Sabres Get "Clawed" by Panthers

Quick question, which would win in a battle: A Sabertooth Tiger or a Panther? Well, we found out the answer Friday night when the Florida Panthers destroyed the Buffalo Sabres 6-2. Not only were the Panthers better, they were also more fierce and aggressive.

Now onto the game:

The Sabres put forth one of their poorest efforts of the season and got blown out on the road against the lowly Panthers. They showed little enthusiasm and were routinely beaten in battles for the puck. It all set up for a long and ugly night for the Sabres and their fans.

The Panthers got off to a fast start as they went up 4-0 in the 1st period.

Marty Reasoner scored 2 goals in the 1st period while Bryan McCabe and David Booth also added a goal apiece to give the Florida Panthers the four goal lead.

In the second, the Panthers added to their lead on a Michael Frolik goal to go up 5-0.

But the Sabres were not to get shutout on this night. As awful as the Sabres played, they still managed to score a few goals.

Derek Roy scored his 10th of the year and Tim Connolly added a garbage goal as the Sabres went on to lose 6-2.

Shawn Matthias and Christopher Higgins both had 2 assists apiece for Florida in the win.

The loss hurts Buffalo as they fall to 11th in the Eastern Conference standings. They currently stand 6 points behind Boston for the final playoff spot in the eastern conference.

Buffalo has no time off as they play tomorrow at Tampa Bay.

Attendance: 16,894 (attendance figure is BS) (looked like 11,000 max)

Buffalo's Record: 13-15-4 (30 points) 11th in the East

Last 10: 5-4-1

Interesting Note: The 6-2 loss vs. Florida was the Sabres largest margin of defeat all season

Key Fact: 12 Sabres had negative +/-

Three Stars:

1st- Marty Reasoner (Florida)

2nd- Michael Frolik (Florida)

3rd- Thomas Vokoun (Florida)