Florida 2, Buffalo 0
When: 7:00 PM ET, Friday, January 2, 2015
Where: First Niagara Center, Buffalo, New York
Referees:
Brad Kovachik, Brad Meier
Linesmen:
David Brisebois, Matt MacPherson
Attendance:
19070
By SportsDirect Inc.
Panthers 2, Sabres 0: Roberto Luongo recorded his 68th career shutout to move into sole possession of 13th place on the all-time list as Florida won the opener of its season-high six-game road trip.
Luongo, who snapped a tie with Roy Worters, made 12 of his 30 saves in the third period en route to his second blanking of the season - both against the Sabres. The 35-year-old turned aside 26 shots in a 1-0 victory at Buffalo on Oct. 17.
Former Sabre Brad Boyes and Nick Bjugstad scored in the first period for the Panthers, who halted their two-game skid (0-1-1) and improved to 6-0-1 in the last seven meetings between the Atlantic Division rivals. Aaron Ekblad notched an assist on Bjugstad's power-play goal to record his 21st point, tying Ed Jovanovski's franchise record (1995-96) for a rookie defenseman.
Making his 150th career appearance, Michal Neuvirth finished with 31 saves in his first start since yielding six goals in a setback to Detroit on Dec. 23. Drew Stafford recorded a team-high four shots for Buffalo, which has been outscored 35-14 during its 1-6-1 stretch.
Sean Bergenheim collected a turnover by Buffalo defenseman Tyson Strachan behind the net and the puck caromed to Boyes, who beat Neuvirth with a backhanded shot 3:29 into the contest to open the scoring. Bjugstad doubled the advantage 8 1/2 minutes later by cleaning up the rebound after Jimmy Hayes drove to the net.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Florida C Aleksander Barkov notched an assist for the second straight contest after mustering just three in his first 24 games this season. ... Buffalo D Rasmus Ristolainen logged 19:07 of ice time in his return from a two-game absence due to the flu. ... Panthers D Shane O'Brien was recalled from San Antonio of the American Hockey League prior to the game. He registered three hits in his season debut with the NHL club.
Top Game Performances
| Florida |
|
Buffalo |
|
Nick Bjugstad 1 |
Points |
N/A |
|
Nick Bjugstad 1 |
Goals |
N/A |
|
Aleksander Barkov 1 |
Assists |
N/A |
|
Nick Bjugstad 1 |
Power Play Goals |
N/A |
|
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
|
Roberto Luongo 1.000 |
Save Percentage |
Michal Neuvirth .939 |
|
Roberto Luongo 30 |
Saves |
Michal Neuvirth 31 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| Florida
|
33 |
2 |
1-1 |
1-1 |
2 |
28 |
| Buffalo
|
30 |
0 |
0-1 |
0-1 |
2 |
37 |
Upcoming Games
-
Buffalo will play their next game on the road against NY Rangers. The Sabres have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .280 after a loss.
-
Florida will play their next game on the road against Washington. The Panthers have a W/L % of .250 after a win and .650 after a loss.
For more information, contact us