Panthers Scratch Sabres

     The Florida Panthers toppled the Buffalo Sabres 5-2 on Tuesday night at KeyBank Center. It was the first game of a four-game road trip for the Cats.
     The first period belonged to Buffalo (20-10-5) as they got up 1-0 at the 3:48 mark. Jeff Skinner scored his 24th goal of the season on assists from Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart.
     Florida(13-13-6) tied the contest 1-1 at 9:17 of the second period as Troy Brouwer put in his sixth goal of the campaign. Jared McCann and Michael Matheson were credited with assist on the play.
     The Sabres responded almost two minutes later at 11:08 and regained the lead 2-1. Eichel won a faceoff in the right circle as Skinner and Reinhart tapped the puck to the right wing. Rasmus Ristolainen carried it to the low right circle and slipped the puck by Roberto Lungo with a wrist shot.
     In the third period, the Panthers scored on the power play 58 seconds in. Jonathan Huberdeau made a short pass to the top of the zone and Keith Yandle released a slapshot that was deflected by Alekander Barkov in the crease area past Carter Hutton. . It was his 15th goal of the season and he has scored 13 goals in the last 21 games.
     The Cats finally got their first lead of the game 3-2 at the 3:30 mark. Evgenii Dadonov blocked a shot in his own zone and went on a breakaway. He was tripped from behind and was awarded a penalty shot. Dadonov snapped a shot that trickled through the legs of Hutton.
     Frank Vatrano made it a two-goal margin at 4:42. Henrik Borgstrom won the faceoff in the left circle, Dadonov raced around the Sabres and fired a wrist shot that was saved. Vatrano backhanded the puck from the right of the crease for the tally. Dadonov added an empty-net goal with 2:30 left in the third.