Apr 13, 2024; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers center Eetu Luostarinen (27) controls the puck against Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (1) during the third period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/49780e0a-5e2f-4c87-a15c-63261e214fc2.jpeg] Apr 13, 2024; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers center Eetu Luostarinen (27) controls the puck against Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (1) during the third period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images) The Florida Panthers sent their faithful followers home happy on Fan Appreciation Night. Hosting the Buffalo Sabres and missing several key players, Florida showed up well and defeated the visitors 3-2 in a shootout. It’s been a recurring theme of late for the Panthers to hold players out of the lineup as the team aims to have as healthy of a roster as possible when the postseason begins in about a week. That hasn’t stopped the Cats from maintaining an overall strong level of play and, more recently, reeling off a few wins in a row. On that note, let’s get to Saturday’s takeaways: GOOD WITH WIN It’s a strange time of the season. Playoff-bound squads like Florida are prioritizing postseason health and preparedness over going all out for a few more regular season points in the standings. On the other hand, there are also teams like Buffalo who may be peaking a bit too late, already eliminated from playoff contention but still trying to build some positivity for next season. The Sabres certainly put up a strong fight on Saturday, but it’s nice for the Panthers that they’ve been able to pile up some points in addition to playing the game the right way. “We are kind of winding up for the playoffs,” said Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice. “Buffalo was 8-2 coming into this game, they won eight of their last 10 games, and they’ve got lots of offense, so I liked how serious the guys were. It wasn't a masterpiece by any means, but they took their job seriously tonight. I like the professionalism.” IMPACTFUL NIGHT FOR GADJO Forward Jonah Gadjovich isn’t generally on the roster every game, and when he does suit up, his ice time is limited as a fourth line player. That means when he does hear his number called, Gadjovich knows he needs to be consistent to his particular brand of hockey. Lately, Gadjovich has tapped more frequently as the Panthers have been leaning more on their depth forwards over the past few weeks. His average ice time has gone up from 7:22 per game in March to 10:34 in six April contests. On Saturday, Gadjovich made sure to influence the game in his own way, first catching the attention of everyone on either team when he lit up Sabres forward Jiri Kulich with a crushing center ice hit. Not long after, Buffalo forward Alex Tuch challenged Gadjovich to a fight looking for retribution for the hit, and it did not go well for Tuch. That’s what Gadjo can do for the Cats. While he may not end up on the scoresheet but finds way to positively effect the game in Florida’s favor. “Well first of all, he's a tank of a man,” said Maurice. “You run into him, you're going to feel it. He's been a very impactful player here for about a month with our injuries. He's kept the game in a peaceful manner a lot of nights, because he's pretty well respected in league.” PULJUJARVI KEEPS IMPRESSING Forward Jesse Puljujarvi is turning some heads during his first games in a Panthers sweater. The former fourth overall pick was signed to an AHL PTO (pro tryout) contract by Florida’s American League affiliate in Charlotte back in early February. He quickly acclimated himself to Florida’s physically aggressive, defensive systems and in less than a month, earned a two-way deal with the Panthers. After being called up to the Cats last week, Puljujarvi has played three games with Florida and by all accounts, has fit in extremely well. The 26-year-old picked up his first goal as a Panther on a sweet one-handed deflection Saturday, and over the three games, he has logged 11 shots and 23 hits while averaging over 13 minutes of ice time. NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) on X [https://pbs.twimg.com/amplify_video_thumb/1911216598163013632/img/kf4wCTK2sZm5BNoV.jpg:large] NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) on X Jesse Puljujarvi - Florida Panthers (4) [https://x.com/NHLGoalVideos/status/1911281824178807189/video/1] “He’s a very interesting player,” said Maurice. “I think he's big, clearly he's not afraid to hit. He’s had a whole bunch of them, but not running around for it. He's playing the game, as well. There's some offensive instinct in him. 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