Panthers outlast Sabres in shootout, keep faint hopes alive of hosting a first-round playoff series
The Florida Panthers' long shot home ice hopes have extended into the final week of the NHL season because their backup goalie played like a top-flight starter Saturday and their unconventional shootout lineup did just enough to eke out the team's third win in a row.
The No. 1 reason the Panthers survived the Buffalo Sabres 3-2 at Amerant Bank Arena Saturday is because second-string goalie Vitek Vanecek was excellent in regulation, overtime and the shootout. Vanecek turned away 26 of the 28 Buffalo Sabres shots he faced in regulation and overtime and made Anton Lundell's shootout goal hold up. Because he did, Florida moved into a tie with the Tampa Bay Lightning for second in the Atlantic with the regular season's finish line in sight.
Florida (80 games played) and Tampa Bay (79) both have 98 points heading into Sunday's games. The Lightning will host the Sabers Sunday and then the Panthers on Tuesday before ending the season against the New York Rangers in Madison Square Garden Thursday.
The Panthers (47-29-4) host the Rangers Monday before ending their season in Tampa. Because of tiebreakers, the Panthers probably need to win out and get help from either the Sabers and Rangers. If they don't, the Lightning will have home ice in a likely first-round matchup between these fierce rivals, which could begin as soon as Saturday.
No matter how the playoff picture shakes out, Panthers coach Paul Maurice has to love the effort he got from his band of backups Saturday.
The Panthers were without six key players Saturday: Aleksander Barkov (rest), Sam Reinhart (rest), Sam Bennett (upper body), Matthew Tkachuk (lower body), Dmitry Kulikov (upper body), and Aaron Ekblad (suspended). Tkachuk hasn't played since injuring his groin in the NHL 4 Nations Face-Off in February, but Maurice told reporters before the game he is hopeful that his star forward to return to practice next week.
'You never know what's gonna happen with the other games ... but I like how serious the guys were,' Maurice said. 'It wasn't a masterpiece by any means, but they took their jobs seriously. I liked their professionalism.'
And, presumably, their tenacity. Saturday was a grind.
The Sabres led 1-0 after a clunky first period thanks to a give-and-go power play goal with 19 seconds left before intermission. Rasmus Dahlin scored his 17th on the season, finding an open net after Vanecek committed to stop Jason Zucker on his left.
It was just Buffalo's seventh shot of the game. The Panthers tested Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen just nine times, and couldn't solve him in the opening 20.
But every bit of the middle 20 minutes belonged to the home team. Florida got goals from Carter Verhaeghe (his 19th of the season) and Jesse Puljujarvi (his fourth, and first with the Panthers) to take a 2-1 lead into the second intermission.
Verhaeghe tied the score exactly five minutes into the second when he gathered a loose puck in front of the net and beat Luukkonen with a backhander. In doing so, Verhaeghe posted his fourth straight season with 50 or more points.
Some 10 minutes of game time later, Puljujarvi — who was likely playing Saturday only because of the Panthers' many missing pieces — redirected a shot by Uvis Balinskis past Luukkonen with one hand to give the Panthers their first lead. Balinskis set the table in his 100th career game, which Verhaeghe had the secondary assist to reach the career 300-point milestone.
The vibe took a decidedly hostile turn late in the period when Jonah Gadjovich delivered a high shoulder that connected above Jiri Kulich's chest, setting off a melee that took some time to settle down. The officials reviewed the play, and ultimately determined that Gadjovich's hit was clean.
The Sabres, of course, didn't appreciate any of it, and less than three minutes into third period, tried to do something about it. Alex Tuch convinced Gadjovich to drop the gloves during an early faceoff — a decision he likely regretted. Gadjovich, perhaps Florida's feistiest player, put Tuch on his backside with a series of powerful rights.
The rough stuff continued, and it cost Florida its lead. The Sabers' J.J. Peterka scored on a two-man advantage midway through the third with both A.J. Greer (roughing) and Mackie Samoskevich (unsportsmanlike conduct) in the box.
The game remained tied until the shootout decided it.
▪ * Prior to the game, the Panthers signed 2022 seventh-round pick Jack Devine to his rookie contract. Devine, a forward whose college career at the University of Denver ended with a loss in the Frozen Four Thursday, had the option of entering free agency. Instead, he signed with the franchise that took him 221st overall.
Devine, a two-time national champion who scored 163 points in 162 games with the Pioneers, will begin his pro career immediately with the Charlotte Checkers.
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41 minutes ago
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