Buffalo Sabres at Philadelphia Flyers
NHL game between the Buffalo Sabres and the Philadelphia Flyers on Dec 03, 2025. Final score: Buffalo Sabres 2, Philadelphia Flyers 5.
| Status | Final |
|---|---|
| Date | Dec 03, 2025 |
| Venue | Xfinity Mobile Arena |
| Buffalo Sabres score | 2 |
| Philadelphia Flyers score | 5 |
Shot charts, expected goals (xG), Game Score and advanced box scores for this game are available on Hockey Alchemy.
Three Stars by Game Score
Ranked by Game Score, which rolls goals, assists, shot quality, play-driving and penalties into one number — so the best player is chosen by the box score, not by a vote.
| Player | Pos | G | A | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Noah Cates | L | 1 | 1 | 5 | 17:43 | 0.98 | 2.17 |
| 2nd | Bobby Brink | R | 1 | 1 | 3 | 13:52 | 0.64 | 2.01 |
| 3rd | Sean Couturier | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 20:27 | 0.13 | 1.75 |
Scoring Summary
| Time | Team | Goal | Assists | Strength | Score (Buffalo Sabres–Philadelphia Flyers) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st 04:08 | BUF | Jason Zucker | Josh Doan, Josh Norris | 4v5 | 1–0 |
| 1st 08:26 | PHI | Travis Konecny | Matvei Michkov, Travis Sanheim | 5v4 | 1–1 |
| 1st 09:04 | PHI | Trevor Zegras | Travis Sanheim, Travis Konecny | 5v4 | 1–2 |
| 1st 09:25 | PHI | Bobby Brink | Noah Cates, Nikita Grebenkin | 5v5 | 1–3 |
| 2nd 01:45 | PHI | Noah Cates | Bobby Brink, Jamie Drysdale | 5v5 | 1–4 |
| 2nd 11:48 | BUF | Bowen Byram | Alex Tuch, Jack Quinn | 5v5 | 2–4 |
| 2nd 12:43 | PHI | Owen Tippett | Matvei Michkov, Sean Couturier | 5v5 | 2–5 |
Team Comparison
| Buffalo Sabres | Philadelphia Flyers | |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 2 | 5 |
| Shots on goal | 29 | 35 |
| Expected goals (xG) | 3.67 | 4.08 |
| High-danger shots | 15 | 20 |
| Corsi % | 48.9% | 51.1% |
| Power play | 1/6 | 2/5 |
| Faceoff % | 47.4% | 52.6% |
| Hits | 16 | 18 |
| Blocks | 20 | 15 |
| Giveaways | 12 | 9 |
| Takeaways | 3 | 7 |
Buffalo Sabres Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Tuch | R | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 19:31 | 0.36 | 0.88 |
| Jason Zucker | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 18:12 | 0.38 | 0.84 |
| Josh Doan | R | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 16:32 | 1.25 | 0.79 |
| Bowen Byram | D | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 23:49 | 0.30 | 0.67 |
| Jack Quinn | R | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 15:26 | 0.27 | 0.56 |
| Owen Power | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 21:34 | 0.13 | 0.48 |
| Josh Dunne | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7:32 | 0.06 | 0.10 |
| Josh Norris | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 17:35 | 0.37 | 0.05 |
| Ryan McLeod | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20:13 | 0.00 | -0.05 |
| Zach Benson | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 13:57 | 0.21 | -0.08 |
| Beck Malenstyn | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11:09 | 0.00 | -0.08 |
| Noah Ostlund | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10:34 | 0.00 | -0.14 |
| Peyton Krebs | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9:31 | 0.02 | -0.33 |
| Jacob Bryson | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11:06 | 0.00 | -0.35 |
| Tage Thompson | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 17:34 | 0.16 | -0.54 |
| Conor Timmins | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16:56 | 0.00 | -0.78 |
| Rasmus Dahlin | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 16:34 | 0.24 | -0.82 |
| Mattias Samuelsson | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 20:57 | 0.16 | -1.01 |
Philadelphia Flyers Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noah Cates | L | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 17:43 | 0.98 | 2.17 |
| Bobby Brink | R | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 13:52 | 0.64 | 2.01 |
| Sean Couturier | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 20:27 | 0.13 | 1.75 |
| Matvei Michkov | R | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 15:37 | 0.09 | 1.63 |
| Emil Andrae | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 18:47 | 0.05 | 1.58 |
| Travis Konecny | R | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 16:35 | 0.27 | 1.55 |
| Jamie Drysdale | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 23:05 | 0.01 | 1.53 |
| Nikita Grebenkin | R | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 12:02 | 0.00 | 1.33 |
| Owen Tippett | R | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 16:34 | 1.33 | 1.17 |
| Travis Sanheim | D | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 23:42 | 0.18 | 1.03 |
| Trevor Zegras | C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 14:06 | 0.36 | 0.68 |
| Garnet Hathaway | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 12:17 | 0.26 | 0.49 |
| Rodrigo Abols | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 12:28 | 0.26 | 0.40 |
| Egor Zamula | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 17:32 | 0.02 | 0.30 |
| Nicolas Deslauriers | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9:32 | 0.19 | 0.23 |
| Nick Seeler | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21:03 | 0.04 | 0.20 |
| Cam York | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10:37 | 0.04 | -0.29 |
| Christian Dvorak | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 13:16 | 0.23 | -0.41 |
Goaltending
| Goalie | Team | SV | SA | SV% | GSAx | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colten Ellis | Buffalo Sabres | 30 | 35 | 85.7% | -1.02 | L |
| Samuel Ersson | Philadelphia Flyers | 27 | 29 | 93.1% | 1.50 | W |
Analysis
The Philadelphia Flyers defeated the Buffalo Sabres 5–2 on Dec 03, 2025.
Philadelphia Flyers generated 4.08 expected goals to Buffalo Sabres's 3.67 — the run of play matched the result, with Philadelphia Flyers earning the better chances as well as the goals; by expected goals it was close to a coin flip.
Noah Cates led all skaters with a Game Score of 2.17 on 1 goal, 1 assist, 5 shots on goal.
Samuel Ersson stopped 27 of 29, worth 1.5 goals saved above expected.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the Buffalo Sabres vs Philadelphia Flyers game?
The Philadelphia Flyers beat the Buffalo Sabres 5–2 on Dec 03, 2025.
What was the final score?
The final score was Philadelphia Flyers 5, Buffalo Sabres 2.
Who was the best player in this game?
By Game Score — a single-number summary of everything a skater did — Noah Cates led all skaters at 2.17, on 1G, 1A and 5 shots on goal.
Which team deserved to win by expected goals?
Philadelphia Flyers generated 4.08 expected goals and Buffalo Sabres generated 3.67, so Philadelphia Flyers created the better chances. That matches the result.
What were the shot totals?
Buffalo Sabres put 29 shots on goal and Philadelphia Flyers put 35. High-danger chances went 15 to 20.