Buffalo absorbed a major scare and still found a way to close out Florida, with Noah Ostlund’s third-period power-play strike sending the Sabres to a 5-3 win at KeyBank Center. The bigger concern afterward was captain Rasmus Dahlin, who left during the second period after being hit by a slap shot and will not join the club in Montreal on Tuesday.
- Dahlin is listed day to day with an upper-body injury. The Sabres defenseman was struck by a shot from near the right face-off circle 3:29 into the second period, went to the room shortly afterward and did not return.
- Buffalo opens a three-game road swing Tuesday against the Montreal Canadiens. Dahlin will remain behind and not make the trip.
- Colten Ellis started for Buffalo but was replaced after allowing two goals on nine shots. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 13 shots in relief.
- Florida pulled Jacob Markstrom after one period. He allowed two goals on 11 shots, while Akira Schmid turned aside 18 in the final two periods.
- Markstrom was not injured. Florida will assess how he feels before Tuesday’s road game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
- Brady Tkachuk recorded his first Panthers point, setting up Sam Reinhart’s second power-play goal. It was Tkachuk’s first point in six Florida games since his June 23 trade from the Ottawa Senators.
What Dahlin’s absence means in Montreal
The Sabres will have to reshape their blue line less than 24 hours after Dahlin supplied a power-play goal in the win. He put Buffalo ahead 2-1 late in the first, hammering a one-timer from high in the slot past Markstrom’s blocker.
Buffalo had entered Monday on a two-game skid, then had to manage the rest of the night without its captain after Florida tied the game early in the second. Reinhart jammed home a loose puck on the power play at 6:26, ending Ellis’ night.
Ryan McLeod restored the Buffalo lead at 11:25 of the middle frame, beating Schmid on a break-in, but Reinhart answered again on the man advantage 2:16 later. Tkachuk delivered a backhand feed through his legs from beside the net, and Reinhart converted to make it 3-3.
Ostlund broke that deadlock at 7:15 of the third. Zach Benson found him in front, and Ostlund snapped a one-timer past Schmid on the power play. Tage Thompson supplied the insurance goal at 13:20, taking Owen Power’s pass in the slot and firing it past Schmid’s blocker.
Josh Doan opened the scoring for Buffalo at 5:58 of the first, finishing a rush after a Peyton Krebs pass at the Florida blue line. Anton Lundell answered for the Panthers, collecting a rebound after Ellis could not secure the initial stop.
Thompson finished with a goal and an assist. Krebs, Jack Quinn and Power each had two assists as Buffalo moved to 3-3-0. Florida fell to 2-2-2 and has one win in its last five outings.
