Vitek Vanecek stops 21 shots in Florida debut, Panthers blank Sabres 4-0 for sixth straight win
Vitek Vanecek stops 21 shots in Florida debut, Panthers blank Sabres 4-0 for sixth straight win
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Vitek Vanecek stopped all 21 shots he faced in his Florida debut, and the Panthers beat the Buffalo Sabres 4-0 on Saturday night.
A.J. Greer, Carter Verhaeghe, Anton Lundell and Sam Bennett all scored as the Panthers won their sixth-straight game. Vanecek, acquired from San Jose on Wednesday, got his first shutout of the season and 10th of his career.
Captain Aleksander Barkov had an assist, giving him six points in his past two games. Nate Schmidt added two assists.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, made 32 saves for the Sabres, who lost their sixth straight game.
Takeaways
Sabres: Buffalo could not get much going on offense despite entering the game with the the 11th-ranked offense in the NHL at 3.18 goals per game. The Sabres have been outscored 28-14 during their losing streak.
Panthers: Florida has outscored opponents 20-5 during its winning streak. The Panthers have not trailed in a game in two weeks and have killed off 19 straight penalties.
Key moment
With under three minutes left in the second, Lundell made it 3-0 when he put home Schmidt’s rebound for his 15th goal of the season.
Key stat
Aaron Ekblad’s assist on Verhaeghe’s goal extended his assist streak to six games, which ties the longest assist streak by a Panthers defenseman in franchise history. The other blueliners to record a six-game streak with the Panthers: Brandon Montour (2022-23), MacKenzie Weegar (2020-21), Jay Bouwmeester (2005-06) and Robert Svehla (1995-96).
Up next
Sabres host Edmonton on Monday, and Panthers play at Boston on Tuesday to begin a six-game trip.
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
By ALANIS THAMES
AP Sports Writer
