Final Score: Sabres 5 | Panthers 2
Shots on Goal: Sabres 26 | Bruins 45
Sabres Goal Scorers: Jeff Skinner (9), Zemgus Girgensons (2, 3), Jack Eichel (14), Victor Olofsson (8)
Panthers Goal Scorers: Noel Acciari (5), Brett Connolly (11)
Plus 1: Finally, A Victory
Sunday’s win was a much-needed one for Buffalo, as it snapped a three-game losing streak. It also marked the Sabres’ first win on Panthers territory since November 12, 2015. Eichel had three points, Skinner scored, and Girgensons came out of the woodwork for a pair of goals.
It’s a big win for the Sabres, but there’s not too much time to bask in it. Buffalo is right back at it Monday night to face a Tampa Bay Lightning team that is 6-4-0 in its last ten games.
Plus 2 / Minus 1: Lineup Changes
Zach Bogosian finally found his way into the lineup for Sunday afternoon’s game, and ended up playing a team-high 22:03. With that, Colin Miller was the odd man out on D, while Curtis Lazar was also scratched. Oh, and Brandon Montour played on the fourth line as a forward.
Better than Henri Jokiharju being a scratch, right?
At any rate, the roster is something to keep an eye on. Evan Rodrigues played just one shift in the game before apparently getting injured. It’s unclear at this point whether or not the Sabres will recall someone prior to Monday’s game; they could also just pull Lazar back into the lineup. Either way, Rodrigues will not play.
Minus 2: Penalty Kill
The Sabres need to work on their penalty kill.
Sunday’s game marked the eighth straight that the Sabres have allowed a power-play goal. That stat line speaks for itself. Overall, the Sabres’ penalty kill is running at 73.6 percent, which is 25th in the league entering Sunday evening.
Final Thoughts
It’s a win, and a much-needed one for the Sabres. It wasn’t pretty at times, but it’s nice to finally see someone other than Jeff Skinner or Jack Eichel score a goal for Buffalo, and to finally see the Sabres get a win in Sunrise.
One more thing to watch: the Sabres allowed the Panthers to get a whopping 45 shots on goal in Sunday’s game. Florida out-shot Buffalo 12-5 in the first period, 16-9 in the second period, and 17-12 in the third period. The team has to work on limiting their opponent’s chances and limiting the number of chances (particularly high-quality opportunities) that make it to the net.