The Florida Panthers defeated the Buffalo Sabres 3-2 in a shootout on Saturday at Amerant Bank Arena, thanks to goals and assists from Carter Verhaeghe. The Panthers moved up in the Atlantic Division standings.
The Panthers (47-29-4) have won three in a row, and Vitek Vanecek made 26 saves while Jesse Puljujarvi also scored. In the shootout, Anton Lundell scored the lone goal.
Despite having one more game, Florida is tied with the Tampa Bay Lightning for second place in the Atlantic. For first place, both teams are four points behind the Toronto Maple Leafs.
“We’re all in that mindset right now, just working hard and trying to prepare for the playoffs,” Verhaeghe said. “We are working to prepare for the future.”
The Sabres (35-37-7) have been eliminated from Stanley Cup Playoff contention, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen had 32 saves as Rasmus Dahlin and JJ Peterka each had a goal and an assist.
“I thought there was a lot of good stuff with what was going on out there tonight,” Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff stated. “Very good. When it came to diving in there and keeping the squad cohesive, there were several benefits.
Dahlin completed a give-and-go with Jason Zucker to give the Sabres a 1-0 lead at 19:41 of the first period with a power-play goal.
At 5:00 of the second session, Verhaeghe tied the score at one. He worked around the front of the goal, grabbed the rebound of Seth Jones’ shot off the end boards in the left face-off circle, and scored with a high backhand from the right side while Luukkonen committed low.
At 14:47, the Panthers had a 2-1 advantage. Puljujarvi battled for position with his back to the goal, tipping the puck with one hand on his stick after Evan Rodrigues botched a redirection attempt after Uvis Balinskis blasted a shaky point shot toward the net with traffic in front.
Puljujarvi had not scored a goal in three Panthers games since he signed a one-year contract with them on March 5.
He is a really captivating athlete. “The forward is big (6-foot-4, 216 pounds), and he doesn’t hesitate to hit,” Florida coach Paul Maurice remarked. He possesses an aptitude for offense. There is a significant player there, in our opinion.
With one second left on a 5-on-3 power play at 12:18 of the third period, Peterka scored a sharp-angled one-timer from the bottom of the right circle to knot the score at 2-2.
“Good special teams, guys were stepping up when we needed them,” Buffalo captain Dahlin remarked. When driving, one thing is always crucial. We got that today, which makes me thrilled.
Three saves were made by Vanecek during overtime. He has not won any of his last four starts.
I had a great time playing the game. Vanecek stated, “My teammates played really well, and that is always a big help”.” The extra point is very crucial. After losing a few games here, I am overjoyed to win this one and intend to continue in that manner.
NOTES: In 409 NHL games, Verhaeghe scored 300 points (146 goals, 154 assists). Sam Reinhart and center Aleksander Barkov were rested by the Panthers. Dahlin tied the longest goal streak of his career (2022–2023) by extending it to three games. Phil Housley (1987–88) is the only Sabres defenseman to score in four consecutive away games.
