Ex-Files Day #21 – Three pending UFA’s score for Panthers, Canucks
The second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs has seen former members of the Buffalo Sabres making their mark for their respective clubs, but especially those who could hit the open market this summer. The Florida Panthers 6-2 victory over Boston at TD Garden on Friday had ex-Sabres scoring four of their six goals.
Evan Rodrigues opened and closed the scoring for Florida, who took a 2-1 lead in the series, but Brandon Montour and Sam Reinhart also tallied. Montour, who has five points (2 goals, 3 assists) in the Panthers Game 2 and 3 victories, is in the final year of a three-year bridge deal and will get a hefty raise from his $3.5 million salary based in part on his second straight strong postseason.
Reinhart, who had a goal on Friday and has eight points (4 goals, 4 assists) in eight playoff games, is likely going to be the most attractive free agent on the market after scoring 57 goals in the regular season. The Panthers have nearly $20 million in available cap space, but also have Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Nick Cousins, and Vladimir Tarasenko, among a large list of unrestricted free agents.
In the Vancouver – Edmonton series, the surprising offensive exploits of Nikita Zadorov continue. Buffalo’s 2013 first-rounder scored his fourth goal of the playoffs (and second in consecutive games) for the Canucks in the second period to give them a 3-2 lead, but Connor McDavid scored on a breakaway to tie the game and Evan Bouchard notched the game-winner in overtime to tie the series.
Other Ex-Sabres on Friday:
Tyler Myers (VAN) 19:58 TOI, -1
Evander Kane (EDM) 17:50 TOI, -1
Dmitri Kulikov (FLA) 13:38 TOI, -1
Kyle Okposo (FLA) 9:31 TOI,
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