SUNRISE, Fla. – The Florida Panthers will try to pocket two more massive points when they close out their back-to-back against the Buffalo Sabres at Amerant Bank Arena on Friday.
Returning from the break with one of their best showings of the season, the Panthers (30-25-3) cruised to a 5-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs less than 24 hours ago on Thursday.
With 24 games left, the reigning Stanley Cup champs sit eight points out of the playoffs.
“Everybody understands what we need to do, and that’s very important,” said goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who stopped 29 of 30 shots against the Maple Leafs. “It’s a big win, it’s a big two points for us, but tomorrow is another biggest game of the year.”
His fifth multi-goal game of the season, Brad Marchand lit the lamp twice against Toronto, while Evan Rodrigues, Carter Verhaeghe and Matthew Tkachuk all touched the twine once.
A hot start, Florida led 3-0 in goals and 17-4 in scoring chances after the first period.
“I think our start was huge,” Rodrigues said. “Just getting on our forecheck, that was the biggest thing for us. It’s going to be big for us going forward. We got pucks in, we got to work in the O-zone, we found guys in the high slot, and we got guys in the front of the net.”
After backing up Bobrovsky on Thursday, Daniil Tarasov, who suffered an injury in the final game before the break, is expected to start against Buffalo. In 19 appearances this season, he’s posted an 8-8-2 record with a 2.83 goals-against average and .899 save percentage.
Full lineup information will be revealed when Paul Maurice speaks to the media at 4:30 p.m. ET.
Holding the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, the Sabres (33-19-6) returned from the break with a 2-1 win at New Jersey Wednesday. Tage Thompson and Peyton Krebs scored in the win, while Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen garnered first-star honors with 27 saves.
Thompson, who helped Team USA win its first gold medal in men’s hockey at the Winter Olympics since 1980 alongside Tkachuk, leads Buffalo in goals (31) and points (61). Tied for second, Alex Tuch (22G, 26A) and Rasmus Dahlin (11G, 37A) have each recorded 48 points.
A driving force behind the Sabres’ resurgence this season, Alex Lyon could potentially get the start against his former teammates in Florida. Making 27 appearances this season, he’s accumulated a 14-8-3 record with a 2.72 goals-against average and .913 save percentage.
Meeting for the fourth and final time this season, the Panthers have gone 1-2-0 against the Sabres, including a 5-3 defeat in their last head-to-head battle on Feb. 2. In the season series, the Sabres have led 11-7 in goals and converted on 33.3% of their power plays.
“We have lots of work ahead of us, too,” Bobrovsky said. “So, we just can’t think about 24 games or 25 games. I think about one game and one shift at a time and trying to build.”
THEY SAID IT
“Well, it was an awful lot of speed over on one side, and he’s got a great set of hands on the other side. I thought all three of the guys played off each other really well, found holes, smart on the puck and made some good plays.” – Paul Maurice on Evan Rodrigues’ line vs. Toronto
“I thought we started well, which we really wanted to do. At the end of the day, the points are what matters right now. We did some good things tonight. I thought we played really well for [having] a few weeks off as a group, but there are still some areas we can improve upon. But a great start.” – Brad Marchand on Thursday’s win vs. Toronto
FIVE CATS STATS
- Anton Lundell has logged a team-high 6 points (1G, 5A) in February.
- Brad Marchand has scored a team-high 21 goals at even strength.
- Carter Verhaeghe has four assists in three games against Buffalo this season.
- The Panthers are 13-3-1 when leading after the first period.
- Gustav Forsling ranks third in the NHL with 190:29 of shorthanded ice time.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
FORWARDS
Carter Verhaeghe – Evan Rodrigues – Sam Reinhart
Mackie Samoskevich – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Brad Marchand
Sandis Vilmanis – Cole Schwindt – A.J. Greer
DEFENSEMEN
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Uvis Balinskis
Donovan Sebrango – Jeff Petry
Goaltenders
Daniil Tarasov
Sergei Bobrovsky
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
- Jan. 21: F Jack Studnicka loaned to Charlotte (AHL)
- Jan. 19: F Noah Gregor loaned to Charlotte (AHL)
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Friday, Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Amerant Bank Arena – Sunrise, FL
TV & Streaming: WSFL, WHDT, WFTX, PanthersPlus.TV
Radio: 104.3 WQAM-FM/560 WQAM-AM (Dade/Broward); 106.3 WESP-Fm (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 101.7 WCZR (Treasure Coast); Panthers GameDay App; SiriusXM 219/App & Streaming 931
Tickets: Click Here
