Buffalo has the opposite problem. The Sabres can score. They put up 5 on Florida, 5 in Toronto, and 3 in each of 2 one-goal losses in Montreal. But they've allowed 4 goals in 4 of their last 5, and that's how a team that scores this much ends up at 4-3-2. Puck drop at KeyBank Center is 7:30 PM ET, and the Sabres come in rested. Their last game was the Montreal loss, so they've had a few days off while Philadelphia played Saturday and Monday.
The rest is good news for Buffalo's blue line, too. Rasmus Dahlin got hurt in the 2nd period of the Florida win, has missed the 3 games since, returned to practice Monday and told reporters he thinks he'll be ready for the Flyers. Buffalo went 1-2 without its captain and gave up 4 in every one of those games. Getting him back is the most direct fix available for the Sabres' biggest weakness. Jason Zucker (sports hernia) skated on the 3rd line Monday and is on track to make his season debut, which gives Buffalo depth up front. Philadelphia is going the other way on depth.
In net, Buffalo is still without Alex Lyon, who had a setback and has no timeline to return, so the goaltending is thinner than the Sabres would like. Justin Danforth missed Monday's practice with an upper-body injury, and he's worth checking on before puck drop. The game itself is easy to read. A Flyers team built on Michkov, Zegras and keeping games low-scoring visits a Sabres team that scores plenty and leaks plenty. If Dahlin plays and the Sabres finally hold an opponent under 4, Philadelphia's thin forward group will have a hard time keeping up. If they don't, Michkov has already shown he can win a 3-2 game by himself.