Philadelphia Flyers vs Buffalo Sabres — Wednesday, October 21, 2026 Game Analysis
Philadelphia Flyers at Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center. Final.
BUF1VS
PHI3KeyBank Center
- USTNT, truTV, HBO Max
BUF
- PPJason Zucker (1)
PHI
- Cole Knuble (1)
- PPTrevor Zegras (3)
- Cole Knuble (2)
Official game highlights
Game statistics
| Statistic | Philadelphia Flyers | Buffalo Sabres |
|---|---|---|
| Shots on goal | 27 | 28 |
| Power-play goals | 1 | 1 |
| Power-play opportunities | 5 | 3 |
| Power-play conversion (%) | 20.0 | 33.3 |
| Faceoffs won (%) | 43.8 | 56.3 |
| Hits | 19 | 14 |
| Blocked shots | 13 | 13 |
| Takeaways | 2 | 5 |
| Giveaways | 16 | 16 |
| Penalty minutes | 11 | 25 |
Source: ESPN game statistics.
Philadelphia Flyers vs Buffalo Sabres Game Analysis
Philadelphia Flyers defeated Buffalo Sabres, 3–1. Buffalo Sabres led shots on goal 28–27. Philadelphia Flyers won despite being outshot. Philadelphia Flyers went 1-for-5; Buffalo Sabres went 1-for-3. Buffalo Sabres won 56.3% of the faceoffs.
Based on the recorded result and reported team totals. These comparisons describe this game, not season averages.
Flyers beat Sabres 3-1 on October 21, 2026
The Philadelphia Flyers defeated the Buffalo Sabres 3-1 on October 21, 2026, for their third consecutive victory. Cole Knuble supplied his first 2 NHL goals in just his second career appearance. His father, former Flyers forward Mike Knuble, watched from the stands at KeyBank Center.
Knuble opened the scoring at 14:49 of the first period. Trevor Zegras doubled Philadelphia’s advantage on the power play at 19:17. He batted a rebound of Matvei Michkov’s shot past Buffalo goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.
Jason Zucker answered on a Buffalo power play at 19:25 of the second period. The goal came in his season debut following sports hernia surgery. Knuble restored Philadelphia’s 2-goal cushion at 3:03 of the third by banking the puck off Luukkonen’s skate.
Oliver Bonk provided the primary assist on both Knuble goals. Dan Vladar finished with 27 saves, while Luukkonen stopped 23 shots. Buffalo held a 28-26 advantage in shots.
Philadelphia improved to 3-6-3 following its 0-6-3 start. Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin returned after missing 4 games because of an upper-body injury.
Scoring and goaltending
Philadelphia Flyers won 3–1 at KeyBank Center.
Who scored
- Cole Knuble Goal (1) Backhand, assists: Oliver Bonk (3), Denver Barkey (4)
- Trevor Zegras Goal (3) Batted, assists: Matvei Michkov (2), Jamie Drysdale (1)
- Jason Zucker Goal (1) Deflected, assists: Jack Quinn (5), Noah Ostlund (5)
- Cole Knuble Goal (2) Wrist Shot, assists: Oliver Bonk (4)
Goalies
- Dan Vladar stopped 27 of 28 for Philadelphia Flyers.
- Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 24 of 27 for Buffalo Sabres.
Cole Knuble Goal (1) Backhand, assists: Oliver Bonk (3), Denver Barkey (4) That made the score 1–0 in the 1st, and Philadelphia Flyers stayed ahead.