RECAP: Panthers 3, Sabres 2

SUNRISE, Fla. – No matter the opponent, the result continues to be the same.

Extending their streak of giving up two or fewer goals to 14 straight games, the Florida Panthers secured a 3-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres at Amerant Bank Arena on Tuesday.

Improving to 39-16-4, the Panthers, who’ve come out on top in 12 of their last 14 games, have once again moved ahead of the Boston Bruins for first place in the Atlantic Division.

“I think what we’re doing is working,” said Panthers defenseman Brandon Montour, who tallied a team-high three points (one goal, two assists) against the Sabres. “I think we can clean up a little bit, but especially with the last 20 or so games left, we’re going to get every team’s best. We have to be on top of that and be at our best as well.”

Taking an early lead, the Sabres broke the ice when Dylan Cozens beat Sergei Bobrovsky with a one-timer from the point on the power play to make it 1-0 at 9:25 of the first period.

Evening the score with a strike in transition, Sam Bennett collected a dish from Nick Cousins and beat Ukko Pekka-Lukkonen with a far-side shot from the left circle to make it 1-1 at 12:54.

Back in the lineup after missing Saturday's win against Washington while nursing an injury, Matthew Tkachuk put the Panthers on top on the power play when he settled down a cross-ice feed from Carter Verhaeghe and fired a shot from the right circle that went off Pekka-Lukkonen and into the net to make it 2-1 at 15:36.

“It felt great,” said Tkachuk, who ranks third in the NHL with 40 points (16 goals, 24 assists) since Jan. 1. “Never like missing games. Nobody hated it more than me, but it was probably the right thing.”

Even with no goals, the second period was certainly entertaining.

The action started when Gustav Forsling drew the ire of Alex Tuch after sending Tage Thompson into the boards with a big clean hit in the defensive zone. Later in the period, Jordan Greenway punched Cousins, which ignited a lively scrum behind Buffalo’s net.

As always, the Cats didn’t shy away from showing their claws.

“They did a great job forechecking and holding onto the puck,” said Bobrovsky, who finished with 28 saves to earn his 29^th win of the season. “It’s a good win for us. It’s a different opponent. They have lots of skills. They hold onto pucks, make plays. It was a good challenge for us.”

Earning a 5-on-3 power play in the third period, the Panthers made the Sabres pay when Montour connected on a rocket of a one-timer from the high slot to make it 3-1 at 9:41.

Over his last 10 games, Montour has produced 10 points (three goals, seven assists).

“I think we’re moving the puck, getting the confidence a little bit more,” Montour said. “Any time you can contribute offensively, especially with my game, it’s nice. It’s nice to collect these wins and play these big games. Still working towards playing my best hockey come April.”

Getting the Sabres back to within a goal, Thompson set up shop just outside of the blue paint and tipped a point shot from Rasmus Dahlin past Bobrovsky to make it 3-2 at 12:44.

With 1:10 left in regulation, the Sabres took a timeout.

When play resumed, the Panthers threw out a heavy line of Aleksander Barkov, Sam Reinhart and Tkachuk. Eating away at the clock, they then proceeded to keep the puck in Buffalo’s zone until there was only a little more than 20 seconds left in the regulation.

By then, it was too late for the Sabres.

Chalk up two more hard-earned points for the Cats.

“The first period we played a smart period,” Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said. “I didn’t think that in maybe two of the three previous games that we’d played very smart. I thought we’d done unusual things. There wasn’t a lot of juice to the first period, but then we got it going for about 10 minutes there in the second period and we looked right on. Then it quieted down there, but I liked our third period.”

THEY SAID IT

“I didn’t think it felt wobbly or dangerous at any point in time. [The Sabres] are a good team. They’ve got lots of skill. They hang onto pucks and make plays constantly. They’re always dangerous.” – Paul Maurice

“We keep going right until the end. No matter the score, up or down, we finish right.” – Brandon Montour

“We’re trying to focus on our game. It doesn’t matter, the opponent. We stick with the structure and guys deliver. Guys work hard, guys work smart, and the results come.” – Sergei Bobrovsky

CATS STATS

- The Panthers won 60.6% of their faceoffs.

- The Panthers led 37-19 in hits.

- Sam Bennett registered a team-high six hits.

- Matthew Tkachuk leads the NHL with 16 power-play points since Jan. 1.

- Brandon Montour recorded his eighth three-point game since joining the Panthers.

- Sergei Bobrovsky has given up two or fewer goals in nine straight starts, which is the longest such streak by a goaltender in franchise history.

- The Panthers led 32-21 in scoring chances.

WHAT’S NEXT?

One more game until it’s time to hit the road.

Wrapping up their three-game homestand, the Panthers will host the Montreal Canadiens at Amerant Bank Arena on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET.

For tickets, click HERE.