Updated

The Florida Panthers tied the game late, but Thomas Vanek and Jason Pominville each scored in the shootout to lift the Buffalo Sabres to a 4-3 win Thursday night.

Down 3-2 after a goal-happy opening frame, the Panthers pulled even when Brian Campbell beat Buffalo's Ryan Miller following a faceoff win with a slap shot from the left point at the 18:34 mark of the third period.

"Honestly, it's huge to be able to stick a couple in a row here," said Pominville. "If we want to make a run, we're going to have to keep doing that. You can't go win one, lose one, win one, lose two. You've got to get on a roll."

Jose Theodore stopped 15 shots through regulation and overtime after replacing of an ineffective Scott Clemmensen in the Florida crease, but the veteran goalie failed to make a save in the shootout.

"It's frustrating not to get the two points, but we know what our standards are and how we need to play," said Campbell.

Miller recorded 40 saves and stopped both of the Panthers attempts in the tiebreaker.

The Sabres didn't register their first shot until 6:30 had been played. However, the puck wound up behind Clemmensen as Nathan Gerbe beat his fellow Boston College alumnus.

Tyler Ennis netted a power-play goal at the 11-minute mark to put Buffalo up 2-0, but the Panthers fought back and tied the game on goals separated by 56 seconds.

Rookie Drew Shore lit the lamp on a power play at 14:24, and Marcel Goc's dogged work in the offensive zone resulted in the tying marker at 15:20.

Gerbe restored Buffalo's lead with 3:14 remaining in the offensively-fueled period.

Game Notes

The Sabres won consecutive road games for the first time since they won three straight from March 19-27, 2012 ... Buffalo forward Steve Ott had two assists ... Gerbe registered his fourth multi-goal game of his career ... Florida defenseman Mike Weaver left the game with a lower-body injury and didn't return.