SUNRISE, Fla. -If you listen closely, there's probably a cheer or two still stuck in the rafters.
Hitting the ice for the first time since their incredible come-from-behind win over the Capitals on Tuesday, interim head coach Andrew Brunette said the buzz in the building is still lingering at bit as the Panthers prepare for their matchup against the Sabres at FLA Live Arena on Thursday.
PREVIEW: Panthers Host Sabres, Look to Retain Momentum
"Felt it today in the morning skate a little bit," Brunette said. "Hopefully we can capture that [momentum] and make sure we bring it from the start of the game, not just in the third period."
Trailing 4-1 heading into the third period against the Capitals, Ryan Lomberg, Eetu Luostarinen and Sam Bennett all found the back of the net to tie game before Sam Reinhart threaded a shot past Ilya Samsonov on the power play with 14.4 seconds left in regulation to lock in the 5-4 win.
"I know we fell behind 4-1, but we had stretches where we played pretty good, and then we had stretches where we chased the game and gave away too many opportunities," Brunette said. "I thought right from the drop of the puck in the third period it was wave after wave of positivity."
In full control over the final 20 minutes, the Panthers owned huge advantages over the Capitals in shots on goal (27-2), shot attempts (34-4) and scoring chances (23-1) during the third period.
Improving to 15-4-3 and snapping out of a two-game skid with the win, the Cats had only ever erased a three-goal deficit in the third period to win a game three other times in their history.
Overall, Florida has won five of its last seven games.
"When we have the strength that we do, we poured it on in the third," Panthers defenseman Brandon Montour said of the dominant effort. "That's what changes the game. We know we need to be better. That period was a good starting point. We need to keep building on that."
For Montour and Reinhart, tonight's matchup will also mean a little bit more.
Facing off against their old team for the first time, Montour suited up with the Sabres for three seasons (2018-19 to 2020-2021), while Reinhart, who was originally drafted by Buffalo with the second-overall pick in 2014, spent the first seven seasons of his career in a Sabres sweater.
From 2014-15 to 2020-21, Reinhart tallied 295 points over 454 games with Buffalo.
"I'm pretty excited," said Reinhart, who was traded to Florida in the offseason. "I was there for quite a long time, and it's the only place I'd known [before coming here]. A lot of friendships that have kept going even though I'm in a new organization. Those go a lot further than on the ice."
Brunette said he expects both players to have a bit of an extra jump.
"You usually want to make sure you play your best game and let the other organization know what they're missing," Brunette said. "You've got to be a careful not to get too rambunctious, but they're always meaningful games. It should be fun to watch them play tonight for us."
With both Montour and Reinhart playing prominent roles, the Panthers currently rank third in the league on offense, averaging 3.73 goals per game. Jonathan Huberdeau leads the team with 23 points (seven goals, 16 assists), while Aaron Ekblad sits second with 20 (six goals, 14 assists).
Against Washington, Huberdeau and Ekblad each dished out three assists.
Returning to the crease, Sergei Bobrovsky will start against the Sabres after making 23 saves -- including three high-danger stops -- against the Capitals. The first goaltender in Panthers history to win each of his first eight decisions at home to start the season, the two-time Vezina Trophy winner is 8-0-0 with a 2.02 goals-against average and .939 save percentage at FLA Live Arena.
Sitting in sixth place in the Atlantic Division with a record of 8-11-3, the Sabres have lost six of their last seven games and enter tonight's matchup fresh off a 7-4 loss against the Kraken on Monday. Against Seattle, Jeff Skinner scored a pair of goals, Brett Murray and Dylan Cozens also touched twine, and Dustin Tokarski surrendered six goals on 31 shots between the pipes.
"We didn't have a sense of urgency at the start with respect to details," Sabres coach Don Granato told reporters after the game. "We allowed too much, too easy, and then fought, obviously, the rest of the way as a result."
Tage Thompson leads Buffalo in goals (10) and points (16) and has scored five goals over his last six games. Behind him on the team's scoring leaderboard, four players have recorded at least 14 points: Skinner (15), Kyle Okposo (15), Victor Olofsson (14) and Rasmus Dahlin (14).
Yet to announce a starting goaltender, the Sabres could go back to Tokarski tonight in Sunrise as he's gotten the nod in each of the last three games. In 14 appearances this season, he's posted a 4-5-3 record with a 3.28 goals-against average and .903 save percentage.
Even though they're riding high after a big win, the Panthers know it's a clean slate tonight.
"It's a brand-new day, for sure," Reinhart said of tonight's tilt. "But I think it's a bit of an assurance for the way we want to play and the way we're going to have success as a group in this league."
PANTHERS NOTES
- The Panthers lead the NHL in goals (56) and shots on goal (397) on home ice.
- Florida leads the NHL in takeaways (256), including a team-high 33 from MacKenzie Weegar.
- By taking the ice against the Sabres, Jonathan Huberdeau will break a tie with Radek Dvorak (613) for the second-most games played by a Panther. Moving up the leaderboard, Huberdeau is also poised to pass Stephen Weiss (654) for first place at some point later on this season.
- Aaron Ekblad ranks tied for third among NHL defensemen in scoring with 20 points (six goals, 14 assists). Of those 20 points, 13 (five goals, eight assists) have come while at even strength.
- Sam Bennett has scored seven of his eight goals this season at home.
- Carter Verhaeghe has lit the lamp four times over his last six games.
- Radko Gudas leads the Panthers with 96 hits.
- Ryan Lomberg (one goal, one assist), Eetu Luostarinen (one goal, one assist), Patric Hornqvist (one assist) all recorded at least one point against the Capitals on Tuesday.
- With one more point, Joe Thornton will overtake Mark Recchi (1,533) for the 12th-most points in NHL history.
PANTHERS LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Jonathan Huberdeau - Sam Bennett - Carter Verhaeghe
Maxim Mamin - Anton Lundell - Sam Reinhart
Frank Vatrano - Joe Thornton - Owen Tippett
Ryan Lomberg - Eetu Luostarinen - Patric Hornqvist
Defensemen
MacKenzie Weegar - Aaron Ekblad
Matt Kiersted - Radko Gudas
Lucas Carlsson - Brandon Montour
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Spencer Knight
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
- Nov. 29: F Aleksi Heponiemi and D Matt Kiersted recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
- Nov. 28: D Gustav Forsling placed on IR | F Aleksi Heponiemi loaned to Charlotte (AHL)
- Nov. 27: F Aleksi Heponiemi recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
- Nov. 27: F Aleksander Barkov placed on IR retroactive to Nov. 16
RECENT NEWS
-
Territory Talk: Cats, Comebacks & More with George Richards
-
5 TAKEAWAYS: Reinhart's Goal Caps Off Epic Comeback for Panthers
-
2022 U.S. National Junior Team Preliminary Roster Unveiled
-
Registration for the 'Sunrise Showdown' NHL 22 Tournament is Open
-
NOTEBOOK: Barkov Joins Practice; Huberdeau's High Five
-
Panthers Re-Sign Forward Ryan Lomberg to a Two-Year Contract Extension
HOW TO WATCH / LISTEN
When: Thursday, Dec. 2 at 7:00 p.m. ET
Where: FLA Live Arena -- Sunrise, FL
TV:Bally Sports Florida
Stream:Bally Sports App, ESPN+ (Out of Region) Radio: 560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 640 WMEN (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); SiriusXM 221 / App & Streaming 932
Tickets:
HERE
IN-ARENA ACTIVATIONS
- Click HERE to get double the amount of 50/50 Raffle tickets before puck drop.
- It's another "Thirsty Thursday" at FLA Live Arena. Fans can purchase and enjoy discounted Yuengling, Yuengling Flight, Corona and other domestic products at all concession stands.
