Knight gets win in first start since Feb. 1, Panthers defeat Sabres

BUFFALO --Spencer Knight made 29 saves in his first start since Feb. 1, and the Florida Panthers defeated the Buffalo Sabres 6-1 at KeyBank Center on Monday.

Knight, who was assigned to Charlotte of the American Hockey League on Feb. 2, was recalled Sunday.
"I liked everything," Florida coach Andrew Brunette said. "I thought he was really quiet, he was big. I thought his timing on everything was impeccable. … He earned every save he had tonight."
Aleksander Barkov had a goal and two assists, Brandon Montour and Anthony Duclair each had a goal and an assist, and Mason Marchment had three assists for the Panthers (38-13-5), who won their third straight overall and fourth in a row on the road.
"Obviously, we didn't like the results that we had early on (on the road)," Montour said. "Obviously, you know our record at home (25-6-0). We just want to keep that on the road (13-7-5), and there's no reason that we can't do it. It's just we need to keep bearing down that extra, that extra little bit, and lately, we've been doing that, so it's nice."

John Hayden scored, and Craig Anderson made 25 saves for the Sabres (18-32-8), who have lost eight of their past 10 games.
"The first period was, I don't know what their shot count was (three), but it wasn't high," Buffalo coach Don Granato said. "And when we gave up a little -- the second we gave up too much time and space -- we responded with hesitation, a little bit of fear maybe, and that caused hesitation, the fear not to make a mistake.
"You give skill players and a team like that that little bit extra, too much respect, they can make you look foolish at times. I felt that was a big part of it, big part of it. We just took a step back and we were a little too conservative. They can take advantage of that in a heartbeat."
Montour gave the Panthers a 1-0 lead at 5:22 of the first period when Barkov found him pinching at the bottom of the right circle.
"It was nice," said Montour, who was playing in Buffalo for the first time since being traded on April 10, 2021. "Obviously, it's good to see some good faces. It's obviously a little different playing against them, but it's hockey. Once you get to game time, it's all the same. So obviously, it was good to get that one early and keep going from there."
Noel Acciari made it 2-0 at 5:54 of the second period when he drove down the left wing, held off Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin and shot to the far top corner for his first goal of the season.

Duclair pushed it to 3-0 on the power play at 7:39 from the slot, and Carter Verhaeghe extended it 4-0 at 11:39 when Marchment found him alone at the left post.
Patric Hornqvist made it 5-0 at 12:42, finishing off a tic-tac-toe passing play on a 3-on-1.
"They came out in the second and they just used their skill, to be honest with you," Buffalo forward Kyle Okposo said. "They made some really nice plays, and we just couldn't stop the breakdowns from happening. Left [Anderson] out to dry a little bit."
Barkov gave the Panthers a 6-0 lead at 6:50 of the third period on the power play.
Hayden scored at 13:42 for the 6-1 final by deflecting Rasmus Asplund's shot from the left circle.
NOTES:Panthers forward Anton Lundell left the game at 12:51 of the first period. Brunette said postgame he is day to day with a lower-body injury. … The Sabres welcomed back Montour, forward Sam Reinhart, and goalie Jonas Johanssonwith a video tribute. Reinhart had an assist and four shots on goal in 18:09 of ice time. Montour had three shots on goal in 19:04 of ice time. Johansson, who was scratched, played 13 games (11 starts) for the Sabres in two seasons. … Anderson remains one win away from becoming the sixth U.S.-born goalie with 300 NHL wins.