Barkov scores in his return from injury and Florida Panthers beat the Buffalo Sabres 5-2

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) Florida captain Aleksander Barkov had a goal and an assist in his return after missing eight games with a lower-body injury, and the Atlantic Division-leading Panthers defeated the Buffalo Sabres 5-2 on Monday night.

Carter Verhaeghe scored the go-ahead goal with 3:16 left in the second period, and added an assist to extend his point streak to seven games.

Jesper Boqvist and Sam Reinhart staked the Panthers to a 2-0 lead by scoring 55 seconds apart in the first period. Sam Bennett also scored, Sergei Bobrovsky made 26 saves and the Panthers are on a 6-1-1 run since a 1-2 start to the season.

Rasmus Dahlin and Jason Zucker scored in a span of 1:52 to tie the game at 2 midway through the second period. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen finished with 25 saves.

Florida: The defending Stanley Cup champs looked and played like a different team than their last visit to Buffalo, a 5-2 loss on Oct. 12, when they were missing Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk (illness) and started backup goalie Spencer Knight.

Buffalo: It’s baby steps for the improving Sabres, who missed an opportunity to win four straight for the first time since a five-game run in January 2023.

Verhaeghe scored after being left alone in front where he converted a rebound off Tkachuk’s shot from the right circle.

5: Number of consecutive road wins for the Panthers, their longest streak since a franchise-record 11-0 run from Dec. 27 to Feb. 17 last season.

The Panthers head immediately to Tampere, Finland, for a two-game set against the Dallas Stars on Friday and Saturday. The Sabres close a four-game homestand facing the New York Islanders on Friday night.

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