Early in the third period Saturday, the Florida Panthers maneuvered around a pair of penalties called against them within a 14-second span. They held the Buffalo Sabres scoreless for 1:23 while Buffalo played with a 4-on-3 advantage, then 21 seconds with the Sabres playing 5-on-3, and then 14 more seconds with Buffalo playing 5-on-4 to preserve a one-goal lead.
This came one period after the Panthers’ power play finally came to life, with Florida scoring two goals on the man advantage to take a lead for good.
Make no doubt about it: The Panthers’ performance on special teams was critical in a 4-3 win over the Sabres at KeyBank Center.
