'We stuck to our game plan' | Sabres stay consistent in win over Panthers

SUNRISE, Fla. – The Buffalo Sabres are trusting their process, for good reason.

Whatever came their way at Amerant Bank Arena on Friday – an early push from the desperate Florida Panthers, missed scoring chances, questionable penalties – the Sabres simply stepped over the boards shift after shift, looking to play their brand of hockey.

It’s a winning brand, as they’ve proven for the better part of three months. The latest evidence came in the form of a 3-2 win over the Panthers, their second in as many games since coming out of the Olympic break.

The game was tied 1-1 in the third period until Beck Malenstyn scored on a point shot through traffic with 8:22 remaining. Peyton Krebs added an empty-net goal, and the Panthers tacked on their second goal in the final minute.

“I just thought we stuck to our game plan the whole game,” said alternate captain Alex Tuch, who scored a power-play goal.

The win moved the Sabres into second place in the Atlantic Division by virtue of a tiebreaker over the Red Wings. With 23 games remaining, they’re separated by five points from the closest non-playoff team (the Capitals, who also won Friday).

The Sabres’ ascension in the standings has been the product of the tried-and-true habits that carried them to victory over the Panthers, including puck support up and down the ice, strong one-on-one battles, and active defensemen (and, crucially, forwards rotating to back them up).

Buffalo took a 1-0 lead on the power-play goal from Tuch, scored with 2:12 remaining in the first period. The chances to tack onto the lead piled from there – a backdoor chance for Mattias Samuelsson was tapped just wide, and another opportunity for the defenseman from the slot was swallowed by goaltender Daniil Tarasov.

The Sabres had a decisive 47-27 lead in shot attempts at even strength through 40 minutes, but their third penalty of the night – a hook called against Josh Dunne as he battled for the puck at the red line – resulted in Matthew Tkachuk scoring the tying goal on the power play.

Still, they kept plugging away, undeterred by the score.

“I don’t think we got away from our game,” Tuch said. “We kept staying on pressure. I thought we were really good in support, we were physical, we played really good, solid D and didn’t give them too many clean looks.”

Malenstyn finally broke the tie midway through the third period. He was still on the bench when Josh Doan forced the defensive-zone turnover to begin the sequence, sending the Sabres up the ice on the rush.

Doan trailed his teammates on the rush and – while Samuelsson drove the net and Josh Norris possessed the puck – made a savvy change to get Malenstyn on the ice. The Panthers lost sight of Malenstyn in the shuffle, leaving him wide open at the blue line.

Malenstyn sent a hard shot in through traffic. 

"Put the head down, hit it hard," he said.

The Panthers challenged for goaltender interference, but the goal stood following a lengthy review. Samuelsson’s stick made contact with Tarasov’s glove, which was outstretched beyond the blue paint.

“When I looked at it I thought it was a goal,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. “Maybe I’m biased. But [Samuelsson] wasn’t in the crease, his stick was out in front trying to deflect it, and their goalie was reaching for it.”

The Sabres concluded their season series with the Panthers having won three of four matchups, including two this month.

While the Panthers have spent the season without captain Aleksander Barkov, their lineup on Friday otherwise closely resembled the group that won the Stanley Cup last spring with their patented brand of heavy, responsible play.

The Sabres were able to beat that group simply by sticking to their own brand.

"We’re comfortable and confident in those scenarios that our team’s going to do what we need to do to win hockey games," Malenstyn said. "And that only comes from experience and it comes from doing those right things consistently."

Here’s more from the win in Florida.

Lyon earns the win

Alex Lyon made 27 saves to earn the win in his first post-Olympic start. It was his third victory over the Panthers (his former team) this season.

Lyon was particularly crucial in helping the Sabres’ survive a strong early push from the Panthers. He stopped a backhand chance from Brad Marchand on an early penalty kill and, later in the first period, turned away a mini breakaway for A.J. Greer.

The performance, coupled with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s victory in New Jersey on Wednesday, was a reminder of the strength of Buffalo’s goaltending depth – a crucial component to their second-half surge. Colten Ellis backed up against the Panthers, leaving Luukkonen fresh for a potential start in Tampa.

“I think all three of us are committed to winning and whoever gets the call is going to put forth their best effort,” Lyon said.

McLeod, Tuch connect

Tuch’s power-play goal was the result of a set play he’d been working on with Ryan McLeod, one of his running mates on the second unit.

McLeod, on the right side of the zone, carried the puck high toward the blue line while Tuch crept from his position down low into the high slot. As McLeod moved back toward the circle, a seam opened for him to dish a no-look, backhand pass to set up Tuch’s shot.

“It was a play that we’ve kind of been working on, so I’m glad it went in,” Tuch said.

The assist was McLeod’s 20th point in the last 19 games. He’s only two assists shy of matching the career-high 33 he had in 79 games last season.

Krebs, the closer

Krebs scored his fifth empty-net goal of the season, placing him in an impressive nine-way tie for the league lead alongside some of the NHL’s top scorers (including Alex Ovechkin, Nikita Kucherov, Nathan MacKinnon and Matt Boldy).

Postgame sound

Up next

The road trip concludes in Tampa on Saturday. Coverage on MSG begins at 6:30 p.m. with puck drop scheduled for 7.