Oct 12, 2024; Buffalo, New York, USA; Buffalo Sabres defenseman Owen Power (25) knocks the puck off the stick of Florida Panthers center Sam Reinhart (13) during the first period at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images
Buffalo Sabres (35-37-6) vs Florida Panthers (46-29-4)
Puck Drop: 6:00 PM ET | Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise, FL
TV: MSG-B, ESPN+
Florida Panthers
Record: 46-29-4 | 96 PTS
Last Game: 4-1 win over Red Wings
Division Ranking: 7th, Metropolitan
PP: 10th, 24.0% (55/229 opps) [Sabres: 25th, 18.1% (40/221 opps)]
PK: 9th, 81.2% (190/234 killed) [Sabres: 24th, 76.3% (177/232 killed)]
After a deflating defeat to Columbus on Thursday night, the Sabres will be looking to get right back into the win column. Their 8-2-0 run in the last ten has been marred by a couple of losses to the Flyers and the Blue Jackets. One thing we have seen in this recent streak has been the Sabres upping their game when taking on championship caliber teams, like the Hurricanes, Capitals and the Lightning.
With three games to play, both the Panthers and Lightning are neck-and-neck for the second spot in the Atlantic Division, with the latter two points ahead. Division leaders Toronto are a further two points ahead, albeit having a game in hand over the pair. Coincidentally the Sabres play both teams back-to-back, so could yet have a say in how the final standings in the division shake out.
The Panthers are one of the better teams in the league in terms of special teams, just inside the top ten both with the man advantage and on the penalty kill. Being able to add a notorious forward like Brad Marchand at the trade deadline has served to make them even more fearsome. The former Bruin plays on the second line and is on the top power play line too.
He just scored his first Panthers goal putting him at three points in eight games as he gets to know his new linemates. Marchand has played the most times against Buffalo as any other opponent, with his 68 points (27 goals, 41 assists) coming in 65 games.
James Reimer has continued his hot streak for a few weeks now, which has been something we’ve not been used into in Buffalo from a backup. Granted that the starter Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has had some struggles lately, and likely needed this time to work things out, but this does put General Manager Kevyn Adams in an interesting position. Is this summer the time to move UPL as a significant piece to bring in a contending team level goaltender? Or do the Sabres pin their hopes on him turning it around next season, fully knowing that the team’s inability to stop shipping goals has given the franchise the unwanted record of having the longest active playoff drought in the game.
Should we infer anything from the team’s starting goalie selections with four games left to go? Buffalo plays Saturday and Sunday, and then close out at home with games on Tuesday and Thursday. Could who plays more of the remaining games point to what Adams will be thinking?
Forwards
Zach Benson – Jiri Kulich – Tage ThompsonJJ Peterka – Ryan McLeod – Jack QuinnJason Zucker – Peyton Krebs – Alex Tuch
Beck Malenstyn – Noah Ostlund – Sam Lafferty
Defense
Mattias Samuelsson – Rasmus DahlinOwen Power – Jacob Bernard-Docker
Bowen Byram – Connor Clifton
Goalies: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, James Reimer (projected starter)
Forwards
Mackie Samoskevich – Aleksander Barkov – Sam ReinhartEetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Brad MarchandJesper Boqvist – Nico Sturm – Evan Rodrigues
A.J. Greer – Tomas Nosek – Jonah Gadjovich
Defense
Niko Mikkola – Seth JonesGustav Forsling – Uvis Balinskis
Jaycob Megna – Nate Schmidt
Goalies:
Sergei Bobrovsky (projected starter), Vitek Vanecek
