The Panthers Just Play With Their Food
Score: Buffalo Sabres 0 | Florida Panthers 4
Shots: BUF 21 | MTL 35
Buffalo Sabres Goals: Vaneceked
Florida Panthers Goals: Greer (6th) Verhaeghe (17th) Lundell (15th) Bennett (20th)
Minus 1: Florida Being Florida
The Panthers are a solid team top to bottom. They came out in this one and played their game like they always do. Physical, strong forecheck and opportunistic scoring from everywhere. A.J. Greer collected a loose puck in the crease at the 7:20 mark to give Florida the lead. The puck squeaked past Buffalo goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Greer was there to shoot it home. Too many Sabres standing around on that goal, a familiar sight. Buffalo got a few good chances later in the period but it was mostly the Stanley Cup champs in charge. The Panthers outshot the Sabres 11 to 9 and outhit them by a whopping 13 to 5. Buffalo did win 62.5 percent of the draws though, thanks in part to newcomer Josh Norris being perfect on the dot. After 1 period the Cats were up 1-0
Minus 2: Buffalo Being Buffalo
The Sabres came out with some energy in the 2nd period getting the first 3 shots. They came very close to scoring when red hot Alex Tuch ripped one off the iron. Panther goalie Vitek Vanecek barely moved as he was beat. Florida powered back with 6 of the next 7 shots. They made it 2-0 when Carter Verhaeghe ripped in a shot from the point beating the Buffalo goalie. The puck had eyes as UPL was screened and leaned to the wrong side, leaving the corner open. Vanecek later made a crazy good save for the Panthers. Then UPL stopped a 2 on 0 break after two Sabres collided.
With under 3 minutes left in the period, the Panthers really dug their claws in deep. Luukkonen let another shot squeak in behind him and Anton Lundell just pushed the puck into the empty net. It was 3-0 Florida and the Cats were firmly in command. They outshot the Sabres again, 13-9 and outhit them again 9 to 7. The Panthers stormed back in the faceoff circle too, winning 55 percent for the game. UPL faced a good number of shots but as has been his story this year, he was leaky and squeaky. Just too many pucks getting behind him.
Minus 3: Vitek Vanecek Victory
Things got feisty in the 3rd as the teams roughed it up a little. Rochester call up Josh Dunne fought Greer for the Panthers and handled himself well. He landed some good punches in that one. It might be wise to keep him around on the 4th line instead of Sam Lafferty. Buffalo lost some physical play at the trade deadline and will need to replace it in the summer. Later in the period, Luukkonen made his best save of the night on a 2 on 1 tip in front. But it was all for nothing as once again the Sabres could not solve Vitek Vanecek. Buffalo having only 3 shots in the 3rd sure didn’t help their cause. Florida iced it with another empty net goal on the Sabres. I think head coach Lindy Ruff would pull the goalie at 7-1. He just loves giving up those freebies.
Final Thoughts:
The Sabres did not play a bad game, they were just outclassed. They could not keep up with the muscle and skill and experience Florida has. Not to mention Vanecek’s mastery over Buffalo. The Panthers are primed for another deep playoff run. Anything short of another appearance in the Finals would be a disappointment for that stacked group.
The Sabres have now dropped six in a row and the horror of another super long losing streak is creeping in. Jiri Kulich missed the game with the bug that is plaguing the team.
Buffalo’s next game is Monday evening back at Keybank Center as they host the Edmonton Oilers. The game starts at 7 pm Eastern time.
NOTE: The website we get our cover photos from has no photos from this game tonight.