BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Jordan Greenway and Tage Thompson scored 41 seconds apart in the first period, and the Buffalo Sabres ended a season-opening three-game skid with a 5-2 win over the Florida Panthers on Saturday night.
Henri Jokiharju, Mattias Samuelsson and Alex Tuch, with an empty-netter, also scored for the Sabres, who combined for three goals in their first three outings. Lindy Ruff won his first game in his second stint as Sabres coach, 4,257 days after his last victory with Buffalo — a 4-2 decision over Boston on Feb. 15, 2013.
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Buffalo Sabres right wing Alex Tuch (89) is pressured by Florida Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling (42) during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
Buffalo Sabres defenseman Connor Clifton (75) is stopped by Florida Panthers goaltender Spencer Knight (30) during the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
Buffalo Sabres center Tage Thompson (72) collides with Florida Panthers goaltender Spencer Knight (30) during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
Florida Panthers center Sam Reinhart (13) skates out of the zone during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Buffalo Sabres, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
Buffalo Sabres goaltender Devon Levi (27) makes a blocker save during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Florida Panthers, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
Florida Panthers defenseman Nate Schmidt (88) celebrates his goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Buffalo Sabres, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
Buffalo Sabres left wing Jordan Greenway (12) celebrates his goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Florida Panthers, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
Sam Bennett and Nate Schmidt scored for the Panthers, who have lost two straight since a season-opening win over Boston.
Panthers goalie Spencer Knight stopped 22 shots in his first start since a 6-2 loss to St. Louis on Feb. 14, 2023. He then entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program to help manage an obsessive-compulsive disorder, and spent last season in the minors.
Panthers: The defending Stanley Cup champs lacked punch playing without captain Aleksander Barkov (lower body) and Matthew Tkachuk (illness). Knight has to be sharper, especially on Thompson's go-ahead goal that beat him through the legs from 25 feet.
Sabres: Buffalo avoids the franchise’s first 0-4 start and improves to 2-9-1 against Florida in its past 12. Power play finishes 0 for 3, dropping to 0 for 14 this season.
Sabres goalie Devon Levi turned aside Sam Reinhart’s shot off a 4-on-2 break 32 seconds into the second period. Jokiharju put Buffalo up 3-1 66 seconds later.
738-682 — Number of career losses for Panthers coach Paul Maurice, most on the NHL list, versus Ruff, who ranks second. Maurice ranks fourth with 870 wins, and Ruff fifth with 865.
The Panthers play the third of a four-game road trip at Columbus on Monday night. The Sabres open a three-game swing at Pittsburgh on Wednesday night.
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Buffalo Sabres right wing Alex Tuch (89) is pressured by Florida Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling (42) during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
Buffalo Sabres defenseman Connor Clifton (75) is stopped by Florida Panthers goaltender Spencer Knight (30) during the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
Buffalo Sabres center Tage Thompson (72) collides with Florida Panthers goaltender Spencer Knight (30) during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
Florida Panthers center Sam Reinhart (13) skates out of the zone during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Buffalo Sabres, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
Buffalo Sabres goaltender Devon Levi (27) makes a blocker save during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Florida Panthers, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
Florida Panthers defenseman Nate Schmidt (88) celebrates his goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Buffalo Sabres, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
Buffalo Sabres left wing Jordan Greenway (12) celebrates his goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Florida Panthers, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
CORTEZ, Fla. (AP) — Floridians recovering from Hurricane Milton, many of whom were journeying home after fleeing hundreds of miles to escape the storm, spent much of Saturday searching for gas as a fuel shortage gripped the state.
In St. Petersburg, scores of people lined up at a station that had no gas, hoping it would arrive soon. Among them was Daniel Thornton and his 9-year-old daughter Magnolia, who arrived at the station at 7 a.m. and were still waiting four hours later.
“They told me they have gas coming but they don’t know when it’s going to be here,” he said. “I have no choice. I have to sit here all day with her until I get gas.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters Saturday morning that the state opened three fuel distribution sites and planned to open several more. Residents can get 10 gallons (37.85 liters) each, free of charge, he said.
“Obviously as power gets restored ... and the Port of Tampa is open, you’re going to see the fuel flowing. But in the meantime, we want to give people another option,” DeSantis said.
Officials were replenishing area gas stations with the state's fuel stockpiles and provided generators to stations that remained without power.
Those who reached home were assessing the damage and beginning the arduous cleaning process. Some, like Bill O’Connell, a board member at Bahia Vista Gulf in Venice, had thought they were done after the condo association hired companies to gut, treat and dry the units following Hurricane Helene. Milton undid that work and caused additional damage, O’Connell said.
“It reflooded everything that was already flooded, brought all the sand back on our property that we removed,” O’Connell said. “And also did some catastrophic wind damage, ripped off many roofs and blew out a lot of windows that caused more damage inside the units.”
The two hurricanes left a ruinous mess in the fishing village of Cortez, a community of 4,100 along the northern edge of Sarasota Bay. Residents of its modest, single-story wood and stucco-fronted cottages were working to remove broken furniture and tree limbs, stacking the debris in the street much like they did after Hurricane Helene.
“Everything is shot,” said Mark Praught, a retired street sweeper for Manatee County, who saw 4-foot (1.2-meter) storm surges during Helene. “We’ll replace the electrical and the plumbing and go from there.”
Praught and his wife, Catherine, have lived for 36 years in a low-lying home that now looks like an empty shell. All the furniture had to be discarded, the walls and the brick and tile floors had be scrubbed clean of muck, and drywall had to be ripped out.
Catherine Praught said they felt “pure panic” when Hurricane Milton menaced Cortez so soon after Helene, forcing them to pause their cleanup and evacuate. Fortunately, their home wasn’t damaged by the second storm.
“This is where we live,” Catherine Praught said. “We’re just hopeful we get the insurance company to help us.”
In Bradenton Beach, Jen Hilliard scooped up wet sand mixed with rocks and tree roots and dumped the mixture into a wheelbarrow.
“This was all grass,” Hilliard said of the sandy mess beneath her feet. “They’re going to have to make 500 trips of this.”
Hilliard, who moved to Florida six months ago and lives further inland, said she was happy to pitch in and help clean up her friend’s home a block from the shore in Bradenton Beach
Furniture and household appliances sat outside alongside debris from interior drywall that was removed after Helene sent several feet of storm surge into the house. Inside, walls were gutted up to 4 feet (1.2 meters), exposing the beams underneath.
“You roll with the punches,” she said. “Community is the best part, though. Everybody helping each other.”
Milton killed at least 10 people after it made landfall as a Category 3 storm, tearing across central Florida, flooding barrier islands and spawning deadly tornadoes. Officials say the toll could have been worse if not for the widespread evacuations.
Overall, more than a thousand people had been rescued in the wake of the storm as of Saturday, DeSantis said.
On Sunday, President Joe Biden will survey the devastation inflicted on Florida’s Gulf Coast by the hurricane. He said he hopes to connect with DeSantis during the visit.
The trip offers Biden another opportunity to press Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson to call lawmakers back to Washington to approve more funding during their preelection recess. It’s something Johnson says he won’t do.
Biden is making the case that Congress needs to act now to ensure the Small Business Administration and FEMA have the money they need to get through hurricane season, which stretches through November in the Atlantic.
DeSantis welcomed the federal government's approval of a disaster declaration announced Saturday and said he had gotten strong support from Biden.
“He basically said, you know, you guys are doing a great job. We’re here for you,” he said when asked about his conversations with Biden. “We sent a big request and we got approved for what we wanted.”
Moody’s Analytics on Saturday estimated economic costs from the storm will range from $50 billion to $85 billion, including upwards of $70 billion in property damage and an economic output loss of up to $15 billion.
As the recovery continues, DeSantis has warned people to be cautious, citing ongoing safety threats including downed power lines and standing water. Some 1.3 million Floridians were still without power by Saturday afternoon, according to poweroutage.us.
National Weather Service Meteorologist Paul Close said rivers will “keep rising" for the next four or five days resulting in river flooding, mostly around Tampa Bay and northward. Those areas were hit by the most rain, which comes on top of a wet summer that included several earlier hurricanes.
“You can't do much but wait,” Close said of the rivers cresting. “At least there is no rain in the forecast, no substantial rain. So we have a break here from all our wet weather.”
A previous version of this story misspelled the surname of a couple at a rest stop off Interstate 75 north of Tampa. Their names are Lee and Pamela Essenburm, not Essenbaum.
Two beachfront foundations are seen stripped of the buildings that stood on them, after Hurricane Milton, on Manasota Key, Fla., Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
A child's swing still hangs on a tree, surrounded by debris from homes destroyed by Hurricane Milton, on Manasota Key, Fla., Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Debris from homes destroyed by Hurricane Milton lies strewn around still-standing houses on Manasota Key, Fla., Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Scott Bennett, a contractor who specializes in storm recovery, uses a skid steer to remove sand around 5 feet deep from the patio of a beachfront condominium in Venice, Fla., following the passage of Hurricane Milton, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Ron and Jean Dyer, high school sweethearts who have been married for 60 years, joke together as they talk in the living room of their second-floor beachfront condominium, which lost its roof and a section of wall during Hurricane Milton, in Venice, Fla., Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Catherine Praught stands inside her damaged home from Hurricane Milton in Cortez, Fla., on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Russ Bynum)
Mark Praught stands inside his storm-damaged home from Hurricane Milton in Cortez, Fla., on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Russ Bynum)
Jen Hilliard shovels sandy muck into a wheelbarrow outside a friend’s house after Hurricane Milton, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Bradenton Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Russ Bynum)
Jen Hilliard dumps sandy muck from a wheelbarrow in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, outside a friend’s house in Bradenton Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Russ Bynum)
Don Glass stands his at his home, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Bradenton Beach, Fla., which saw flooding from Hurricane Helene and wind damage from Hurricane Milton two weeks later. (AP Photo/Russ Bynum)
Scott Bennett, a contractor who specializes in storm recovery, drives a skid steer, bottom, as he removes sand around 5 feet deep from the patio of a beachfront condominium in Venice, Fla., following the passage of Hurricane Milton, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. Bennett said he had just finished digging out the same condominium complex after Hurricane Helene, when Milton buried it in an even deeper layer of sand. Before Helene hit, the Venice native said, he'd "never seen sand like this. Wind rain, water, but never sand." (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Scott Bennett, a contractor who specializes in storm recovery, removes sand around 5 feet deep from the patio of a beachfront condominium in Venice, Fla.,following the passage of Hurricane Milton, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
A condominium owner who says her unit, at the back of the property, was luckily undamaged, walks beside an almost-buried fence as she surveys the beginning of work to remove feet worth of extra sand from the beach and beachfront properties, in Venice, Fla.,following the passage of Hurricane Milton, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Scott Bennett, a contractor who specializes in storm recovery, drives a skid steer as he removes sand around 5 feet deep from the patio of a beachfront condominium in Venice, Fla., following the passage of Hurricane Milton, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Ron and Jean Dyer, high school sweethearts who have been married for 60 years, talk in the living room of their second-floor beachfront condominium, which lost its roof and a section of wall during Hurricane Milton, in Venice, Fla., Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, second from right, gestures as he holds a news conference after Hurricane Milton at a fuel depot Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Plant City, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Kevin Guthrie, Florida Division of Emergency Management, speaks during a news conference at a newly opened fuel depot Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Plant, Fla. Looking on are Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, left, and Gov. Ron DeSantis, right. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis holds a news conference at a fuel depot in Plant City, Fla., Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, accompanied by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, right. Gas station are slow to open after the effects of Hurricane Milton. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
A Florida Highway Patrol officer watches as fuel depot workers distribute gas to residents Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Plant City, Fla. Gas stations are slow to reopen after the effects of Hurricane Milton. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Fuel distribution workers fill cars at a depot, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Plant City, Fla. Gas stations are slow to reopen after the effects of Hurricane Milton. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Motorists wait in long lines for fuel at a newly opened depot after Hurricane Milton Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Plant City, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
A boat is submerged outside a flooded home, caused by Hurricane Milton near the Alafia river Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, in Lithia, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Residents along the Alafia river use a boat as transportation through floodwaters caused by Hurricane Milton Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, in Lithia, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Resident along the Alafia river carry out their belongings by canoe through floodwaters from Hurricane Milton Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, in Lithia, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Vehicles and homes in a community inundated by historic flooding of the Alafia River due to Hurricane Milton are seen Friday, Oct. 11, 2024 in Lithia, Fla. (Luis Santana/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Robert Turick, 68, walks on his street as he and other neighbors work to remove debris swept onto their properties by Hurricane Milton storm surge, in Englewood, Fla., Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Robert Turick, 68, finds a water-damaged album of wedding photos in the debris from other homes swept into his yard by Hurricane Milton storm surge, in Englewood, Fla., Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Fuel tanker trucks fill up at the Marathon Oil Tampa Terminal located near the Port of Tampa to provide fuel to customers throughout Florida on Friday, Oct. 11, 2024 in Tampa, Fla. (Luis Santana/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Debris lies scattered on Manasota Key, Fla., following the passage of Hurricane Milton, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Paintings hang above several feet of sand filling a condo following the passage of Hurricane Milton, at YCA Vacation Rentals in Venice, Fla., Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Sarah McRee holds a dog named Poe as she is helped off a high-clearance vehicle by Panellas County Sheriff officials after she was escorted in and out of the Tarpon Woods neighborhood as people return to their homes following Hurricane Milton, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, in Palm Harbor, Fla. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
People ride in the back of a pickup avoiding floodwaters in the Tarpon Woods neighborhood of Palm Harbor, Fla., following Hurricane Milton, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Vehicles and homes in a community inundated by historic flooding of the Alafia River due to Hurricane Milton are seen on Friday, Oct. 11, 2024 in Lithia, Fla. (Luis Santana/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Water levels reaching mailboxes along Rose St. a community inundated by historic flooding of the Alafia River, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024 in Lithia, Fla. (Luis Santana/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Residents ride in a boat in a neighborhood inundated by historic flooding of the Alafia River caused by Hurricane Milton on Friday, Oct. 11, 2024 in Lithia, Fla. (Luis Santana/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
An aerial drone view of the scene where a downtown high-rise was smashed by a fallen crane from Hurricane Milton at 490 1st Avenue South, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024 in St. Petersburg, Fla. The building damaged by Hurricane Milton is home to the Tampa Bay Times, a law firm, a defense contractor and more. (Dirk Shadd/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Several feet of displaced sand fills a condo following the passage of Hurricane Milton, at YCA Vacation Rentals in Venice, Fla., Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
A man carries a woman on his back as they wade through floodwaters in the Tarpon Woods neighborhood of Palm Harbor, Fla., following Hurricane Milton, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Panellas County Sheriff officials escort residents into the Tarpon Woods neighborhood as people return to their homes following Hurricane Milton, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, in Palm Harbor, Fla. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
An aerial drone view of the scene where a downtown high-rise was smashed by a fallen crane from Hurricane Milton at 490 1st Avenue South, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024 in St. Petersburg, Fla. The building damaged by Hurricane Milton is home to the Tampa Bay Times, a law firm, a defense contractor and more. (Dirk Shadd/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Several feet of sand fills condos at YCA Vacation Rentals, following the passage of Hurricane Milton, in Venice, Fla., Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Homeowner Robert Turick, 68, left, and storm waste removal contractor Sven Barnes work to clear debris that Hurricane Milton storm surge swept from other properties into Turick's canal-facing back yard, in Englewood, Fla., Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. Turick, whose family has owned the home for more than 25 years, said it had never flooded until 2022's Hurricane Ian, but since then, it has flooded in three more hurricanes, each bringing higher water levels than the last. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Robert Turick, 68, stands in remaining water in one of his home's bedrooms, where the high water mark from Hurricane Milton can be seen on the wall, in Englewood, Fla., Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. A small positive, said Turick, is that he hadn't yet begun repairs after Hurricane Helene brought 3-foot flood waters, and he, his dog, and his daughter were staying elsewhere when Milton flooded his home around to 5 feet. During Helene, they had to climb out his daughter's bedroom window to flee rising surge waters, after the front door became blocked. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Only handrails are visible after a beachfront swimming pool was inundated with sand displaced by Hurricane Milton, at Sea Villas condominiums in Venice, Fla., Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Connor Hughes of Lithia, Fla., moves in deep floodwaters from Hurricane Milton along the Alafia river Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, in Lithia, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
A member of the Pasco County Sheriff's Office goes out to help residents trapped in their homes as waters rise after Hurricane Milton caused the Anclote River to flood, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, in New Port Richey, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson)
Several feet of sand fills a condo following the passage of Hurricane Milton, at YCA Vacation Rental in Venice, Fla., Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
