At the Horn | Panthers 3 - Sabres 2 (SO)

The Buffalo Sabres lost 3-2 in a shootout to the Florida Panthers on Saturday at Amerant Bank Arena.

Rasmus Dahlin and JJ Peterka both tallied a power-play goal and an assist, with Peterka’s goal tying the game late in the third period. But the Sabres came up empty in the shootout while Anton Lundell scored the eventual game winner in the first round.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen manned the net for the Sabres and made 32 saves on 34 shots.

Defenseman Owen Power exited with an undisclosed injury, leaving the ice with 3:06 remaining in the second period. On his final shift, Power returned to the bench slowly after Carter Verhaeghe fell into his knee.

Florida’s Verhaeghe notched a goal and an assist. Jesse Puljujarvi also scored for the Panthers, and goaltender Vitek Vanecek stopped 26 of 28 shots.

HOW IT HAPPENED

First Period

An early Connor Clifton boarding penalty sent Florida to the power play. Buffalo killed it off thanks to Beck Malenstyn, who required a visit from the trainer after a couple key shot blocks – he returned for his next shift a couple minutes later.

The Sabres couldn’t cash in on a series of promising scoring chances in the back half of the period. Alex Tuch made a neutral-zone steal to set up a 2-on-1 rush, where he hit the post behind Vanecek. Noah Ostlund got into the low slot for a shot, but Vanecek dove back into the crease to cover the loose puck. And Zach Benson’s defensive-zone steal led to his alone-in-front scoring opportunity with 1:20 remaining, but the Florida netminder stood strong once again.

But Dahlin gave Buffalo a 1-0 lead on the power play with 19 seconds before the intermission. The captain sped into the offensive zone, executed a perfect give-and-go with Jason Zucker and tapped the puck into an open net.

Second Period

Verhaeghe tied the game 5:00 into the period, collecting a bounce off the end boards and outwaiting Luukkonen before burying a backhand.

The Panthers took a 2-1 lead at 14:47 as Puljujarvi tipped in Uvis Balinskis’ long-range wrister.

Jiri Kulich took a big hit to the head at center ice while pursuing a loose puck, and the Sabres – led by Dahlin and Benson – rushed to the defense of their rookie teammate. Jonah Gadjovich was initially issued a major for the hit, but an official review canceled the penalty and they played on at 5-on-5. Kulich was shaken up but returned for the third period.

The Panthers led 15-11 in second-period shots, including three on an unsuccessful power play in the final two minutes.

Third Period

Tuch fought the previously unpenalized Gadjovich on an early-period faceoff, making him answer for his hit on Kulich.

Nastiness continued midway through the period, with Benson and A.J. Greer being separated by the referee but still getting a few jabs in. Dahlin and Tage Thompson were heavily involved, too, and the sequence resulted in a 5-on-3 power play for the Sabres.

At 12:18, right as the two-man advantage expired, Dahlin fed Peterka for a wide-angle one-timer that leaked through Vanecek’s short side and tied the game 2-2; this was Buffalo’s fifth game this season with multiple power-play goals.

Overtime

The teams traded promising scoring opportunities, including a Jesper Boqvist breakaway where Luukkonen made a save.

Later, Kulich carried the puck around Lundell to the net but Vanecek broke up the play with a poke check.

The official shot tally in overtime was 3-2 Sabres.

Shootout

Lundell scored the shootout's only goal in the first round. Jack Quinn, Peterka and Tuch came up empty for the Sabres.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

POSTGAME SOUND

UP NEXT

The Sabres conclude their road schedule Sunday versus the Lightning. Coverage on MSG begins at 5:30 p.m. before puck drop at 6.