RECAP: Panthers 4, Sabres 0 

SUNRISE, Fla. – How about a round of applause for the new guys?

In his first game since being acquired by the Florida Panthers, Vitek Vanecek stopped all 21 shots he faced in a 4-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres at Amerant Bank Arena on Saturday.

Leading the Atlantic Division at 40-21-3, the Panthers have won six straight games.

“I’m really happy for the win,” said Vanecek, who earned his 10^th-career shutout. “Really good defense. What can I say? They’re blocking a lot of shots for me.”

Also making an impact in his debut, fellow pre-deadline acquisition Nico Sturm really stood out in his first game with the Panthers. Over 11:23 of ice time – including 2:03 on the penalty kill – the 29-year-old center recorded three hits and went 7-for-10 in the faceoff circle.

“I think the system is great for me and the way I play,” said Sturm, who was acquired from the San Jose Sharks. “I think it’s straight-line hockey. That’s kind of the way I’ve played my whole career.”

Putting the Panthers on top in the first period, A.J. Greer jumped on a rebound after a shot from Nate Schmidt and sent the puck past Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to make it 1-0 at 7:20.

Later in the period, Vanecek, who was also picked up from the Sharks, denied Peyton Krebs on a breakaway.

“That save helped me a lot to be in the game,” Vanecek said.

Leading the NHL with 71 first-period goals, Buffalo was kept in check through 20 minutes.

“I liked our first,” head coach Paul Maurice. “I know you’d look at the standings and say, ‘Hey, this should be easy.’ But there’s nothing easy about that game for our team. They (the Sabres) are really good in the first period.”

Doubling the lead for the Panthers in the second period, Carter Verhaeghe fired a shot from the point that found its way through heavy traffic and into the twine to make it 2-0 at 9:32.

With a helper on the goal, Aaron Ekblad pushed his assist streak to six games.

Adding another milestone to his personal record book, Ekblad’s assist streak is tied for a longest by a defenseman in franchise history, joining Brandon Montour (2022-23), MacKenzie Weegar (2020-21), Jay Bouwmeester (2005-06) and Robert Svehla (1995-96).

After making a few more big saves, Vanecek was serenaded by “Van-ny” chants.

“That's really beautiful,” Vanecek said. “The fans are great here."

Netting his 15^th goal of the season, Anton Lundell, who conveniently wears No. 15, tacked on another key goal for the Panthers when he poked in a rebound to make it 3-0 at 17:09.

Setting up the goal with a drive to the net, Schmidt recorded his second assist of the night.

“A great game by Schmidty,” Lundell said. “He’s been a big piece of our team the whole season. You don’t always see him on the scoresheet, so I’m really happy for him. He’s always happy. He’s always a big voice in the locker room and a leader in the locker room.”

With things getting chippy in the third period, Greer dropped the gloves with Josh Dunne.

Shutting the door on any would-be comeback for the Sabres, the Panthers locked things down defensively even further late, allowing just three shots on goal in the final frame.

With 34 seconds left, Sam Bennett made it 4-0 with an empty-net goal.

On a roll, the Panthers have allowed just one goal over their last four games.

“We’ve got good jump right now,” Maurice said.

THEY SAID IT

“It’s a good sign that we drive to the net, we get some chances, and we’re strong in front of the net.” – Anton Lundell on the nature of Florida’s goals tonight

“He had to make saves tonight, tough saves. That team, I think they’ve got more goals than we have. They’ve got some offense and they’re dangerous. He earned that shutout.” – Paul Maurice on Vitek Vanecek’s performance

“The PK system is very different from the one we played in San Jose. Not going to be perfect right away. There’s going to be some hiccups along the way. I think the plan was to just throw me right into the fire.” – Nico Sturm on getting early minutes on the penalty kill

CATS STATS

- The Panthers lead the NHL with 29 wins when scoring first.

- The Panthers are the fourth team in the NHL to reach 40 wins.

- Vitek Vanecek is the third goaltender in Panthers history to record a shutout in his team debut.

- Sam Bennett went 7-for-8 (87.5%) in the faceoff circle.

- Seth Jones fired off four shots on goal.

- A.J. Greer logged a team-high six hits.

- The Panthers led 18-6 in shot attempts at 5-on-5 when Nico Sturm was on the ice.

WHAT’S NEXT?

After sweeping the homestand, it’s time to hit the road.

Kicking off a six-game swing, the Panthers will battle the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET.

To find a place to watch the game in South Florida, click HERE.