Barkov wins it with goal in OT

SUNRISE — When the Panthers needed a play, Aleksander Barkov came through in the clutch.

With Florida and Buffalo tied 2-2 in overtime, the Panthers captain rocketed a lefty slap shot past Sabres goalie Linus Ullmark to propel the Cats to a 3-2 victory. Jonathan Huberdeau delivered the winning assist for Florida.

For the Panthers (10-10-4), it’s their second win in their past three games. In the midst of an eight-game homestand, Florida has come away with five points in the first four contests.

Power plays were a big factor for the Panthers on Friday night as they went 2 for 4 on extra-man opportunities, while the Sabres (18-9-1) were only 1 for 4.

While the Sabres were over 1,300 miles from Buffalo, it felt like a home game at time for the visitors. With the Buffalo Bills in town to face the Dolphins on Sunday, the Sabres had a large swarm of supporters in attendance for Friday’s game.

The Panthers fell behind early as Buffalo winger Jeff Skinner scored off assists from Sam Reinhart and Jack Eichel on a two-on-one to give the Sabres the early advantage 11 minutes into the contest.

The Panthers evened it up with just over a minute to play after capitalizing on a power-play opportunity. Off a pass from Mike Matheson, Jared McCann sent a slap shot past Ullmark. For the 22-year-old, it was his third goal in the past four games, and fifth overall.

Later in the second period, it was Buffalo’s turn to take advantage of a power play. After a Nick Bjugstad high-sticking penalty, Eichel found Reinhart in front of the net to push the Sabres back on top.

Trailing by a goal with just over eight minutes to play, Florida seized momentum once again on the power play. Evgenii Dadonov tallied his 11th goal of the season off assists from Jonathan Huberdeau to even the game 2-2.