Panthers surrender early lead, allowing Buffalo to steal victory as four straight losses signal mounting pressure as playoff hopes fade.
The Florida Panthers are going through some hard times right now.
Desperate for every point they can get in the standings, Florida dropped their fourth straight game on Monday night in Sunrise, a 5-3 affair to the Buffalo Sabres.
It didn’t take long for Florida to pick up the game’s opening goal, and it came off the stick of rookie Sandis Vilmanis.
Earning a start along with Cole Schwindt and A.J. Greer, Vilmanis jumped on the rebound of a Niko Mikkola point shot that hit Greer in the backside, corralling the puck and wiring a wrist shot over Alex Lyon’s glove at the 37-second mark.
The Cats weren’t done there.
After Sam Reinhart forced a turnover deep in the Sabres’ zone, Evan Rodrigues’ cross-crease pass attempt deflected past Lyon and into the net, making it 2-0 Florida before the game hit its first TV timeout.
Unfortunately for the Panthers, the lead did not stick.
A pair of quick goals by Tage Thompson and Peyton Krebs brought Buffalo right back into the game after the first 20 minutes.
Buffalo took their first lead of the game immediately after killing off a delay of game penalty early in the second, with Zach Benson catching Sergei Bobrovsky out of position after taking a pass from Ryan McLeod, who had just come out of the penalty box and beat Bob to the puck in Florida’s zone.
Another power play for the Panthers would prove much more prosperous, with Reinhart finding Uvis Balinskis sneaking down from the point. His one-time snap shot beat Lyon over the glove, sending the game into the third period tied at three.
Buffalo took the lead back about five minutes into the final frame after an iffy hooking call on Cole Schwindt quickly led to the Sabres first power play goal of the game.
After a couple key penalty kills by Buffalo, they converted a 2-on-1 with just over two minutes to go to cement the victory for the visitors.
On to the Bruins.
LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA
Photo caption: Feb 2, 2026; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Buffalo Sabres center Peyton Krebs (19) celebrates after scoring against the Florida Panthers during the first period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)