Losses have been a rarity of late for the Buffalo Sabres. Losing to their division rivals the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday stung, but the Sabres came out on Monday night looking to get back on the winning track heading into the Olympic break.
Things started out dicey, but the Sabres fought back and managed to come away with a vital 5-3 victory against the Florida Panthers. It also ended a nasty five-game losing streak in Florida, something that had been haunting the Sabres coming into this one.
The Peyton Krebs Show
The Sabres have been getting major contributions from the less-than-usual faces this season. On Monday night, they got one from bottom-six forward Peyton Krebs in what was easily his best game as a Buffalo Sabre.
After the Sabres fell behind 2-0 in the first six minutes, they made a few adjustments. Part of those adjustments involved Krebs moving to the top line. He fit in right away, putting up a goal and an assist to finish the period and tie the game 2-2.
Krebs finished with a goal and two assists, a few critical faceoff wins, and even bigger defensive plays. His effort on the game-icing goal by Josh Doan was arguably the play of the night in a massive win for the Sabres. Lindy Ruff clearly has great trust in Krebs, and it was repaid with a fantastic effort.
A Resilient Effort
The Sabres have shown good resiliency as a whole this season, especially in the face of injuries. For instance, the Sabres are an incredible 22-10-3 when being outshot this season. Against the Panthers, they lost the shot deficit by more than 2:1, losing the battle 41-20.
Related: NHL Morning Recap – February 3, 2026
After the Panthers jumped out to such a quick lead, it felt like the Sabres might have another long night in Sunrise, FL. Instead, they made adjustments, battled back, and had the game tied by the time they entered the locker room.
A pair of goals in the third period, including the aforementioned effort by Krebs, put them over the top. Alex Tuch has talked about the Sabres failing to generate a ton of shots but making the most of the ones they have. That was never more apparent than on Monday night.
Another Great Effort from Alex Lyon
The Sabres have been the center of several rumors this season as the team is in “win now” mode. For a while, it felt like one of the three goaltenders would be traded, it was just a matter of who that might be. Alex Lyon has done everything to ensure that it won’t be him.
The 33-year-old veteran backup had his franchise-record winning streak broken against Montreal but came out determined to get back in the win column. Lyon was again outstanding, stopping 38 of 41 shots from the Panthers to play an integral part in the win.
Lyon has been red-hot this year and continues to have his best season. He is 14-7-3 with a 2.66 goals against average and an impressive .914 save percentage that would tie his best mark ever. Lyon has been outstanding in platoon duty and helped the Sabres come away with the win in a hostile environment.
A Critical Two Points
Losing to Montreal was not ideal but the Sabres can’t expect to win every game. Coming out and stealing two points from the Panthers was vital. It also puts them in position to leapfrog the Canadiens if they can beat the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday evening.
Most importantly, it helps preserve the momentum the team has built. Unless the Sabres get their doors blown off by the Lightning, they will go into the break looking to get healthy and come out on the other side looking to crush the stretch run. Losing three in a row going into the break would definitely have hurt that momentum.
