National Hockey League
Philadelphia 3, Buffalo 0
When: 1:00 PM ET, Saturday, February 27, 2021
Where: KeyBank Center, Buffalo, New York
Referees: Tom Chmielewski, Brian Pochmara
Linesmen: Ryan Daisy, Jesse Marquis
Attendance: N/A

Sean Couturier recorded a goal and an assist and Brian Elliott made 23 saves as the visiting Philadelphia Flyers posted a 3-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday afternoon.

Elliott also turned aside all 40 shots he faced during Philadelphia's 3-0 win over Buffalo on Jan. 19.

Defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere and Scott Laughton also scored for the Flyers, who have won two straight for the first time since a four-game run from Jan. 26-31.

Recovering from a recent collective bout with COVID-19, Philadelphia took advantage of some shoddy defense by the Sabres, who are mired in an 0-4-1 home slide.

Though Buffalo stepped up its offensive attack in the third period, Elliott held his own in recording the 42nd shutout of his career. Elliott improved to 15-2-2 with four shutouts all-time versus Buffalo, which has been blanked three times this season.

Philadelphia opened the scoring off a Sabres turnover with 5:38 left in the first period. Defenseman Travis Sanheim found Couturier, who drilled the puck from the slot past Carter Hutton (36 saves) for his fourth goal during his five-game point streak.

Another defensive breakdown by Buffalo led to the Flyers' second goal, this time with 5:27 left in the middle period. Gostisbehere got the puck just past the blue line, skated in alone, then beat Hutton to score for a second straight contest after failing to record a goal in his first nine games.

Philadelphia added its final goal when Laughton, just off the COVID-19 protocol list after missing three games, scored on a breakaway with 1:06 remaining in the second period.

Buffalo played a second straight game without star captain Jack Eichel (two goals, 12 assists), who is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Meanwhile, Sabres goaltender Linus Ullmark (lower-body injury) could miss at least a month, according to the team.

These teams will play again Sunday at Buffalo.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Philadelphia   Buffalo
Sean Couturier 2 Points N/A
Sean Couturier 1 Goals N/A
Sean Couturier 1 Assists N/A
N/A Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Brian Elliott 1.000 Save Percentage Carter Hutton .923
Brian Elliott 23 Saves Carter Hutton 36
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Philadelphia 39 3 0-3 3-3 6 38
Buffalo 23 0 0-3 3-3 6 23
Upcoming Games
  • Buffalo will play their next game at home against Philadelphia. The Sabres have a W/L % of .167 after a win and .455 after a loss.
  • Philadelphia will play their next game on the road against Buffalo. The Flyers have a W/L % of .556 after a win and .571 after a loss.