RECAP: Panthers 5, Sabres 2

BUFFALO – The Florida Panthers completed a three-game sweep of their trek through the Empire State with a 5-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center on Monday.

Improving to 7-3-1, the Panthers have won five straight games on the road.

“It’s very important,” head coach Paul Maurice said of banking early-season points. “I don’t know what it ends up, but going into tonight there’s not a team in our division under .500. It’s going to be a grinder right through. They (the Sabres) are a better hockey team than they were a year ago, as we’d expect.”

Finishing off a pretty passing play to open the scoring, Jesper Boqvist, who's gotten off to a great start in his first season with the Panthers, took a dish from Anton Lundell and beat Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen with a top-shelf snipe to make it 1-0 at 11:01 of the first period.

Moving around, Boqvist might’ve found a home on a line with Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen.

“They’ve played so well together for some time here,” Boqvist said of his new linemates. “I just tried to come in and complement them and do what I do best. At the same time, work hard and have fun.”

Doubling the lead for the Panthers less than a minute later on the power play, Aleksander Barkov, back in the lineup after missing eight games with an injury, drew a pair of defenders behind Buffalo’s net before setting up Sam Reinhart for a nifty goal to make it 2-0 at 11:56.

Making a no-look pass look easy, Barkov put the puck in the perfect spot in the slot.

“It felt great,” Barkov said of getting back to work. “A long time for me, but it was great. We played a really good game, and it was fun to be a part of it.”

Jason Zucker got the Sabres on the board in the second period, tipping a shot from Tage Thompson past Sergei Bobrovsky on the power play to make it 2-1 at 10:45. Soon after, Rasmus Dahlin fired a wrist shot off a defender and into the twine to suddenly make it 2-2 at 12:37.

Keeping the game tied, Bobrovsky flew across his crease to kick out a shot from Owen Power with his right pad just past the six-minute mark of the period. Feeding off that big stop, the Panthers went up 3-2 at 16:44 after Carter Verhaeghe potted a juicy rebound.

Verhaeghe has goals in two of his last three games and a point in seven straight games.

“They’re coming a little bit, they’ve tied the game now,” Maurice said of the moments leading up to Bobrovsky’s momentum-shifting save. “We’re reeling a little bit. That’s natural, especially on the road. He makes the big save and just keeps their building and bench from going.”

Early in the third period, the Panthers maintained their lead thanks to a solid penalty kill. On that kill, Reinhart likely saved a goal with a key block from the right side of the cage.

Extending his goal streak to five game, Sam Bennett beat Luukkonen with a wicked snipe from the top of the right circle on the power play to give the Panthers a 4-2 lead at 14:35.

Putting a bow on a spectacular return to the lineup, Barkov put the game away and sent the home fans to the exits when he fired a shot off the far post and in to make it 5-2 at 15:43.

With a winning streak in tow, the Panthers will now head to Finland for the Global Series.

“It’s amazing,” Barkov said of the upcoming games in his hometown of Tampere. “Those two games that we play there, I’ve been thinking about them all the time ever since they got announced. I’ve been waiting for this day to travel there and go home again. I was there once in Helsinki for two games, but this is going to be even more special because it’s in my hometown, the rink where my team plays. It’s going to be a one-of-a-kind experience.”

THEY SAID IT

“Jesper (Boqvist) plays the game we’re trying to play. He’s on the puck. He’s got good physicality, but he’s smart about it. He’s not running out of position to finish his checks. He gets his stick on the puck; he stops pucks. I think there’s something there.” – Paul Maurice

“I hate watching games when I’m not playing, but the guys played so well. Just feeling comfortable in those situations whether you’re down or you’re up, they just feel comfortable every single night and battled for each other.” – Aleksander Barkov

“Great start to the road trip, for sure. It’s something we wanted to do, and we’ve done it. We’ve just got to keep grinding here. We have two important games against Dallas this week.” – Jesper Boqvist

“It’s going to be a good atmosphere [in Finland]. I’m excited to play there, change the scenery, go to the other side of the globe and play hockey there. We’re excited.” – Sergei Bobrovsky

CATS STATS

- Sam Bennett has scored six goals in his last five games.

- Sam Reinhart recorded his fifth multi-point game of the season.

- With his 401^st career win, Sergei Bobrovsky has tied Chris Osgood for the 13^th most by a goaltender in NHL history.

- Three Panthers defensemen recorded multiple blocked shots.

- Carter Verhaeghe fired off a team-high seven shots on goal.

- The Panthers led 22-11 in scoring chances at 5-on-5, per NaturalStatTrick.com.

WHAT’S NEXT?

It’s time to take to the skies and head to Finland.

After taking a few days to enjoy the sights, the Panthers will return to the ice to battle the Dallas Stars in Game 1 of the Global Series at Nokia Arena in Tampere on Friday at 2 p.m. ET.