5 12 17
Philadelphia 29 6 3-5 1-2 6 27
Upcoming Games
  • Philadelphia will play their next game on the road against Ottawa. The Flyers have a W/L % of .611 after a win and .471 after a loss.
  • Buffalo will play their next game at home against Los Angeles. The Sabres have a W/L % of .471 after a win and .421 after a loss.