Matthew Tkachuk put the Florida Panthers’ situation into perspective after a loss on Monday.
“We are in trouble right now,” Tkachuk said after the Buffalo Sabres rallied for a 5-3 win despite being outshot 42-20 by the Panthers.
Tkachuk and the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions will visit the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night to complete a back-to-back set.
A 5-4 shootout win Wednesday over visiting Boston was needed by Florida but not ideal.
Coach Paul Maurice’s club allowed seven power plays, squandered a two-goal lead in the third period and let the Bruins — who reside in the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference — leave with a valuable point.
Caught behind three clubs chasing Boston, the Panthers trail the Bruins by eight points with one game in hand.
Florida was better on special teams, though: The Panthers went 2-for-3 with the man advantage, killed off six of seven power plays by Boston, and received a short-handed goal from Anton Lundell.
“He’s a special player. He’s eventually going to be the captain of this team,” Maurice said of Lundell, who collected a goal and two assists on Wednesday.
Sergei Bobrovsky made 25 saves, including three on four shots in the shootout, for his 450th career victory.
Although the Panthers posted a 5-2 victory over the Lightning on Dec. 15 in their lone visit up the Gulf coast, battling the rival Lightning at home — where they have won nine straight outings — will not be easy in the final game before the Winter Olympics break.
In its past two matches, the Lightning desperately have snatched away a victory while having to play from behind.
Jake Guentzel provided the game-winning goal in each win. He had the only shootout marker in the Stadium Series match in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ football stadium Sunday in a 6-5 victory over Boston and scored with 15 seconds left in overtime Tuesday night in a 4-3 victory over Buffalo.
Nikita Kucherov whipped a blind pass from the Lightning goal line all the way to the winger, who was standing near the far blue line, and Guentzel netted the game-winner to lift Tampa Bay to an 18-1-1 mark in the past 20 contests.
With Anthony Cirelli and Nick Paul out because of injuries, Guentzel spent time at center. Guentzel went 12 of 26 (46.2%) in faceoff draws.
“It just comes from the belief in the group,” said Guentzel, who reached 25 goals for the sixth consecutive season. “We believe we can be in every game and win every game. We just stick to it until the last whistle.”
Of Kucherov’s pass to cap his four-point showing and set up the final goal, Guentzel said, “He’s got eyes in the back of his head. You know it’s coming.”
After beginning the season with 15 points in the first 15 games, Kucherov has 75 points in the past 35 games for 90 points (29 goals, 61 assists).
–Field Level Media
