National Hockey League
Florida 4, Buffalo 3
When: 7:00 PM ET, Friday, April 8, 2022
Where: FLA Live Arena, Sunrise, Florida
Referees: Brandon Schrader, Justin St. Pierre
Linesmen: Brandon Gawryletz, Killian McNamara
Attendance: 17728

Sam Bennett scored with 38 seconds remaining in the third period to give the Florida Panthers their sixth straight win, 4-3 against the visiting Buffalo Sabres on Friday.

Aleksander Barkov found Bennett open at the right side of the net for the tap-in for Bennett's 100th NHL goal.

Sam Reinhart and Claude Giroux each had a goal and an assist, and Barkov and Brandon Montour each had two assists for the Panthers (50-15-6, 106 points). Sergei Bobrovsky made 19 saves.

Dustin Tokarski made 39 saves for the Sabres (26-36-11, 63 points), who have lost two straight in regulation for the first time since March 6-7.

Victor Olofsson gave Buffalo a 1-0 lead on the power play at 6:27 of the first period. Denied on his first two one-timers, the third time was the charm for Olofsson, as he converted from the right circle in the final seconds of the man advantage.

The Panthers responded with a power-play goal of their own at 8:25 when Giroux, at the goal line on the left side of the net, connected on a pass from Jonathan Huberdeau to tie it 1-1. With the assist, Huberdeau extended his point streak to 10 games (seven goals, 12 assists).

Mark Pysyk put the Sabres back in front 2-1 just 20 seconds later, intercepting a Florida clearing attempt before his shot from the wall hit Panthers defenseman MacKenzie Weegar's leg and deflected into the net.

Jeff Skinner made it 3-1 at 15:35, taking a pass from Tage Thompson at the goal line and skating to the front of the net before lifting a backhand over Bobrovsky for his 30th of the season.

The Panthers pressed in the second period, outshooting the Sabres 16-3 in the session and scoring twice.

Patric Hornqvist cut it to 3-2 at 9:30 of the middle frame, banking the puck off of Tokarski and into the net.

Reinhart tipped in a point shot by Barkov on the power play to tie it 3-3 at 14:20.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Buffalo   Florida
Victor Olofsson 1 Points Claude Giroux 2
Victor Olofsson 1 Goals Claude Giroux 1
Peyton Krebs 1 Assists Aleksander Barkov 2
Victor Olofsson 1 Power Play Goals Claude Giroux 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Dustin Tokarski .907 Save Percentage Sergei Bobrovsky .864
Dustin Tokarski 39 Saves Sergei Bobrovsky 19
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Buffalo 22 3 1-4 0-2 4 25
Florida 43 4 2-2 3-4 10 24
Upcoming Games
  • Florida will play their next game on the road against Nashville. The Panthers have a W/L % of .735 after a win and .636 after a loss.
  • Buffalo will play their next game on the road against Tampa Bay. The Sabres have a W/L % of .370 after a win and .348 after a loss.