Bure Sticks It To Sabres

Pavel Bure is playing so well, he doesn't need the opposition to give him the puck. The Buffalo Sabres did anyway.

Bure completed a hat trick with an empty-net goal with 22 seconds left and assisted Ray Whitney's goal as the Florida Panthers beat the Buffalo Sabres 4-2 on Friday night.

"He's quite an exciting player, isn't he," Florida coach Terry Murray said.

Bure has 11 goals in the last nine games and eight in the last five. He also has 23 points in his 12 career games against Buffalo.

Holzinger's drop pass for Stu Barnes wound up on Bure's stick and in the Buffalo net seconds later for a 3-1 lead in the third period.

The Panthers snapped the Sabres' five-game home unbeaten streak (4-0-1) against Florida since November 1997. It was the 13th career hat trick for Bure and his second in five games.

"It's a team effort," Bure said. "That last goal, (Scott) Mellanby had to go down and get a puck and put it in front of the net. It's always nice to see how we're working as a team."

Barnes and Miroslav Satan scored for the Sabres, who lost for the first time in four games and had a two-game win streak halted. Satan scored his team-leading 14th goal with 6:49 remaining to cut the deficit to one goal.

Goaltender Mikhail Shtalenkomade 29 saves for the Panthers, who won their third straight and fifth of their last six. Shtalenkov made a big save on Barnes with 2:10 left.

The Sabres' power play continued to sputter as they managed just two shots in three man-advantage situations and have just one power-play goal in their last 43 chances.

"How many times have we talked about this?" said Satan, whose team was booed as it skated off from its second and third futile attempts on the power play. "I have nothing to say about it anymore. Obviously, the fans feel the same way we do."

Bure, who has either scored or assisted on seven of the Panthers' last eight goals, scored a power-play goal at 7:42 of the first period with Richard Smehlik in the box for holding. Bure one-timed a pass from Whitney over Buffalo goalie Martin Biron's glove for a 1-0 lead.

Buffalo tied it 1-1 when rookie Maxim Afinogenov rushed the puck down the right wing and tapped it to Holzinger at the blue line. Holzinger skated down low and swung the puck across to Barnes for the tying goal with 2:05 left in the first.

Florida regcifdd the lead at 7:49 of the second period when Whitney scored his 12th goal. Bure fed Whitney, whose shot deflected in off defenseman Jay McKee.

Shtalenkov made a save on a shot in front by Geoff Sanderson three minutes into the third to preserve the lead.

Bure picked up the errant drop pass from Holzinger at the blue line, circled and blew past defenseman Cory Sarich for the easy breakaway goal between Biron's pads and 3-1 lead at 5:45 of the third.

Bure's third goal gave him a team-high 18.

Satan scored with an assist from Sanderson for a 3-2 score with 6:49 to play. Sanderson knocked the puck loose, chased it into the corner and passed out front to Satan for the one-timer.

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