Panthers at Sabres
After scoring just three goals in as many games and having just one point to show for it, the Florida Panthers vie for their elusive first win of the season when they open a four-game road trip at the Buffalo Sabres on Friday. Florida dropped a 3-1 decision to Buffalo on Oct. 25, 2013 before reeling off three straight victories versus its Atlantic Division rival. Roberto Luongo turned aside all 25 shots he faced for his 66th career shutout in a 2-0 triumph over the Sabres on March 7 but yielded just one goal in a 1-0 loss to Ottawa on Monday.
While Florida is coming off a hard-luck setback, Buffalo coach Ted Nolan had reason to smile after his team recorded a 4-3 shootout victory over Carolina. "Overall, sometimes you'll have to take an ugly win over a beautiful loss," Nolan said after his team needed eight rounds of the bonus format to emerge victorious. Marcus Foligno collected a pair of goals versus the Hurricanes but has mustered just one tally and two assists in seven career meetings with the Panthers.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, MSG (Buffalo), FSN Florida
ABOUT THE PANTHERS (0-2-1): While attendance has been dreadful in South Florida, defenseman Aaron Ekblad has done his best to turn some heads with his impressive play. "The kid is playing the way we want him to," coach Gerard Gallant told the Miami Herald. "He's putting the puck to the net, moving the puck and defending real well. He's getting better every game." Derek MacKenzie has recorded one of the team's three goals and shares the club lead with defenseman Brian Campbell with two points.
ABOUT THE SABRES (1-3-0): Nolan admitted that he intends to scale down Sam Reinhart's minutes as the second overall pick of the 2014 draft finds his way on the fourth line. "Let him watch game action a little more as opposed to throwing him right in the fire," Nolan told the Buffalo News on Thursday. "I thought last game he was almost champing at the bit to get out there more versus playing more and the game being a little too fast." The 18-year-old Reinhart has yet to record a point while going 10-34 on faceoffs.
OVERTIME
1. Buffalo RW Patrick Kaleta returned to practice Thursday wearing a full shield after he received a slap shot to the face on Sept. 28. There is no timetable for his return to the lineup.
2. Florida RW Jimmy Hayes registered four shots in his season debut on Monday and was elevated to the team's top line in practice two days later.
3. The Sabres sent Ds Jake McCabe and Mark Pysyk to Rochester of the American Hockey League on Thursday.