The Florida Panthers have gotten back to their winning ways after a five-game losing streak and will look to keep it going when they host the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday.
Florida (46-29-4, 96 points) is coming off a 4-1 victory against the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday and a 3-1 triumph against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday, to pull within a point of the Tampa Bay Lightning for second place in the Atlantic Division. The Lightning, who host the Detroit Red Wings on Friday night, hold a game in hand.
Before their consecutive wins, the Panthers went 0-4-1 during their skid, during which they were outscored 15-7. It was the tail end of a rough stretch in which they were 4-8-1 dating back to March 11.
Thursday’s win was the 915th of coach Paul Maurice’s NHL career, moving him past Barry Trotz into sole possession of third in NHL history.
“Everything he does is for a reason,” forward Evan Rodrigues said of Maurice. “He really knows what to give us and the things we need, when to push us and when to lay off us.”
Brad Marchand scored his first goal with the Panthers on Thursday, giving him three points in eight games since making his debut following his trade from the Boston Bruins before the NHL trade deadline.
“I’m having a lot of fun right now. The guys are awesome,” Marchand said. “I’m really starting to build some chemistry with everyone and just feeling more comfortable every day. It’s fun to be part of a winning group and to be out there with this group every day.”
The 36-year-old has enjoyed plenty of success against Buffalo over the course of his career. His 65 games against them are the most he’s played against any opponent and his 27 goals and 41 assists for 68 points are his highest totals against any team.
The Sabres (35-37-6, 76 points), meanwhile, head to Florida looking to rebound after a 2-0 lead turned into a 3-2 defeat against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday, snapping their season-high five-game winning streak.
“I thought it was a winnable game,” Buffalo captain Rasmus Dahlin said. “We had our chances. They scored one more goal than us, that’s how it feels now after. We created a lot and I think we could have scored a couple more.”
The setback marked the first time since March 22 (a 4-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild) that the Sabres were held to fewer than three goals. Since then, they have scored 46 goals.
The loss kept coach Lindy Ruff at 899 NHL career wins, one away from becoming the fifth in league history to reach 900.
“That’s pretty cool,” winger Alex Tuch said of the pending milestone. “I mean, he’s been at it a while and he’s had a lot of success in this league, so to be able to help him achieve that goal I think means the world to our group.”
JJ Peterka scored against the Blue Jackets, giving him 25 goals on the season and pulling within three of tying his career-high mark set last season. The 23-year-old has already set a career best in assists with 38 and in points with 63 on the season.
–Field Level Media
