Sabers celebrate strong 3-0 win against Panthers – Doan shines with a brace!

Sabers celebrate strong 3-0 win against Panthers – Doan shines with a brace!

A nice evening for the Buffalo Sabers in the game against the Florida Panthers! On October 19, 2025, they celebrated a convincing 3-0 win at the KeyBank Center, which should strengthen the team spirit after a mixed phase. With this win, the Sabers improve to 2-3-0 on the season after such a rocky start. This is their second win in a row, after three initial defeats.

Josh Doan, who shone with his first two goals for the Sabres, was particularly in the spotlight. He scored both goals in the power play, which not only proves his effectiveness, but also shows the team's routine in outnumbered situations. His first goal came in the seventh minute of the game, when a shot from Tage Thompson deflected off and sent the puck past goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and into the net. Doan followed up and scored his second goal in the second period, assisted by Jason Zucker.

Tactical superiority and strong defense

The Sabers demonstrated impressive defense and overcame several early shorthanded games, increasing their penalty kill rate to a remarkable 95.7% (22 of 23) for the season. Goaltender Alex Lyon contributed by stopping 32 shots in the game and securing his first shutout of the season. Lyon was particularly strong as this was his first shutout since October 22, 2024, when he played for Detroit against the New York Islanders.

Owen Power, another of the team's talents, also didn't miss a beat, scoring his first goal of the season in the 14th minute of the second period. These offensive accents support the team's self-confidence as they aim to fight their way to the top of the division. The Panthers, on the other hand, who have now lost four games in a row, could still count on Sergei Bobrovsky, who stopped 28 shots but could not prevent his team from continuing to be in crisis.

Injury concerns and outlook

Although the Sabers had something to celebrate, there were also downsides. Defenseman Jacob Bryson left the game early in the first period with a head injury and is being evaluated for a possible concussion. Florida also has injury concerns as Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov and Dmitry Kulikov were unable to play due to injuries. In addition, defender Niko Mikkola was unavailable in the second third due to injury.

The Sabers are now optimistic about the upcoming game against the Canadiens in Montreal, while the Panthers will face the Bruins this Tuesday. It will be exciting to see how the teams perform in the coming days!

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