Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) - A pair of former Buffalo Sabres players contributed in a 4-1 victory for the Florida Panthers on Monday afternoon at KeyBank Center.
Florida scored first on the afternoon, thanks to former Sabres defenseman Brandon Montour's eighth goal of the season. The defenseman was able to crash in from the blue line and score on a second chance opportunity.
The Sabres were outshot by the visitors, 14-8, in the opening 20 minutes, as Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky was able to keep Buffalo off the scoreboard.
At the end of the period, Dylan Cozens and Matthew Tkachuk were in the middle of a scrum, which saw both players coming together after the young Sabres center delivered a hit as the horn sounded.
Sam Bennett doubled Florida's lead to 2-0 early in the second period after a fortuitous bounce landed the puck on his stick in the slot. The goal was Bennett's 10th of the season, with Tkachuk recording his second assist of the game.
Anton Lundell was able to score his fifth goal of the season to balloon Florida's lead to 3-0 early in the third period. Lundell converted on a pass from Sam Reinhart less than a minute into the final stanza.
Alex Tuch was able to bring the Sabres to within a pair of goals with his career-best 21st tally of the season. The forward was able to beat Bobrovsky with a wrist shot from the half-wall midway through the third period.
Carter Verhaeghe was able to put the game away with less than two minutes remaining in the contest with an empty-net goal. Verhaeghe's 20th goal of the season made the score 4-1 in favor of Florida.
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GAME RECAP
Scoring Summary:
First Period:
BUF: NONE
FLA: 4:01 - Brandon Montour (8) (Matthew Tkachuk)
Second Period:
BUF: NONE
FLA: 8:04 - Sam Bennett (10) (Matthew Tkachuk, Carter Verhaeghe)
Third Period:
BUF: 11:27 - Alex Tuch (21) (Unassisted)
FLA: 0:34 - Anton Lundell (5) (Sam Reinhart, Aleksander Barkov); 18:22 - Carter Verhaeghe (20) ENG (Matthew Tkachuk, Gustav Forsling)
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Penalty Summary:
First Period:
BUF: 20:00 - Dylan Cozens (Roughing - 4 min.)
FLA: 20:00 - Matthew Tkachuk (Roughing - 2 min.)
Second Period:
BUF: 3:40 - Alex Tuch (Roughing - 2 min.)
FLA: 12:53 - Nick Cousins (Tripping - 2 min.)
Third Period:
BUF: 7:31 - Jack Quinn (Holding - 2 min.)
FLA: 3:19 - Eetu Luostarinen (Tripping - 2 min.); 19:16 - Ryan Lomberg
(Cross-checking - 2 min.)
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Losi and Gangi Three Stars of the Game:
1.) Sam Bennett - BUF
2.) Matthew Tkachuk - BUF
3.) Alex Tuch - BUF
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What's next:
The Sabres head out on the road and get right back to game action on Tuesday night in Chicago against the Blackhawks. Faceoff is slated for at 8:30 p.m. EST at the United Center with pregame coverage on the flagship home of the Sabres Radio Network - WGR Sports Radio 550 - beginning at 7:30 p.m. EST with Brian Koziol.
