The Panthers’ run of divisional dominance over the Buffalo came to a halt on Thursday night.
The Sabres’ 4-3 victory snapped the Panthers’ streak of seven straight wins over their Atlantic Division foe, the longest since the Panthers joined the NHL in 1993.
Having beaten the Sabres in the first two meetings of the season, the Panthers (17-16-6) entered Thursday’s game with a chance to move within six points of Buffalo (22-13-6) and Boston (22-14-4) for third place in the division standings.
With the loss, the Panthers fell nine points behind Montreal (22-14-5) for the the second Eastern Conference Wild Card spot, following the Canadiens’ 2-0 win over the Canucks on Thursday, and 10 points back from the Sabres.