'A confirmation of the process' | 5 takeaways from Monday's win in Philly

This was what Sabres hockey is supposed to look like.
Three days removed from a loss to Washington in which they played well but went unrewarded, the Sabres turned in a complete effort to earn their first victory of the season, 6-1, over the Philadelphia Flyers inside Wells Fargo Center on Monday.
Contributions came from all throughout the lineup. Sam Reinhart and Curtis Lazar scored two goals apiece. Taylor Hall and Jack Eichel each had three assists. The power play rebounded from an 0-for-5 evening on Friday with a pair of goals, while the penalty kill was successful on its only attempt.

Perhaps most importantly, the Sabres stuck to the aggressive brand of hockey they have been working toward since the start of last season under Ralph Krueger. The coach said it was one of the best performances of his tenure in terms of the way they closed gaps and tracked defensively.
"We're just really pleased to get a confirmation of the process like this here today in Philadelphia," Krueger said.
Here are five takeaways from the victory.

1. Hall-Eichel-Reinhart shines again

Krueger moved Reinhart to a line with Hall and Eichel during the second period against Washington on Friday and saw instant results, with the trio helping set up Buffalo's lone goal in that game. He kept the line intact against the Flyers and the highly skilled trio picked up where they left off.
Hall, Eichel, and Reinhart went to work on the forecheck right from the opening faceoff, spending over a minute in the Philadelphia zone. Their play led to a pair of second-period goals for Reinhart, one on the power play and the other at even strength.
The power-play goal began with a pass from Eichel to Hall, who was stationed below the goal line. Hall drew the attention of two defenders as he drove to the net before slipping a pass between the legs of Flyers defenseman Justin Braun and through the crease to a wide-open Reinhart.

Hall kicked off the next goal, driving with speed through the neutral zone to recover a puck rimmed into the Flyers' end by Eichel. Hall was being sandwiched into the boards by defenseman Philippe Myers as he delivered a backhand pass toward the left circle, where Eichel then one-touched a pass to Reinhart in the slot.

"They are constantly in movement," Kruger said. "They're finding each other with laser passes. Taylor just brings such an exciting element to our team. It's something that we need to continue to build on.
"Not only on the power play but 5-on-5, they just have ... a natural cohesiveness already, like they've been playing together for a long time. We're all really excited and look forward to where this could all go with that group."
Hall has six points (1+5) through his first three games with the Sabres, tied with Eichel (0+6) for the team lead.

2. A rebound for the power play

The 0-for-5 night on the power play had been the difference Friday, spoiling the strong even-strength performance that allowed the Sabres to draw five penalties in the first place.
The Sabres scored on two of their four opportunities Monday, with Hall in the middle of the action. After setting up Reinhart's goal in the second period, Hall delivered a no-look pass to set up Olofsson's one-time marker with 1:11 remaining.

Hall has described his role on the power play as adding support wherever needed as the other four members work in their familiar spots: Rasmus Dahlin at the point, Olofsson and Eichel on the half walls, and Reinhart at the net front. Hall previously scored a power-play goal in the season opener, when he pounced on a crossing pass in the slot.
"And that's a new spot for him, in the middle," Reinhart said. "For him to come and kind of settle the unit down and be able to distribute the puck like that makes a huge difference for us."

3. "A classic four-line game"

Krueger and general manager Kevyn Adams have spoken since the offseason about their emphasis on creating a lineup more capable of matching up with top teams on the road, where opposing coaches can dictate matchups in their favor. Monday marked the first test.
The first goal of the game was a pretty good sign. The line of Jeff Skinner, Curtis Lazar, and Riley Sheahan lined up for an offensive-zone faceoff against Philadelphia's top trio of Claude Giroux, Kevin Hayes, and Joel Farabee. Thirty seconds later, Lazar skated into the offensive zone with speed and sent a backhand shot in off the far side of the crossbar.

The line connected once again on Lazar's goal in the second period, which made it a 4-0 game. This time, all three forwards collapsed on the net as Brandon Montour shot from the point. Sheahan corralled the rebound and sent a spin-o-rama pass to Lazar at the back door.

"In our division, with the depth of the teams we're playing and the bravado that a lot of these teams have, we need everybody to be able to participate especially on the road where we often had more of a two-line game going last year than a four-line," Krueger said. "Today was a classic four-line game."
The Sabres generated a 60-percent share of shot attempts (12-8) with the Lazar line on the ice at 5-on-5, according to Natural Stat Trick.
"We take care of our D-zone first, and that's leading to the offensive chances," Lazar said. "The best way to shut down the other team's top line is grinding them, making them play defense, and that's something I thought we did a lot tonight."

4. Hutton steps up in Ullmark's absence

Linus Ullmark did not dress for the game due to a personal matter. Carter Hutton took the start on short notice with Jonas Johansson activated from the taxi squad to serve as his backup.
Facing a Flyers team that scored more than any other in the NHL through its first two games, Hutton did his part behind a strong defensive performance and preserved a shutout into the late stages of the third period. The Flyers finally scored with 2:05 remaining, when Michael Raffl sent a pass across the net to Nicolas Aube-Kubel.
"Hutton really has been in a good zone lately," Krueger said. "We like the way he's been in practice. He's coming here in really good shape and has a good attitude and freshness to him. Getting the call late, his experience helps in those situations."

5. Krueger addresses hit on Dahlin

On the ensuing shift after scoring Philadelphia's lone goal, Aube-Kubel delivered what amounted to a punch to the face of Rasmus Dahlin as he sought to chase a puck into the Buffalo zone. Aube-Kubel was assessed a double-minor for high-sticking, prompting Olofsson's power-play goal.
With the teams set to conclude their two-game set Tuesday night, Krueger suggested the Department of Player Safety should examine the hit.
"The hit on Dahlin, a forearm to the head that I'm sure the league is taking a deep look at right now," he said. "That's not the kind of physicality we need to see, especially with the score at that point in the game."