The Buffalo Sabres continued their late-season surge Friday night, edging the Florida Panthers 3-2 behind a standout performance from goaltender Alex Lyon, who turned aside 27 shots against his former club.
Lyon, who spent the 2022–23 season in Florida, has now beaten the Panthers twice this month, proving to be a thorn in their playoff hopes. His steady play helped Buffalo secure its eighth win in the last 11 games, keeping momentum alive as the postseason race tightens.
Buffalo grabbed control late in the third period when Beck Malenstyn fired a slap shot through traffic with 8:22 remaining to give the Sabres a 2-1 lead. Florida challenged the goal for interference after Mattias Samuelsson made contact with goaltender Daniil Tarasov, but the ruling stood after review.
The Sabres added a crucial insurance goal with 1:17 left when Peyton Krebs found the empty net. That goal proved vital after Florida made a late push. With 35 seconds remaining, Sam Bennett cut the deficit to one when his shot deflected off the post and inadvertently went in off Buffalo defenseman Rasmus Dahlin and past Lyon.
Alex Tuch also scored for Buffalo, while Matthew Tkachuk added a goal for Florida.
The loss deepens concerns for the Panthers, who have now dropped six of their last eight games. The two-time defending Stanley Cup champions find themselves eight points behind the Boston Bruins for the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot with just 23 games remaining.
Meanwhile, Buffalo’s playoff push continues to gain traction. Fresh off a 2-1 win over the New Jersey Devils earlier in the week, the Sabres are now tied with the Detroit Red Wings for second place in the Atlantic Division. The franchise is aiming to end an NHL-record 14-year playoff drought.
Florida also dealt with a key injury during the game, as defenseman Uvis Balinskis exited after blocking a shot in the first period. Though he briefly returned, he did not play in the third.
The Sabres will look to keep rolling as they visit the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday, while the Panthers aim to regroup on the road against the New York Islanders on Sunday.
