SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Jason Zucker broke a tie on a power play at 5:31 of the third period and he Buffalo Sabres beat the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers 5-3 on Monday night.
The Sabres have won six of seven and took over the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference standings. They hold a 10-point lead over the Panthers. Florida, which has lost four straight, trails Boston by nine for the final playoff position with 27 games remaining.
Peyton Krebs had a goal and an two assists for the Sabres. Tage Thompson, Zach Benson, and Josh Doan also scored for Buffalo, with Rasmus Dahlin had two assists. Alex Lyon, who has won 11 of his past 12 starts, made 38 saves.
Sandis Vilmanis, Evan Rodrigues, and Uvis Balinskis scored for Florida. Sergei Bobrovsky made 15 saves.
The Panthers took a 2-0 lead early in the first period, but the Sabres scored the next three.
Florida, already playing without a number of its top forwards including captain Aleksander Barkov and Brad Marchand, lost center Sam Bennett to an upper-body injury.
Bennett left the game after the first and did not return.
The Panthers scored 37 seconds in on a goal from Vilmanis, with Rodrigues making it 2-0 at 5:56 of the period.
Buffalo scored the next two to tie the score going into the second, first off a long wrist shot from Thompson, then off a goal from Kreps in front off the rush.
The Sabres led 3-2 at 5:44 of the second when Bobrovsky came 15 feet out to play the puck. Only Ryan McLeod beat the Florida goalie to it, and he found Benson in the slot for the easy goal.
The Panthers tied it late in the second on a power-play goal from Balinskis, but Buffalo took the lead back on a power-play of its own at 5:31 of the third when Zucker scored off a blind feed from Doan. Doan ended the scoring with a goal off a pass from Krebs with 2:1:9 remaining.
Sabres: At Tampa Bay on Tuesday night.
Panthers: Host Boston on Wednesday night.
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Buffalo Sabres defenseman Owen Power (25) celebrates his goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Montreal Canadiens Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
SEATTLE (AP) — The Seattle Mariners acquired All-Star infielder/outfielder Brendan Donovan from the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night in a three-team trade with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Seattle sent infielder Ben Williamson to the Rays, and a pair of minor league propsects to the rebuilding Cardinals: pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje and outfielder Tai Peete.
St. Louis also received a 2026 Competitive Balance Round B draft pick (68th overall) from the Mariners.
Tampa Bay shipped minor league outfielder Colton Ledbetter and a Competitive Balance Round B draft pick this year (72nd overall) to the Cardinals.
“We are pleased that, because of this deal, we will add five more promising young players to the talent pipeline that has always fueled this organization’s sustained success,” Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom said in a statement. “We believe we’ve added exciting athleticism and upside on both sides of the ball, with more to come in this summer’s draft."
Donovan, 29, was a first-time All-Star last year, when he batted .287 with 10 home runs, 50 RBIs and a .775 OPS. Over a four-year major league career, he has hit .282 with 40 homers, 97 doubles and a .772 OPS. He also won a utility player Gold Glove as a rookie in 2022.
“It’s tough to imagine a better fit for our current team than Brendan,” Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said. “His combination of offensive skill, defensive versatility, consistency in performance, baseball instincts, and quality of character line up with what we value most.”
Donovan has a $5.8 million, one-year contract. He is eligible for arbitration again next winter and is on track to be eligible for free agency after the 2027 World Series.
He could slot into the middle of the Mariners' batting order in the way Jorge Polanco did last season. Polanco hit 26 homers, then became a free agent and signed a $40 million, two-year contract with the New York Mets.
Seattle last season came within one win of the franchise’s first World Series appearance.
To make room for Williamson on the 40-man roster, Tampa Bay left-hander Ken Waldichuk was designated for assignment.
Cijntje and Ledbetter were teammates at Mississippi State in 2023.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
FILE - St. Louis Cardinals' Brendan Donovan against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning of a baseball game, Sept. 23, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez, File)
