Sports

Panthers Beat Sabres 5-3 To Clinch Playoff Berth

April 3, 2022 / 4:21 PM EDT / CBS Miami

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BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Jonathan Huberdeau set Florida's single-season points record, and the Panthers clinched a playoff berth with a 5-3 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday.

Huberdeau scored his 24th goal to extend his point streak to eight games and raise his season total to 97, one more than teammate Aleksander Barkov's record set in 2019.

Anthony Duclair scored twice as the Panthers (48-15-6) established a franchise record for victories. Winning for the seventh time in eight games, Florida closed a two-game trip by improving to 20-9-6 on the road.

MacKenzie Weegar had a goal and an assist for Florida. Anton Lundell also scored, and Spencer Knight made 26 saves. Barkov and Claude Giroux each had two assists.

Jeff Skinner had a goal and an assist for the Sabres, who are on the cusp of of missing the playoffs for an NHL-record 11th consecutive season. Tage Thompson and Kyle Okposo also scored, and Dustin Tokarski stopped 35 shots.

Buffalo lost an eight-game point streak (5-0-3), its longest in three seasons. The Sabres will be eliminated from the playoffs with another loss, or a win by the Washington Capitals.

The Sabres closed to 4-3 on power-play goals by Skinner and Thompson 1:54 apart in the third period. Skinner poked in his 28th from inside the crease at 8:25. Then he sent a backhand pass between his legs to Thompson, who scored his 31st from the right slot at 10:19.

But Weegar helped close it out with a power-play goal for the Panthers with 1:35 left.

After rallying from a four-goal deficit for a 7-6 overtime win at New Jersey on Friday night, the NHL's top scoring team went on the attack in the second by scoring three times while outshooting Buffalo 22-8.

Lundell got the go-ahead goal, knocking in a rebound for his 15th with 4:05 left in the period.

Duclair made it 3-1 when he scored 1:06 later on a feed from Gustav Forsling. Barkov extended his point streak to four games with a backhand pass leading to Duclair's 28th goal less than a minute into the third.

Huberdeau's tying goal 6:18 into the second was generated by Giroux's forechecking. He took the puck from Sabres defenseman Jacob Bryson before feeding Huberdeau in the high slot.

Okposo put the Sabres in front late in the first, redirecting Mattias Samuelsson's point shot for his 18th goal.

WORTH NOTING

Panthers forward Joe Thornton replaced Maxim Mamin on the fourth line after being a healthy scratch in Friday's win against the Devils. ... Defenseman Robert Hagg played in Buffalo for the first time since being traded to Florida two weeks ago. ... Forward Sam Bennett went to the dressing room in the first period after being elbowed in the face by Buffalo's Rasmus Dahlin but returned for the start of the second. ... Sabres forward Alex Tuch recorded his 100th NHL assist on Skinner's goal.

UP NEXT

Panthers: Host Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday.

Sabres: Host Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday.