In part two of the "How the Sabres fared against the Atlantic Division", we dive into the season series between Buffalo and the two teams who play in Florida. As everyone is aware, the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers are two tough teams to play against.
For the Sabres, these two have been a thorn in their side, especially the Panthers. Here is how Buffalo did against the NHL's teams who play in the Sunshine State.
Tampa Bay Lightning: 3-1-0
Against Tampa Bay, Buffalo did good this year. Their first of four meetings was back in October where the Sabres beat the Lightning 3-2 at home. The clubs wouldn't see each other until January in Buffalo again where the Bolts got the better of the Sabres in a 3-1 Tampa victory.
For the last two matchups, they were both in Tampa Bay and Buffalo won both of those with the final battle being the last game of the Sabres regular season where Eric Comrie was awesome.
Florida Panthers: 0-2-1
Just like last year, the Sabres got swept in their season series with the Panthers. Their first game was the only one taking place in Buffalo where Florida got a shutout in a 4-0 victory. The last two meetings had the Panthers winning 3-2, one in regulation and one in overtime.
Overall division record: 6-6-2
When you combine the records with the Florida teams, the Sabres were 3-3-1. Buffalo has gotten the better of Tampa Bay the last two years, but it's the complete opposite in regards to the Panthers. If Buffalo is serious about making the postseason next year, they need to beat Florida.
The Panthers are not going anywhere anytime soon as they will be one of the best teams in the Atlantic for the foreseeable future. Let's hope Buffalo can break that trend next year.