The Florida Panthers will look to build on their recent road win when they take on the surging Buffalo Sabres on Monday night in Buffalo. Trailing the Sabres by three points in the standings, the Panthers aim to improve their wild-card positioning during their ongoing six-game road trip. No lineup changes are expected for the contest at KeyBank Center.
The Florida Panthers (23-18-3) enter their matchup against the Buffalo Sabres (24-15-4) on a positive note after securing a 3-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday, marking their first win on a challenging six-game road trip where they stand 1-2-0 so far. Goals from Evan Rodrigues, Carter Verhaeghe, and Gustav Forsling powered the win, with Sergei Bobrovsky stopping 17 shots in net. The Panthers went 2-for-4 on the power play and a perfect 5-for-5 on the penalty kill, contributing to their league-fifth ranking at 83.6% on the PK.
Head coach Paul Maurice praised the team's execution, noting, “I think the East is very strong.” Defenseman Jeff Petry echoed the sentiment ahead of the game, saying, “Everybody knows what’s at stake. Our first two games of the road trip weren’t ideal, but I thought in Ottawa we got to our game, and we played the style of game that we wanted to. We’ve got to make sure we start with that game and style.” Forward Anton Lundell highlighted the penalty kill's success: “Just believe in the system. We know how to play. It’s all about execution.”
The Sabres have been the NHL's hottest team, boasting a 13-1-0 record since December 9, including a franchise-record-tying 10 straight wins from December 9-31. They rank fifth in goals per game (3.64) and second in fewest goals allowed (2.21) over that span. Tage Thompson leads Buffalo with 22 goals and 41 points, scoring nine goals during the streak, while Alex Tuch has 36 points (14G, 22A) and newcomer Josh Doan adds 30 points (14G, 16A) in 43 games.
Lundell described Thompson as “a very good player... that tall, that skilled and that fast.” Petry emphasized team defense: “For us, it’s a unit of five all over the ice. When we’re at our best, we have that close support and we’re moving up the ice as a unit.”
The teams met once earlier this season, with Buffalo winning 3-0 on October 18 behind Alex Lyon's shutout. Last year, the Panthers held a 3-1-0 edge. Bobrovsky is set to start again, facing rookie Colten Ellis, who has a 5-3-0 record, 3.10 GAA, and .900 save percentage in nine games. Injuries sideline Matthew Tkachuk, Brad Marchand (noted in context, possibly a listing error), and Cole Schwindt for Florida. Sam Reinhart leads the Panthers with 44 points (23G, 21A), followed by Sam Bennett's 33 (16G, 17A).
The game tips off at 7 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on WSFL, WHDT, WFTX, and PanthersPlus.TV, with radio coverage on 104.3 WQAM-FM/560 WQAM-AM.
