Making a quick stop back in Sunrise in between road trips, the Panthers secured a 4-3 win over the Canucks at FLA Live Arena in their previous outing on Saturday. Lomberg, Eric Staal, Aaron Ekblad and Aleksander Barkov all lit the lamp in the win, while Sergie Bobrovsky made 35 saves.
Striking twice on the man advantage against Vancouver, the Panthers have netted at least one power-play goal in seven of their past nine games. Since Dec. 29, they rank second in the NHL with a 37.5% success rate, while their 12 power-play goals in that span lead all NHL teams.
"We're starting to get some confidence in our game and in ability to make plays," said Ekblad, who's tied for first among Florida's defensemen with seven goals. "That's always a good sign."
Extending his point streak to six games with an assist against the Canucks, Matthew Tkachuk, a 2023 NHL All-Star, leads the Panthers in goals (22), assists (31) and points (53). Also producing at a high level, Barkov, who missed a chunk of time earlier this season due to an extended battle with a non-COVID illness, has recorded 34 points (11 goals, 23 assists) in 34 games.
While head coach Paul Maurice won't announce a starter or reveal any lineup information until his media availability prior to this afternoon's tilt, Bobrovsky has started 14 of the last 18 games for the Panthers, going 7-7-0 with a .910 save percentage and one shutout during that stretch.
"I love it," Bobrovsky said when asked about his heavy workload as of late. "I love to be there with my teammates and compete for those points, get in a rhythm. I love to play a lot."
Right next to the Panthers in the standings, the Sabres sit at 21-18-2 and enter this afternoon's matchup fresh off snapping out of a three-game slide with a 5-3 win at Nashville on Saturday. After building up a 3-1 lead on goals from Jeff Skinner, Dylan Cozens and Victor Olofsson, Buffalo saw that lead evaporate in the second period when Jeremy Lauzon and Ryan Johanson answered with a pair of goals 40 seconds apart for the Predators to make it a 3-3 game.
But just 6:43 into the third period, Kyle Okposo deflected the go-ahead goal past goaltender Juuse Saros while shorthanded to put the Sabres up 4-3. Adding a bit of insurance, Jack Quinn then lit the lamp with 3:11 left in regulation to extend Buffalo's lead to a commanding 5-3.
"He's a worker," Sabres head coach Don Granato said of Okposo, the first star of the game. "He's a leader by virtue. That was vintage Kyle Okposo. The work, the combination, you see that grind, you see that work and then to finish, you see a fine touch, a fine skill."
The driving force behind Buffalo's top-ranked offense (3.85 goals per game), Tage Thompson has put himself in the running for the Hart Trophy by racking up 58 points (31 goals, 27 assists). Second on the team in scoring, Rasmus Dahlin has produced 48 points (13 goals, 35 assists).
Starting six of the last nine games, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has posted a 10-4-1 record with a .896 save percentage in 15 appearances this season. Making 15 appearances of his own, Craig Anderson, who played for Florida from 2006-09, has gone 7-6-1 with a .921 save percentage.
Facing off for the second time this season, the Panthers secured a 4-3 win over the Sabres at KeyBank Center back on Oct. 15. Tkachuk (one goal, one assist) and Barkov (two assists) each had two points in the win, while Spencer Knight made 24 saves between the pipes.
Over their past nine trips to Buffalo, the Panthers have posted a 6-2-1 record.
