Doan's Two Goals Lead Sabres to Shutout Victory Against Panthers

Buffalo, N.Y. – Josh Doan scored two power-play goals and Alex Lyon made 32 saves as the Buffalo Sabres defeated the Florida Panthers 3-0 on Saturday. The Sabres improved to 2-3-0 on the season with their second straight win. The Panthers, the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions, have now lost four in a row after starting the season with three consecutive wins.

Doan's first goal came 7:13 into the first period when Tage Thompson's shot deflected off his leg and past Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky. He scored his second at 11:12 of the second period, assisted by Jason Zucker. Owen Power also scored for Buffalo at 14:20 of the second period, recording his first of the season. Zach Benson contributed with an assist, bringing his total to five assists in the last two games.

Alex Lyon recorded his first shutout of the season and the highest save total in a shutout of his career. Lyon's last shutout was October 22, 2024, playing for Detroit against the New York Islanders. The Sabres' penalty kill was also perfect, going 7-for-7 and operating at a 95.7 percent success rate for the season.

"It was a great team win," said Lyon after the game. "The guys played hard in front of me, and we were able to capitalize on our chances."

The Sabres acquired Doan in a trade with Utah for JJ Peterka in June. Doan, son of former Coyotes legend Shane Doan, has quickly become a valuable player for Buffalo. In the Sabres' 8-4 win over the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday, Doan had three assists.

"Josh has come in and made an immediate impact," said Sabres coach Lindy Ruff. "He's a smart player with a great work ethic, and he's been a great addition to our team."

The Panthers were without key players, including forwards Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov, and defenseman Dmitry Kulikov, due to injuries. Defenseman Niko Mikkola left the game in the second period with an upper-body injury after a collision with Sabres forward Tyson Kozak. Sabres defenseman Jacob Bryson also left the game in the first period with an upper-body injury.

Bobrovsky stopped 28 shots for the Panthers. Florida has struggled recently, losing to the New Jersey Devils 3-1 on Thursday before this game.

The Sabres will travel to Montreal to face the Canadiens on Monday. The Panthers will look to break their losing streak in their next game.