Anderson makes 50 saves, Skinner powers Sabres past Panthers
By GEORGE RICHARDS
Associated Press
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Jeff Skinner scored twice and Craig Anderson made 50 saves against his former team to lead the Buffalo Sabres to a 3-1 win over the Florida Panthers. The 41-year-old Anderson helped Buffalo pull into a three-way tie for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with Detroit and Florida. The Sabres have not been to the Stanley Cup playoffs since 2011 — the longest such drought in the NHL. Buffalo also got a power-play goal from Alex Tuch, and Tage Thompson had three assists. Carter Verhaeghe scored his 31st of the season for the Panthers — who played without their two top centers in Aleksander Barkov and Sam Bennett due to injuries.