After Jonathan Huberdeau scored on the power play to make it 5-5 early in the third period, captain Aleksander Barkov scored the go-ahead goal soon after to make it 6-5. But with less than four minutes left in regulation, John Tavares lit the lamp on the power play to make it 6-6.
With the stars continuing to shine bright in overtime, Huberdeau one-timed a pass through the slot from Barkov straight past Jack Campbell and into the twine to lock down a big two points.
Second in the NHL with 24 come-from-behind wins already this season, the "Comeback Cats" are the only team in NHL history to record multiple four-goal comebacks in multiple seasons.
"We just need one goal, a little spark, and then we get going," Huberdeau said. "We can't do that every game. It's a lot of fun and a lot of energy, but we've just got to play better defensively. We know we can score goals, but it's not going to happen every game. We say that, and it's been happening, but it's something that as we get towards the playoffs just can't happen."
Finishing with five points against the Maple Leafs, Huberdeau moved up into second place in the NHL's scoring race with a franchise-record 102 points (26 goals, 76 assists). Putting up four points against Toronto, Barkov is second on the Panthers with 76 points (34 goals, 42 assists).
With the Panthers closing out a back-to-back on Saturday at Nashville, Sergei Bobrovsky and Spencer Knight should each get a start within the next 48 hours. But with no skate this morning, the starting goalie for tonight's tilt against the Sabres won't be known until closer to puck drop.
Needing three more wins to break Roberto Luongo's single-season record of 35 wins, Bobrosky has gone 33-6-3 with a .911 save percentage, while Knight is 16-8-3 with a .904 save percentage.
Powered by their top-ranked offense (4.16 goals per game), the Panthers have already set new franchise records for wins (49) and points (104) with 12 games still left to play. Building up a six-point lead for first place in the Atlantic Division, they've posted a 14-2-1 record since March 3.
"We've got to make sure we're doing the right things because we want to come into the playoffs playing the right way, playing Panther hockey and doing the right things," Brunette said when asked about keys to closing out the season. "That's the focus here for the last little while."
Despite sitting at 26-35-11 and having already been eliminated from the playoffs, the Sabres have proven themselves to be formidable foes as of late. Dating back to March 2, they're tied for the ninth-most points in the NHL, posting a 10-5-3 record while averaging 3.11 goals per game.
After beating the Metropolitan Division-leading Hurricanes 4-2 on Tuesday, the Sabres raced out to an early 2-0 lead in the first period on goals from Tage Thompson and Alex Touch before eventually losing 5-3 in the heated rematch between the two teams on Thursday at Carolina.
"What I said before the game is we need games like this," Sabres head coach Don Granato said after the loss. "Hopefully the pressure was on us tonight. The atmosphere was outstanding, it was a playoff feel and certainly a team that's extremely hungry for two points. We got one of their best games effort-wise and it's a game our guys can actually learn from."
Having a breakout campaign, Thompson leads Buffalo in goals (32) and points (57), while Jeff Skinner ranks second in both goals (29) and points (53). Leading the team's defensemen in scoring with 44 points, Rasmus Dahlin has dished out a team-high 35 helpers from the blue line.
With former Panthers goaltender Craig Anderson starting 24 hours against the Hurricanes, it's likely that Dustin Tokarski mans the crease in Sunrise. In 24 appearances this season, the veteran netminder has posted a 7-10-5 record with a .901 save percentage and one shutout.
Going for a clean sweep of the season series, the Panthers have gone 3-0-0 against the Sabres, including a 5-3 win in their last head-to-head matchup back on April 3 at Buffalo.
"We've put ourselves in a good spot with a couple weeks remaining," Panthers forward Sam Reinhart said of the home stretch. "This is what you aim for at the start of the year, to have these opportunities. We're not going to take that for granted. We're going to embrace the challenge."
Leading the NHL in wins at home, Florida is 29-6-0 at FLA Live Arena.
