National Hockey League
Florida 4, Buffalo 3
When: 7:30 PM ET, Tuesday, December 20, 2016
Where: BB&T Center, Sunrise, Florida
Referees: Trevor Hanson, T.J. Luxmore
Linesmen: Tim Nowak, Kory Nagy
Attendance: 14265

SUNRISE, Fla. -- If you ask Florida Panthers interim coach Tom Rowe, there were a lot of fortunate observers inside the BB&T Center on Tuesday night.

They saw Jaromir Jagr, who had three assists, and Roberto Luongo, who got the win, reach impressive career milestones, leading the Florida Panthers to a 4-3 shootout win over the Buffalo Sabres.

Jagr tied Mark Messier for second place on the all-time NHL points list with 1,887 points.

Luongo, who had 33 saves, tied Terry Sawchuk for fifth place on the career NHL wins list with 447.

"We're really lucky -- you guys as the media, us as coaches, teammates, the fans," Rowe said. "This (history) doesn't come around a lot. Jagr and Luongo are going to be in the Hall of Fame, and to watch them front row is a lot of fun."

In the shootout, Florida got goals from Vincent Trocheck and Aleksander Barkov, and Luongo stopped both shooters he faced -- Ryan O'Reilly and Kyle Okposo.

Sabres goalie Robin Lehner has faced six shooters in shootouts this season and hasn't stopped any.

Lehner also gave up a 3-2 third-period lead. Florida's Nick Bjugstad scored the tying goal with 3:51 left in the third. Jagr got the second assist on that goal.

"He's a dangerous player whenever he has the puck," Sabres coach Dan Bylsma said of Jagr. "The puck seems to be glued to his stick when he has it. I'm always nervous when he has the puck near the net with a chance to win the game."

Jagr said he wasn't thinking about the milestone because his team trailed at the time.

"When I retire, I will look back at what I did, and maybe I will think about it more," he said. "Right now, I'm just happy I have a chance to play in this league. I love it so much."

The Panthers (15-13-5) also got goals from Barkov and Keith Yandle. Barkov, who added two assists, has 10 points in the past eight games.

Buffalo got second-period goals from Sam Reinhart and Evander Kane and a third-period score from Rasmus Ristolainen.

But it wasn't enough, and the Sabres (12-11-8) failed in an attempt to get Bylsma career win No. 300.

Florida opened the scoring. With 3:51 left in the first period, Barkov collected his own rebound and shot the puck in off Lehner's left skate. That capped a dominant first period for Florida, which outshot Buffalo 16-4.

The Panthers made it 2-0 with 7:46 left in the second period. After Zach Bogosian was sent off for slashing Barkov, the Panthers went to work. Barkov slid the puck to Yandle, whose shot from the point got past Lehner. Jagr, who got a secondary assist on the play, also set an effective screen on the shot.

Buffalo got back in the game after a crosschecking penalty on Demers, who hit Sabres right winger Brian Gionta. Buffalo made Florida pay on Reinhart's power-play goal on which he got a stick on Ristolainen's wrist shot.

Just 70 seconds later, with 3:05 left in the second, the Sabres tied the score 2-2. Cody Franson shot from beyond the left circle, Gionta gathered the rebound and shoveled the puck to his right, where Kane had an easy goal.

Buffalo outshot the Panthers 17-11 in the second.

Reinhart said the loss was frustrating, but he added that he may have a different perspective one day because of what Jagr accomplished.

"Looking back, it will be pretty special to say you were a part of that night," Reinhart said. "I will be shocked if anybody ever passes (Jagr). It was pretty cool to see that."

NOTES: Sabres D Dmitry Kulikov made his first appearance at the BB&T Center since he was traded from Florida to Buffalo in July. He failed to get a point. ... Panthers billionaire owner Vinnie Viola, 60, has been nominated by president-elect Donald Trump to serve as secretary of the Army. Viola, a West Point graduate who made his fortune on Wall Street, will remain as Panthers owner. ... Tuesday's game started a streak in which the Panthers play eight of nine at home. Prior to this, they played 13 of 17 on the road and had the fewest home games in the league. The Panthers are 9-5-0 at home and 6-8-5 on the road. ... Panthers C Jonathan Huberdeau (torn Achilles tendon) and D Alex Petrovic (broken foot) could return in one month. ... Panthers C Jonathan Marchessault (groin) missed his third straight game. ... Buffalo scratched D Justin Faulk and LW Nicolas Deslauriers. ... Florida scratched D Dylan McIlrath and C Kyle Rau.
Top Game Performances
 
Buffalo   Florida
Sam Reinhart 2 Points Aleksander Barkov 3
Sam Reinhart 1 Goals Aleksander Barkov 1
Sam Reinhart 1 Assists Jaromir Jagr 3
Sam Reinhart 1 Power Play Goals Keith Yandle 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Robin Lehner .923 Save Percentage Roberto Luongo .917
Robin Lehner 36 Saves Roberto Luongo 33
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Buffalo 36 3 1-3 3-4 15 31
Florida 39 4 1-4 2-3 13 35
Upcoming Games
  • Florida will play their next game at home against Boston. The Panthers have a W/L % of .333 after a win and .556 after a loss.
  • Buffalo will play their next game at home against Carolina. The Sabres have a W/L % of .385 after a win and .389 after a loss.