Flyers Beat Sabres Handily Behind Ivan Fedotov’s Strong Netminding
Nov 16, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Flyers goalie Ivan Fedotov (82) defends a shot against the Buffalo Sabres in the second period at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
Now that’s how you start a homestand.
After four straight games where overtime was required, including most recently sneaking away with a win in Ottawa in a game where they were handily outplayed by their opponents, the Flyers responded by absolutely crushing the Buffalo Sabres 5-2 at home.
The game started slow for both teams, but a Philadelphia power play halfway through the first period would put the Flyers on the board when Tyson Foerster poked in a rebound through the five-hole of Sabres’ goalie Devon Levi. The Flyers would capitalize on this momentum when Travis Sanheim scored for Philly less than three minutes later, giving the Flyers a 2-0 lead they would carry into the second period.
The second period would be very similar to the first, with Philly tacking on two more goals thanks to Egor Zamula’s first of the season and Travis Konecny’s team-leading tenth. This gave the Flyers a 4-0 lead that essentially put the game out of reach. Matvei Michkov would assist on both of these goals bringing his point total on the season to 15. This ties him with Logan Stankoven of the Dallas Stars for the most by a rookie.
The third period got a little dicey but not seriously. It started with a Rasmus Dahlin power-play goal halfway through the third period that finally put the Sabres on the board. With a minute left to play, Buffalo pulled their goalie and were able to get one more goal after Flyers goalie Ivan Fedotov made a save but was unable to cover the puck, allowing Ryan McLeod to knock it in.
Travis Konecny would officially seal the win less than a minute later with an empty netter that gave the Flyers a 5-2 victory. Konecny’s two goals also extend his point streak to six games.
It would be a safe bet to assume that nobody felt better about this win than Ivan Fedotov, who earned his third win of the season after stopping 23 of 25 shots. The Sabres were the team who Fedotov made his first NHL start against in a 4-2 loss in Buffalo, so getting to face them again and secure the win this time around must have felt great. Fedotov has looked significantly more confident in his recent games, venturing out further from the net and appearing to see the puck much better. Fans were rightfully very down on him to start the season, but it’s starting to appear like he has turned a corner. if you can keep up this level of production, it would be a huge help to the team moving forward.
The Flyers will play the second of their five-game homestand against the Colorado Avalanche on Monday at 7:00 pm EST. The game can be watched on NBC Sports Philadelphia and NHL Network.
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Bo Lynett
Bo has been a fan of Philly sports his whole life and has spent the entirety of his four years at Colgate University working to start a career in sports media. Double majoring in Economics and Film & Media Studies gave him the opportunity to study both the financial/ analytical and broadcasting/ production sides of the sports world. Outside of the classroom, he’s worked as a director and producer for Colgate’s athletic events streamed on ESPN+ and a writer for the Colgate Athletic Website. Through all of this, however, it was his love of Philly sports that drove him to this career.
