Sam Reinhart has goal and assist to end the 3-game skid.
By Heather Engel / NHL.com Correspondent
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Jeff Skinner scored twice to help the Buffalo Sabres to a 4-3 win against the Florida Panthers at KeyBank Center on Thursday.
Tage Thompson scored, and Sam Reinhart had a goal and an assist for the Sabres (22-13-6), who ended a 3-game losing streak (0-2-1) and defeated the Panthers for the first time in 8 games. Linus Ullmark made 35 saves.
Frank Vatrano, Mike Hoffman and Aleksander Barkov scored, and Robert Luongo made 29 saves for Florida (17-16-6).
Buffalo was without center and captain Jack Eichel, who is out for at least one more game with an upper-body injury sustained against the New York Islanders on Monday.
Skinner weaved around bodies into the slot to put the Sabres up 1-0 at 4:42 of the first period. The goal, his 27th of the season, moved him into sole possession of second place in the NHL behind Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals. He had been tied with John Tavares of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Thompson’s shot from the right face-off circle made it 2-0 at 7:15.
Vatrano cut it to 2-1 with a shot from outside the left circle at 13:42 of the second period.
Reinhart restored Buffalo’s 2-goal lead when he tipped Lawrence Pilut’s shot at 1:20 of the third period to make it 3-1.
Hoffman picked up a loose puck in front for a power-play goal that made it 3-2 at 12:15.
Skinner extended the Buffalo lead to 4-2 with a shot from the left dot with 3:46 left, but Barkov brought the Panthers to within 4-3 when he slid a shot by Ullmark with 1:19 remaining.