Jan 19, 2009 11:18 pm US/Eastern
Panther Go Down To Sabres 3-2
SUNRISE (CBS4/AP) ―
The Buffalo Sabres kept the Florida Panthers scoreless in the shootout while Ales Kotalik and Derek Roy scored goals to give the Buffalo Sabres a 3-2 victory Monday night.
Sabres goalie Ryan Miller stopped Nathan Horton and David Booth as Buffalo improved to 6-2 in shootouts this season.
Thomas Vanek and Tim Connolly scored in regulation for the Sabres, who have won three in a row and seven of nine.
Booth scored on a penalty shot for Florida, which hasn't lost in regulation in eight games (5-0-3). Nathan Horton had the other goal for the Panthers, who dropped to 2-6 in shootouts.
Miller finished with 27 saves. Florida's Tomas Vokoun stopped 24 shots.
With Buffalo up 1-0 in the shootout, Roy clinched the victory on the Sabres' second attempt thanks to a little bit of luck. He lost control of the puck as he attempted to deke to his backhand, but it slid between Vokoun's legs.
Kotalik, who is 5-for-8 in shootout attempts, scored with a high backhand off a deke.
Buffalo led 2-1 until Horton tied the game with 3:24 left in the third period thanks to a brilliant play by Richard Zednik, who backhanded a pass between his legs to the front of the net. Horton made a quick move to the forehand to beat Miller.
Vanek broke a 1-all tie early in the third on Buffalo's second power play of the third period, with both penalties called on All-Star defenseman Jay Bouwmeester. Vanek scored on his second rebound attempt after Toni Lydman's wrist shot from the point bounced off the chest of Vokoun. The puck bounced off the stick of defenseman Karlis Skrastins before slowly sliding into the net.
Skrastins also was the victim of bad luck on Buffalo's first goal, which tied the game at 1 with 1:57 left in the second period.
After Florida center Gregory Campbell grabbed a rebound to the side of the Panthers net, Connolly hit Campbell's stick and made him lose control of the puck. The puck slid to the front of the net and ricocheted in off the right skate of Skrastins.
Booth opened the scoring 16:29 into the opening period on the first penalty shot of his career. Booth, who was awarded the penalty shot when he was taken down by Lydman, beat Miller with a deke to the forehand.
Notes:@ Buffalo began a season-long six-game road trip. ... The Sabres played without defensemen Teppo Numminen (broken jaw) and Andrej Sekera (ankle), both of whom were injured within the last week. Numminen and Sekera both will be sidelined indefinitely. ... Florida C Kamil Kreps returned after missing nine games because of a shoulder injury. ... Florida LW Ville Peltonen missed the game because of a knee injury sustained Saturday at Tampa Bay. Peltonen also is expected to miss Wednesday's game against Dallas. ... Booth's goal was the second on a penalty shot for the Panthers this season, matching a franchise high. They also had two in 1998-99 when Ray Whitney and Pavel Bure scored.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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