Lindy Ruff reached a major milestone Thursday night, earning his 900th career NHL victory as the Buffalo Sabres edged the Philadelphia Flyers, 5-4, at KeyBank Center. Ruff became just the fifth head coach in league history to hit the mark.
Ryan McLeod led the way offensively with a goal and two assists, while Alex Tuch, Jack Quinn, and JJ Peterka each recorded a goal and an assist. James Reimer made 21 saves in net as the Sabres snapped a four-game skid to finish their season at 36-39-7.
Buffalo jumped out to an early lead in the first, with Tuch scoring on a slick backdoor feed from Jason Zucker. Peyton Krebs added a shorthanded tally minutes later before Matvei Michkov got the Flyers on the board during the same power play. Quinn then capitalized on a 2-on-1 chance, and Peterka extended the Sabres’ lead to 4-1 early in the second off a McLeod setup.
Michkov responded with his second of the night, deflecting a pass into the net for his 26th goal, leading all NHL rookies. Tyson Foerster narrowed the gap to 4-3 early in the third, but McLeod’s empty-netter provided the insurance Buffalo needed. Bobby Brink added a late goal for Philadelphia, but the Sabres held on for the win.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].