Cole Knuble Nets Two, Flyers Get First Road Win Over Sabres
Oct 21, 2026; Buffalo, New York, USA; Philadelphia Flyers right wing Cole Knuble (54) reacts after a goal against the Buffalo Sabres during the first period at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
In their first trip to Buffalo this season, the Flyers earned their first road win thanks in large part to the confidence of their young call-ups and a herculean effort in goal, giving the Flyers a strong 3-1 win.
The first goal of the game was a historic one for the Flyers; Cole Knuble scored his first career goal on a brilliant wrap-around.
Later in the first period, while on the power play, Trevor Zegras took a rebound in the air and put it past Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, extending the lead to 2-0. At the end of the second period, while on the power play, Jason Zucker directed a shot past Daniel Vladar to make the game 2-1.
In the third, Knuble didn’t wait long to strike again and got a second goal to make the game 3-1, enough insurance for the Flyers to win their third in a row.
The Cole Knuble Show
The first goal of the game was a special one: Oliver Bonk took a slap shot from the point, and Knuble controlled the rebound, took the puck around the crease, and took a backhand shot for not only the first goal of the game, but the first goal of his NHL career.
This goal had added meaning, with Mike and Cole Knuble being the first father/son duo in Flyers history to score a goal. Making the moment more special was that the elder Knuble was in the crowd to flip the script and watch his son score an NHL goal.
Knuble’s second goal was more impressive than the first. Bonk brought the puck up the ice and served a perfect pass to Knuble to the left of Luukkonen. As Knuble went past the goal, Luukkonen committed up, and Knuble pushed a shot off the back of the left leg pad, which ricocheted in for a goal.
What was impressive about this was the patience that Knuble showed in that moment. He could have passed the shot or tried to go up high, but he held the puck for an extra beat and got it in with sheer creativity.
Vladar Stands Tall in Big Win
Daniel Vladar was active and strong all night, and for the first time all season, he was in control all game and was never put in a position to be hung out to dry.
The goal that he gave up was a strange one that came on a redirection at a weird angle, with Zucker diverting the shot off the shaft of his stick and in. Other than that, Vladar didn’t have too many high-pressure shots all game. This is in large part with the strong play of the defensive pairings in front of him, but even in the chances they had, he never had to make the high-stress saves until the end of the game where Buffalo pulled Luukkonen.
This is the type of game where Vladar takes over and keeps the Flyers in the game. In the first two periods, he made the saves he needed to make and controlled rebounds well, which has been a bit of an issue in the games where he didn’t play well. With a confident Vladar in net, the rest of the team’s confidence will follow. He saved 27 of 28 shots in this game, and over his last three games, he has 81 saves on 85 shots.
Flyers 2023 Draft Class Shows Up
The 2023 Flyers draft class was an incredibly talented one, and it paid off in spades Wednesday night.
Four of the players in this game were from that highly touted draft class. Seventh overall pick Matvei Michkov was not on the scoring sheet for the first time in the last four games, but he did the gritty things that don’t make the highlight reel, and played over 18 minutes. The 22nd pick, Bonk, had two assists; third-round pick Denver Barkey played very well, especially on the forecheck, and fourth-round pick Knuble scored two goals and was the first star of the game.
These young players are getting an opportunity with all of the injuries on the Flyers roster, and Bonk and Knuble are complicating the decisions that general manager Daniel Briere will have to make when the veteran players start coming back from their injuries.
With the Flyers’ bad start, this energy and aggression is what was missing early on, and now that it’s back on the ice, thanks in large part to the 2023 draft class, the whole complexion of the team has changed.
Steve Hamilton
Steve may have been born in California, but don’t let that fool you. After dating a local woman and clashing with her and her family over sports for decades, he has an affinity for Philly sports. Balancing love for Philly and Bay Area sports teams may seem impossible; we can all agree that the Cowboys are the true evil.
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