The Philadelphia Flyers are quickly changing their narrative on the season, and one rookie has joined the party.
Cole Knuble needed just 10 minutes and 24 seconds of ice time to make an impact on Wednesday. At 14:49 in the first period, Knuble found himself in front of the net before he backhanded the puck past Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.
Knuble took the puck into the offensive zone, battling Sabres forward Josh Doan all the way through. Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin joined the fray, and Knuble looked like he was going to give up the puck.
Instead, he put the puck right in front of Denver Barkey. Barkey created space and found Oliver Bonk near the blue line. Bonk shot the puck toward the net as Knuble got behind Dahlin and Mattias Samuelsson, skating right in front of the crease and toward the left post. Knuble finished the sequence and scored his first career NHL goal.
Cole Knuble Enjoyed A Career Game In His Second Appearance With Flyers
Knuble struck again at the 3:03 mark of the third period to put the Flyers ahead by two goals. Once again, he linked up with Bonk. This was a simple, quick-strike play in which Bonk motioned to take the puck behind the net after receiving a quick pass.
The Sabres lost track of Knuble as he set himself up at the left circle and looked as though they were converging on Bonk. Bonk made them pay and flipped the puck right before going behind the net. Knuble did the rest, scoring his second goal of the game.
Knuble’s play has got to excite Flyers fans, who have been looking for some much-needed hope after Philadelphia started the season 0-6-3. Drafted in the fourth round in 2023, Knuble brought versatility to the organization.
Elite Prospects defined him as:
“…a true give-and-go player. Non-stop scanning and proactive off-puck positioning. Knuble’s a threat from everywhere in the offensive zone: A passing threat in both open-ice and down low and a scoring threat from range with an even better in-tight finishing game. He’s physical, fearless, and just as capable completing plays with defenders leaning on him as he is in open ice.”
He showed every bit of those traits on Wednesday night in the Flyers’ 3-1 victory over the Sabres. Knuble kept up his high-octane game through six outings with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, when he scored four points and a goal before debuting with Philadelphia.
Cole Knuble Looks Like Another Puzzle Piece For The Core
When a player scores two goals in just their second contest, they will turn heads. Scoring twice becomes an even greater factor when they play for a team looking for more young talent to help them keep climbing out of an early-season slump.
So far, Knuble is 2-for-2. Knuble helped the Flyers beat the Colorado Avalanche in his NHL debut, mainly keeping himself out of trouble while recording 13:44 of ice time. Then, he struck against the Sabres.
Now, it’s all about staying consistent and taking full advantage of opportunities the Flyers throw his way. Knuble won’t score two goals every night. But if he keeps playing a solid game and contributes when he gets his chances, he will be another puzzle piece for this exciting young core in Philadelphia.
Flyers Rookie Gives Fans Something New To Get Excited About