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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) -- Pavel Bure is playing so well, he doesn't
need the opposition to give him the puck. The Buffalo Sabres did
anyway.
|  | | The puck flies off the chest of Buffalo's Brian Holzinger, center, as Florida's Mike Wilson checks him in front of goalie Mikhail Shtalenkov. |
Bure completed a hat trick with an empty-net goal with 22
seconds left and assisted Ray Whitney's goal as the Florida
Panthers beat the Buffalo Sabres 4-2 on Friday night.
"He's quite an exciting player, isn't he?" Florida coach Terry
Murray said.
Bure has 11 goals in the last nine games and eight in the last
five. He also has 23 points in his 12 career games against Buffalo.
"When you hand the puck to one of the best breakaway players in
the world, he's going to kill you," Sabres center Brian Holzinger
said.
Holzinger's drop pass for Stu Barnes wound up on Bure's stick
and in the Buffalo net seconds later for a 3-1 lead in the third
period.
The Panthers snapped the Sabres' five-game home unbeaten streak
(4-0-1) against Florida that dates back to November 1997. It was the 13th career
hat trick for Bure and his second in five games.
"It's a team effort," Bure said. "That last goal, (Scott)
Mellanby had to go down and get a puck and put it in front of the
net. It's always nice to see how we're working as a team."
Barnes and Miroslav Satan scored for the Sabres, who lost for
the first time in four games and had a two-game win streak halted.
Satan scored his team-leading 14th goal with 6:49 remaining to cut
the deficit to one goal.
Goaltender Mikhail Shtalenkov made 29 saves for the Panthers,
who won their third straight and fifth of their last six.
Shtalenkov made a big save on Barnes with 2:10 left.
The Sabres' power play continued to sputter as they managed just
two shots in three man-advantage situations and have just one
power-play goal in their last 43 chances.
"How many times have we talked about this?" said Satan, whose
team was booed as it skated off from its second and third futile
attempts on the power play. "I have nothing to say about it
anymore. Obviously, the fans feel the same way we do."
Bure, who has either scored or assisted on seven of the
Panthers' last eight goals, scored a power-play goal at 7:42 of the
first period with Richard Smehlik in the box for holding. Bure
one-timed a pass from Whitney over Buffalo goalie Martin Biron's
glove for a 1-0 lead.
Buffalo tied it at 1 when rookie Maxim Afinogenov rushed the puck
down the right wing and tapped it to Holzinger at the blue line.
Holzinger skated down low and swung the puck across to Barnes for
the tying goal with 2:05 left in the first.
Florida regained the lead at 7:49 of the second period when
Whitney scored his 12th goal. Bure fed Whitney, whose shot
deflected in off defenseman Jay McKee.
Shtalenkov made a save on a shot in front by Geoff Sanderson
three minutes into the third to preserve the lead.
Bure picked up the errant drop pass from Holzinger at the blue
line, circled and blew past defenseman Cory Sarich for the easy
breakaway goal between Biron's pads and 3-1 lead at 5:45 of the
third.
Bure's third goal gave him a team-high 18.
Satan scored with an assist from Sanderson for a 3-2 score with
6:49 to play. Sanderson knocked the puck loose, chased it into the
corner and passed out front to Satan for the one-timer.
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ALSO SEE
NHL Scoreboard
Florida Clubhouse
Buffalo Clubhouse
RECAPS
Florida 4
Buffalo 2
Boston 3
Atlanta 1
Detroit 5
Colorado 2
Washington 3
NY Rangers 2
Dallas 2
Edmonton 2
Anaheim 2
Chicago 0
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