5 TAKEAWAYS: Panthers 2, Sabres 1

SUNRISE, Fla. --The Florida Panthers are in control of their playoff destiny.
By extending their winning streak to four games with a 2-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres at FLA Live Arena on Tuesday, they've now sunk their claws into the first wild card in the Eastern Conference.
With four games left to play, the Panthers (40-31-7) have the same number of points as the New York Islanders (39-30-9), but hold the first tiebreaker due to having more regulation wins. Just outside of the playoff picture, the Penguins (38-30-10) sit one point behind both teams.
"It's a good feeling coming to the rink," Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said. "You're in control of something and you're on a bit of a roll. You feel good. You're watching the scoreboard differently. We're not watching it during the game, we're checking it after. It's a good feeling."
For a quick recap of the game, click
HERE
.
To read up on five key takeaways for the Cats, continue below.

1. EKBLAD ON THE BOARD

Thanks to Aaron Ekblad, the Panthers only trailed briefly against Buffalo.
After falling behind 1-0 at 8:58 of the first period, Ekblad got the game all squared up less than seven minutes later when he fired a shot on net from the top of the left circle on the power play that went off the post and past Devon Levi to get Florida on the board and make it 1-1 at 15:47.

From that point on, the Panthers never trailed again.
"We desperately needed a win, and I thought we played solid," said Panthers defenseman Brandon Montour, who dished out the primary assist on the goal. "A lot of energy. We knew what was at stake here. The guys did a good job."
On a nice run, Ekblad is currently riding a five-game point streak. In that stretch, he's posted one goal, four assists and a +3 rating while averaging 22:43 of ice time per game. In 67 games this season, the 27-year-old has registered 35 points (13 goals, 22 assists).
Since his debut in 2014-15, Ekblad ranks sixth among NHL defensemen in goals with 110.

2. TKACHUK'S GAME WINNER

Carter Verhaeghe might have some company in the 40-goal club soon.
Netting his 39th goal of the season, Matthew Tkachuk scored what would go on to hold up as the game-winning goal when -- after winning a board battle to get the puck to the point -- he re-directed a shot from Montour past Levi to make it 2-1 just 59 seconds into the third period.

"I think it's just easier playing with the lead," said Tkachuk, who's tied for first on the Panthers with five game-winners this season. "Getting that next one to give us the lead was huge."
Putting himself in position to be a finalist for the Hart Trophy, Tkachuk leads the Panthers and ranks tied for fourth in the NHL with 103 points (39 goals, 64 assists), which is just one point fewer than the career-high 104 points he posted during his final season in Calgary in 2021-22.
Strong in the possession game as always, Tkachuk also helped keep the puck in Buffalo's zone for the majority of the time he was on the ice. Owning a team-high 65.52 CF%, Florida led 19-10 in shot attempts and 12-7 in scoring chances over the 15:10 that he was deployed at 5-on-5.
Over his last three games, Tkachuk has notched four goals and two assists.

3. LYON STILL ROARING

Alex Lyon stood tall once again.
Coming up in the clutch, the 30-year-old goaltender stopped 39 of 40 shots against the Sabres, including kicking out a dangerous slap shot from Rasmus Dahlin with just a few seconds left on the clock in regulation to lock in the win when the Sabres were threatening on 6-on-3 advantage.
Starting each of the last four games, Lyon has gone 4-0-0 with a .959 save percentage.
"I've played a lot of playoff hockey," said Lyon, who backstopped the Chicago Wolves to a Calder Cup in the AHL last season. "I'm 30 years old. I've had a lot of experience, and that goes a long way. I'm pretty good at this stage of the game. It's just keeping it even and moving forward. You can't change your approach. You can't get too high or too low. Just keep going."
Looking some of the numbers over at NaturalStatTrick.com, Lyon stopped all 18 high-danger shots that he faced while giving up just one goal against 5.27 expected goals for the Sabres.
"There's no quit in his game," Tkachuk said. "It brings so much positive energy and it's really been huge for our team down this stretch going into the playoffs to have that type of energy."
One of Lyon's biggest saves of the night came on the penalty kill in the first period when he stretched out to rob Jeff Skinner on the doorstep and keep Florida's early deficit at just 1-0.
After giving up a goal in the first period, Lyon stopped all 26 he faced in the second and third.
"A lot of credit to the D-men tonight," Lyon said. "Not all 40-shot games are equal, and tonight I thought we did a good a job as we've done. It made my life simple and kept me in it there at the beginning. A little bit of a rough start, but happy to bounce back. We've just got to keep moving."

4. BLOCK PARTY

As Lyon said, the Panthers made some big defensive plays in front of him.
Most of those moments came in the form of timely blocked shots. Likely saving a goal or two, the Panthers led the Sabres 16-10 in blocks, including a team-high four from Marc Staal.
"It just shows the buy-in and commitment we have to making the playoffs," Tkachuk said of sacrificing the body. "Everybody's putting it on the line. Each and every shift you could tell. You could see the dedication and commitment. Everybody's playing for each other in this room."
Of his four blocked shots, Staal's biggest came late in the second period when he dropped to his knees to get in the way of shot from Dylan Cozen, who'd scored Buffalo's goal in the first.
Leading the Panthers with 117 blocks this season, Staal has compiled 17 over his last nine games.
"That's what it's all about," Montour said. "Obviously that's a strength of his. It's a strength of our team that if we get into our lanes then it's easier for [Lyon] or [Sergei Bobrovsky] or whoever's in net to not let one in. Guys are desperate and made the right plays."
Maurice believes that desperation is what this time of the season is all about.
"It becomes natural at this time," Maurice said. "Guys are really keen and aware of the danger of every puck. That's what's great about these games. Every single play is dangerous. Every puck that gets knocked down and goes the other way can create a problem for the other team. It really is the greatest part about our sport, the tension that's built in tight games."

5. MORE MILESTONES FOR MONTOUR

Montour's assault on the record books continues.
With two primary assists against the Sabres, the breakout blueliner matched Keith Yandle's record for the most assists by a Panthers defenseman in a season with 53. Last month, Montour also broke Yandle's record for points by a defenseman in a season when he pocketed his 63rd of 2022-23.
As it stands now, Montour's 67 points rank eighth among NHL defensemen this season.
"I think there's a couple games there from when we lost four that we'd like to have back," Montour said. "It's crazy. With the way the season's been going, you win two, you lose two, that's the way it goes. We didn't like the result in those four games, but guys are pushing here."
With four games left in the season, Montour can also potentially match or snatch another record. Picking up his 14th multi-point game of the season against the Sabres, he needs just two more multi-point showings to match Aaron Ekblad's single-season record of 16 from 2021-22.
Over his last 15 games, Montour has produced multiple points in seven of them.