Sabres fall to Panthers on last-minute goal

SUNRISE, Fla. -Sam Bennett scored with 37.3 seconds remaining in regulation to push the Florida Panthers to a 4-3 victory inside FLA Live Arena on Friday, robbing the Sabres of what at the very least would have been a hard-fought point on the road against the Eastern Conference's top team.
The Sabres built a 3-1 lead during the first period on goals from Victor Olofsson, Jeff Skinner, and Mark Pysyk. They weathered a second-period push by the Panthers well enough to keep the game tied and bounced back with a better effort in the third.
It was a disappointing conclusion, but one that Sabres coach Don Granato felt his team will be better for.

"There's a component of development that you need hardship," Granato said. "Yeah, nobody likes to lose. Nobody likes to lose. Anybody that cares about their team, plays for their team, coaches their team, doesn't like to lose.
"But for us it's about growth. Losing that way, there are some silver linings to it that we can look at and say, 'Hey, this can't happen again.' Our guys have proven that they've learned through situations like that through the course of the year and this was just another one."

Granato pointed to the final goal as an example of a learning experience. Rasmus Dahlin threw the puck off the boards in an attempt to break out of the defensive zone. It was caught in front of the blue line, initiating a sequence that led to Bennett's go-ahead goal.
Dahlin took responsibility for the play while addressing the media, but Granato said the misplay had more to do with the lack of outlets along the boards.
"We should never have players leaving the zone until that puck exits," Granato said. "Just learners there … Again, it's a lost game in the last moment and there's a silver lining in that because our guys will grow from it. We will definitely grow from it."

The Sabres also managed to settle down after the second-period push by the Panthers, who entered Friday as the NHL's only team averaging four goals per game. The period began with the Sabres owning a well-earned 3-1 lead, having matched the Panthers' pace for the opening 20 minutes.
The Panthers took control quickly, generating a 17-3 shot advantage and evening the score on goals from Patric Hornqvist and Sam Reinhart.
"We didn't put pucks where we did in the first period," Granato said. "We didn't pressure pucks the way we did in the first period. So, as a result, we allowed the momentum to turn against us."
Even so, Granato felt the Sabres did their best to weather the storm, keeping the Panthers from taking a lead into intermission.
"There was a sense of defensive objective and fight and compete even though it wasn't pretty, just to weather it," he said. "I give our guys credit. That's evolved from us through the course of the year."
The Sabres settled down in the third period and came less than a minute away from forcing overtime.
"Overall it's a tough game," Dahlin said. "A good team. We battled all the way to the end and not the end that we wanted."

Skinner hits 30

Skinner reached the 30-goal mark for the fifth time in his career, joining linemate Tage Thompson as the second Sabres player to hit the mark this season. Both players are currently on five-game point streaks.

Olofsson scores another

Olofsson scored for the third straight game, giving him 11 goals in 19 games since the beginning of March. Only 18 players in the NHL had as many in that span entering play Friday.

Dahlin on Power

The Sabres signed first-overall pick Owen Power to a three-year, entry-level contract prior to the game. He is expected to join the team Saturday in Tampa and make his NHL debut Tuesday in Toronto.
"I'm super excited," Dahlin said. "He's gonna bring some new energy and I've only heard good things about him, so we're super excited to have him."

Up next

The road trip continues Sunday in Tampa. Coverage on MSG begins at 4:30 p.m. The puck drops at 5.