5 TAKEAWAYS: Panthers set wins record, punch ticket to playoffs

The Panthers have officially punched their ticket.
Heading back to the postseason for the third straight season, the Panthers became the first team in the NHL to clinch a playoff berth with a 5-3 win over the Sabres at KeyBank Center on Sunday.

"It's nice, but we just keep going," Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov said. "I don't even know how many points we have right now, but I know we have a lot because we've been playing really well. Our focus now is just getting our game better."
Improving to 48-15-6 and earning that coveted "X" next to their name in the standings, the Panthers also set new a franchise record for wins in a season and increased their lead atop the Atlantic Division to nine points over the Maple Leafs and Lightning with one more game played.
"Guys have been working hard all year," Panthers forward Jonathan Huberdeau said. "To clinch, obviously it's fun. The rest of the season is really important as well. We've got to play well. We want to finish first [in the division] and get home-ice advantage."
Closing out a back-and-forth first period, Kyle Okposo opened the scoring for the Sabres when he deflected a point shot from Mattias Samuelsson past Spencer Knight to make it 1-0 at 17:13.
Evening things up in the second period, Huberdeau recorded his franchise-record 97th point of the season when, following a turnover by the Sabres in their own zone, he received a pass from Claude Giroux and roofed a shot right over Dustin Tokarski from the slot to make it 1-1 at 6:18.
Later in the period, the Panthers needed just 66 seconds to pull away.
Right after Anton Lundell cashed in on a big rebound to make it 2-1 at 15:55, Anthony Duclair collected a pass from Gustav Forsling and lasered a shot past Tokarski to make it 3-1 at 17:01.

"I really liked our start," Panthers interim head coach Andrew Brunette said. "I really liked our whole game until we kind of got in penalty trouble there. I thought we played a really good road game on a back-to-back after expending a lot of energy earlier in getting back last night."
Padding the lead just 57 seconds into third period, Duclair ripped a shot from the left circle that clipped off Tokarski before sailing into the twine to make it 4-1 with his second goal of the game.
Creating some drama later in the period, the Sabres stuck twice on the power play within a span of less than two minutes to suddenly make it a one-goal contest with plenty of time left to play.
After Jeff Skinner tapped in a loose puck in the crease to make it 4-2 at 8:25 -- a play that was reviewed for goaltender interference, but later upheld by officials -- Tage Thompson buried his team-best 31st goal of the season off a nifty no-look feed from Skinner to make it 4-3 at 10:19.
On a 5-on-3 power play in the waning minutes of regulation, the Panthers shut down Buffalo's attempted comeback and locked in their win when MacKenzie Weegar one-timed a pass from Giroux right into the back of the cage to increase the lead to 5-3 with just 1:35 left on the clock.
In net, Knight made 26 saves to improve to 8-3-1 over his last 12 appearances. Even with a playoff spot locked up, the Panthers don't plan to rest on their laurels.
"We've got eyes on a bigger prize this year," Brunette said. "Again, it's a nice accomplishment and well deserved. We should celebrate it a little bit, but we've got Toronto on Tuesday."
Here are five takeaways Sunday's win in Buffalo…

1. HUBY ON TOP

For the last few months, this seemed inevitable.
By ripping a shot past Tokarski to make it a 1-1 game in the second period, Huberdeau surpassed Barkov's record for the most points ever by a Panther in a season with 97.

"Obviously it's pretty cool to get the record, but it's all about the team," Huberdeau said.
Third in the NHL in scoring, Huberdeau, who extended his point streak to eight games with his goal against the Sabres, leads the league with 73 assists. That high number of helpers not only stands as a franchise record, but also the most ever by a left winger in a season in NHL history.
During his point streak, he's produced 13 points (five goals, eight assists).
"He deserves it the way he's been playing," Barkov said of Huberdeau's record. "It couldn't happen to a better guy. We still have a lot of games left, so it's going to be a lot of fun to see where he ends up. I'm lucky to be his teammate and play with him and see him do his thing."

2. BACK IN ACTION

It only two took games back in the lineup for Lundell to strike.
Looking no worse for wear after missing 12 games last month due to a lower-body injury, the 20-year-old rookie potted a juicy rebound to put the Panthers on top 2-1 in the second period.

"Those three and a half weeks felt like many months," Lundell said. "It's been a long time. The guys showed their support all the time, sending messages and asking how I'm doing and when I'm back. That's something you really appreciate. It makes you so comfortable. We're like a big family, a lot of brothers. It's unbelievable to be a part of the team and have fun every game."
Climbing his way into the conversation for the Calder Trophy prior to getting knocked out of the lineup, Lundell, who the Panthers selected with the 12th-overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, has amassed 39 points (15 goals, 24 assists) and a ridiculous +31 rating in 54 games this season.
With one more point, he will become just the fourth Panthers rookie to hit the 40-point mark.
"It's been a very fun season," Lundell said. "We know we have a lot of games coming up."

3. TWO FOR DUKE

A 30-goal season remains on the menu for Duclair.
Pushing his career-high goal total to 28, the speedster struck late in second period and early in the third period to put the Panthers up 4-1 with his third multi-goal performance of the campaign.

"The boys have really stepped up," Duclair said. "I think everyone in this locker room took a step forward in their careers. We just believe in each other and believe we can do some great things. It's been great to watch this team grow, and we want to keep going from there."
One of many players having career seasons with the Panthers, Duclair has already set new career-high marks in goals (28), assists (24) and points (52) with 13 games still left to play.

4. WEEGS ENDS IT

With this goal, the Panthers could finally exhale.
After watching their lead go from 4-1 to 4-3 in the blink of an eye, the Panthers finally put the final nail in the coffin when Weegar buried a one-timer on the power play with 1:35 left in regulation.

"We left the door open a little bit, and they almost snuck in," Brunette said.
Finishing with a goal and an assist against the Sabres, Weegar successfully matched his career-high total for goals (7), while also setting career-bests in assists (31) and points (38).
Taking on added responsibility with Aaron Ekblad out of the lineup, Weegar also chipped in two hits and two blocks while leading Florida's defensemen with 24:24 of ice time this afternoon.

5. MILESTONE MANIA

The Panthers can't seem to go more than a game without a player hitting a milestone.
In addition to Huberdeau, Radko Gudas and Carter Verhaeghe also earned ceremonial pucks in Buffalo.
By taking the ice this afternoon, Gudas officially appeared in the 600th game of his NHL career, while Verhaeghe posted the 100th point of his career with an assist on Duclair's second goal.
As far as team achievements, there's another big one on the horizon.
Having already set franchise-best marks for wins (48) and goals (284) in a season, the Panthers need just two more points to surpass the record 103 they amassed during the 2015-16 season.
And with 13 games left to play, it's safe to assume that record won't stand much longer.
"It's nice to get it out of the way this early, but at the same time nothing changes," Barkov said when asked about clinching. "We keep working even harder and get ready for playoffs, keep building and keep getting better every game so that we're at our best when the playoffs start."