The Buffalo Sabres snapped their two-game skid with a 5-3 win against the Florida Panthers at KeyBank Center on Monday, but the victory was marred by captain Rasmus Dahlin leaving the game with an upper-body injury.
Noah Ostlund netted the go-ahead goal on the power play in the third period, and Tage Thompson added a goal and an assist. Peyton Krebs, Jack Quinn, and Owen Power each had two assists as Buffalo improved to 3-3-0 this season.
Florida, in contrast, kept struggling, losing for the fourth time in five games. Sam Reinhart scored twice for the Panthers, who fell to 2-2-2, while Brady Tkachuk picked up his first point since joining the team.
Sabres injury update as Dahlin exits game
Dahlin left in the second period after blocking a slap shot from the edge of the right face-off circle at 3:29. The Buffalo captain went to the locker room soon after and did not return to the ice.
The defenseman also missed the start of the Sabres’ three-game road trip, which begins Tuesday against the Montreal Canadiens. Head coach Lindy Ruff called his condition day-to-day and said the injury would likely keep him out of the next game.
“Day to day,” Ruff said. “They can treat him better here. He doesn’t have to get on an airplane right now. Obviously, that probably rules him out for tomorrow.”
Even without their captain, the Sabres held on for the win, with Ostlund’s third-period power-play goal proving decisive before Thompson added another to finish the scoring.
The Buffalo Sabres build momentum with five goals
Buffalo struck early when Josh Doan scored his first goal of the season at 5:58 of the opening period. After taking a pass from Krebs near Florida’s blue line, Doan skated the puck to the right circle and beat Jacob Markstrom with a wrist shot.
Anton Lundell tied it at 11:00, scoring on a rebound after Colten Ellis made a chest save. Dahlin then put Buffalo back ahead on the power play at 15:55, ripping a one-timer from above the slot past Markstrom on the blocker side.
The Panthers equalised again at 6:26 of the second period. Seth Jones’ shot from the middle of the blue line slipped through Ellis’ pads, and Reinhart poked the puck over the line for his first goal of the season.
Ellis was replaced by Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen after the equaliser. The backup made 13 saves and helped Buffalo keep pushing for the win, while Ellis allowed two goals on nine shots.
Ryan McLeod put the Sabres up 3-2 at 11:25, breaking in on Akira Schmid before deking the goaltender and sliding a wrist shot past his skate. Reinhart answered on the power play at 13:41, converting Brady Tkachuk’s between-the-legs backhand pass to make it 3-3.
Noah Ostlund scores a decisive power-play goal
The game stayed tied until 7:15 of the third period, when Ostlund gave Buffalo a 4-3 lead. Zach Benson found the forward in front of the net, and Ostlund finished with a quick one-timer on the power play.
Thompson then sealed the 5-3 result at 13:20, taking a feed from Power in the slot and beating Schmid on the blocker side.
Ruff praised the overall effort, calling it Buffalo’s strongest start of the season. He pointed to the team’s puck movement, shots on goal, and ability to create second chances.
“I thought it was our best start,” Ruff said. “Moved the puck well. We got pucks to the net. We got there for second opportunities. … In the six games so far, that was probably our best hockey game.”
Doan also welcomed his opening-period breakthrough, saying it was a relief to see the puck go in and something the team could build on after a difficult stretch.
Panthers’ injury concern and Tkachuk’s first point
Florida changed goaltenders after the first period, with Markstrom making nine saves on 11 shots before Schmid took over. Panthers coach Paul Maurice said the decision was made after Markstrom began to feel discomfort, though the team did not believe it was dealing with a serious injury.
“He just tightened up, and so we pulled him,” Maurice said. “We’ll see. There’s no injury there, we don’t think, that we can’t deal with. Just standard stuff.”
Reinhart’s two power-play goals gave Florida a response, while Tkachuk recorded his first point in six games with the Panthers after being acquired from the Ottawa Senators on June 23.
Maurice said he had been pleased with Tkachuk’s performances and pointed to his work around the net, adding that the forward had come close to recording a point on several occasions before the assist against Buffalo.
Power finished plus-3 after playing 26:31, while Buffalo defenseman Olen Zellweger led all players with six shots on goal. Mattias Samuelsson logged a game-high 26:59 of ice time, and Tkachuk finished with seven hits and three shots on goal in 16:32.
The Sabres now head to Montreal to begin their road trip, while Florida travels to face the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday.