"It means a lot, but I don't think it changes anything," Panthers defenseman Radko Gudas said when asked about the possibility of clinching this weekend. "Since Day 1, we have just been looking at the game ahead of us. That's the mentality in this locker room - one game a time."
Some games, however, are a bit crazier than others.
Earning their "Comeback Cats" nickname once again, the Panthers enter this afternoon's tilt riding high after erasing a four-goal deficit in the third period to come from behind and stun the Devils in a 7-6 win in the first half of their back-to-back less than 24 hours ago in New Jersey.
Facing a daunting 6-2 deficit, Brandon Montour and Gustav Forsling each found the back of the net within the first eight minutes of the third period to make it 6-4. With the goalie pulled for a 6-on-5 advantage late in regulation, captain Aleksander Barkov then scored twice to make it 6-6.
Capping off the first multi-goal game of his career in exhilarating fashion, Forsling ripped the game-winning goal past Andrew Hammond early in overtime to lock in the victory for Florida.
"We've been doing that all year," Montour said of the comeback. "We've been battling back. Even if we're down, the game's not over until the 60 minutes is done. That was a big one for us.
"We all believe in each other in that room no matter what the score is. We don't want something like [this game] to happen again, but it is what it is. We came back and all the guys are fired up."
Making history in the process, the Panthers matched an NHL record by winning a game when trailing by at least three goals for the fourth time this season. Additionally, the win marked just the 20th time in NHL history a team won a game after trailing by four goals in the third period.
With the win, Florida also achieved its second 100-point campaign in franchise history.
"I think we've shown through the course of the season that we're a very gritty team," interim head coach Andrew Brunette said of the never-say-die attitude of the Panthers, who have picked up wins in 12 of their last 15 games. "We have resilience, and we have self-belief."
Coming into the game in relief for Sergei Bobrovsky at the start of the third period, rookie Spencer Knight stopped all six shots he faced to improve to 14-8-3. Possibly getting the nod again in Buffalo, the 20-year-old is 5-2-1 with a .921 save percentage in his last eight games.
On the verge of making some individual history, Jonathan Huberdeau, who ranks third in the NHL in points (96) and first in assists (73), needs to pocket just one more point to break Barkov's single-season franchise record for points set back during the 2018-19 campaign.
Speaking of Barkov, who sits second on the team in scoring with 70 points, the captain has accumulated seven goals over his last six games to increase his team-leading total to 33.
"He's such an instrumental piece to our group," Brunette said of Barkov. "He's our leader and captain. I love that he's rising up to the big moments. We're going to need him going forward."
Although the playoffs are already out of reach and they sit at 25-33-11 in the standings, the young and rebuilding Sabres have certainly been playing some improved hockey as of late.
With a 4-3 win over the Predators on Friday, they extended their point streak to eight games (5-0-3). In that stretch, which included wins over playoff-bound teams such as the Penguins and Capitals, all five of their wins came by just a single goal, with three going beyond regulation.
Tage Thompson leads Buffalo in goals (30) and points (53), while Rasmus Dahlin has dished out the most assists (43). Also chipping in up front, Jeff Skinner has netted 27 goals, while Victor Olofsson, who notched the game-winner against Nashville, has potted 15 of his own.
In net, Craig Anderson and Dustin Tokarski have both seen ample playing time. Anderson has gone 13-9-2 with a .901 save percentage, while Tokarski is 7-9-5 with a .902 save percentage.
Facing off for the third time this season, the Panthers, who's 19 road victories are three shy of matching a franchise record, have gone 2-0-0 against the Sabres this season, including a 6-1 win in their last meeting back on March 7 in which Barkov registered a goal and two assists.
"It's been a lot of fun to be a part of this group," Barkov said.
