- Cole Knuble scored his first two NHL goals in a 3-1 Flyers win over the Sabres
- Philadelphia has won three straight after an 0-6-3 start to the season
- Read below for Knuble’s postgame interview with his dad Mike
Cole Knuble got his first two NHL goals on Wednesday, and his dad was in the building for both.
The Flyers rookie scored twice in a 3-1 win over the Sabres in Buffalo, Philadelphia’s third straight victory after an 0-6-3 start. Knuble made his NHL debut on Monday in a win over the Avalanche, which we covered in his debut story. This was only his second game.
The first one came at 14:49 of the first period. Oliver Bonk’s point shot got blocked, the puck slid right to Knuble, and he backhanded it past Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen from the top of the crease. Mike Knuble played 338 of his 1,068 NHL games with the Flyers, and he and the family stood up in the stands to celebrate.
Trevor Zegras made it 2-0 on the power play with 43 seconds left in the period. Jason Zucker cut it to 2-1 in the second in his season debut, and Knuble put the game away 3:03 into the third. Bonk set up both of his goals, a 21-year-old and a 22-year-old combining for the win.
Dan Vladar made 27 saves for Philadelphia. Luukkonen stopped 23 for Buffalo.
Knuble was asked about scoring his first NHL goal in a Flyers sweater, the team his dad played for. He said he has been a fan his whole life.
“It’s crazy,” Knuble said. “I’ve been a fan of this team my whole life and I’m just grateful to be a part of this organization. They’ve been great to me since the day I got drafted. I’m glad I can contribute.”
Knuble was then asked if the goal lived up to his dreams. He said it was amazing but he wished he remembered it more.
“I think I blacked out during the first one,” Knuble said. “I think I went down on the knee. I usually don’t do that, but I’ve been dreaming about that my whole life.”
Check out the TNT interview, where Mike joined his son on camera:
Mike was asked about his son’s road to the NHL and could barely get the words out.
“My mind is spinning,” Mike said. “I’m going a million miles an hour right now. I’m just so happy to be here.”
Philadelphia drafted Knuble in the fourth round in 2023. The Flyers (3-6-3) host Cutter Gauthier and the Ducks on Saturday afternoon.
Here is our own look at the streak, from a team that couldn’t win for nine games:
