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Panthers vs Sabres Game Overview
FLA vs BUFRecords
Head-To-HeadLast 10
| Date | Home | Result | ML | O/U | HSOG | ASOG | HPP | APP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 12, '25 | FLA |
|
FLA -147 | u5.5 | 34 | 28 | 0-3 | 2-3 |
| Mar 08, '25 | FLA |
|
FLA -255 | u6.0 | 36 | 21 | 0-1 | 0-2 |
| Oct 28, '24 | BUF |
|
FLA -148 | o6.0 | 28 | 31 | 1-3 | 2-4 |
| Oct 12, '24 | BUF |
|
BUF -102 | o6.0 | 27 | 25 | 0-3 | 1-2 |
| Apr 13, '24 | FLA |
|
FLA -218 | u5.5 | 42 | 29 | 0-3 | 1-2 |
| Feb 27, '24 | FLA |
|
FLA -224 | u6.0 | 37 | 30 | 2-5 | 1-4 |
| Feb 15, '24 | BUF |
|
FLA -162 | u6.5 | 45 | 30 | 0-2 | 1-3 |
| Apr 04, '23 | FLA |
|
FLA -187 | u7.0 | 36 | 40 | 1-4 | 1-5 |
| Feb 24, '23 | FLA |
|
BUF +169 | u7.0 | 50 | 33 | 0-3 | 1-2 |
| Jan 16, '23 | BUF |
|
FLA -123 | u7.0 | 29 | 34 | 0-3 | 0-3 |
FLA vs BUF Preview
Last Meeting ( Apr 12, 2025 ) Buffalo 2, Florida 3
The Buffalo Sabres are hoping they have hit their stride, while the Florida Panthers are looking to find theirs again.
The Sabres will host the Panthers on Saturday afternoon in the first of four meetings between the Atlantic Division clubs.
After dropping their first three games of the season, Buffalo bounced back with an 8-4 rout of the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday.
Ryan McLeod scored two goals and had a team-best plus-3 rating, while Jason Zucker and Jack Quinn each tallied twice.
Injured in practice after taking a puck to the face, Zach Benson made his season debut with a face shield and notched four assists. Fellow winger Josh Doan added three assists.
Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said his team's penalty-kill unit played the key role against Ottawa and energized the home crowd.
"To kill it, and then end up getting a short-handed goal, I thought we showed a lot of life. We showed a lot of passion," Ruff said. "I think we fed off the energy (and) the building came to life."
Sabres goalie Alex Lyon was a major contributor while with the Panthers during their run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2022-23.
Lyon, now 32, went 9-4-2 with a 2.89 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage during that season as Florida dealt with an injury to No. 1 netminder Sergei Bobrovsky.
Lyon is 1-3-0 with a 3.05 GAA and .912 save percentage in four games this season.
Following a hot start with three straight victories to open the season, Florida has floundered to start its five-game road trip. The Panthers dropped three-goal decisions to the Philadelphia Flyers and Ottawa Senators and a 3-1 setback to the New Jersey Devils on Thursday.
It got worse on Thursday night in New Jersey's home opener despite backup goalie Daniil Tarasov's stalwart effort keeping the Panthers in it through 40 minutes. However, third-period goals by Timo Meier and captain Nico Hischier sunk the visitors.
Previously a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Tarasov said his new teammates have welcomed him in his reserve role behind countryman Bobrovsky.
"There are really great (defensemen) here," Tarasov said. "They really help me on the ice. Off the ice, they're a really good group of guys here. They're supporting me every day here."
Scoring has been an issue for the Panthers.
They scored 11 times in three wins at home to start the season. They have four goals in three setbacks on the road, however.
A playoff star last season on a third line with Eetu Luostarinen and Anton Lundell, Brad Marchand assisted on Florida's lone goal by Evan Rodrigues and briefly was injured in the second period. Marchand soon returned, however.
The ex-Boston Bruins forward leads the club with three goals and six points. He is tied with three teammates with three assists.
Marchand, 37, is the first Florida player that age or older to post a five-game point streak since Jaromir Jagr (2016-17).
--Field Level Media
FLA vs BUFInjury report
Florida's Injuries
| Player | POS | Status | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B. Marchand | LW | Out - Lower Body( Mar 16, '26) | Mar 16, '26 | |
| The Florida Panthers placed F Brad Marchand on Injured Reserve on Tuesday (Mar. 17). | ||||
| S. Reinhart | C | Out - Undisclosed( Mar 13, '26) | Mar 13, '26 | |
| The Panthers said on Saturday (Mar. 14) that Reinhart will not travel with the team for their upcoming four-game road trip, per George Richards of Florida Hockey Now. | ||||
| U. Balinskis | D | Out - Undisclosed( Mar 13, '26) | Mar 13, '26 | |
| The Panthers said on Saturday (Mar. 14) that Balinskis might return to the lineup during Florida's upcoming four-game road trip, per George Richards of Florida Hockey Now. | ||||
| A. Barkov | C | Out - Knee( Mar 09, '26) | Mar 09, '26 | |
| The Florida Panthers said on Tuesday (Mar. 10) that Barkov took a practice in a non-contact sweater, per George Richards of Florida Hockey Now. | ||||
| C. Schwindt | C | Out - Lower Body( Feb 28, '26) | Feb 28, '26 | |
| The Florida Panthers placed F Cole Schwindt on injured reserve on Sunday (Mar. 1). | ||||
| J. Gadjovich | LW | Out - Upper Body( Jan 04, '26) | Jan 04, '26 | |
| The Panthers said on Monday (Jan. 5) that Gadjovich is not expected to return until after the Olympic break, per Jameson Olive of the team's official site. | ||||
Buffalo's Injuries
| Player | POS | Status | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T. Pearson | LW | Day To Day - Lower-Body( Mar 19, '26) | Mar 19, '26 | |
| Pearson did not play in Thursday's (Mar. 19) versus the Sharks. | ||||
| J. Kulich | C | Out For Season - Ear( Mar 05, '26) | Mar 05, '26 | |
| The Sabres said that Kulich is expected to miss the remainder of the 2025-26 season. | ||||
| J. Greenway | LW | Out - Abdomen( Feb 24, '26) | Feb 24, '26 | |
| The Buffalo Sabres placed F Jordan Greenway on injured reserve on Wednesday (Feb. 25). | ||||
| C. Timmins | D | Out - Leg( Feb 17, '26) | Feb 17, '26 | |
| The Buffalo Sabres said on Wednesday (Feb. 18) that Timmins is now skating but not in day-to-day status. | ||||
| J. Danforth | RW | Out - Lower Body( Jan 25, '26) | Jan 25, '26 | |
| The Buffalo Sabres said on Monday (Jan. 26) that Danforth is trending toward a post-Olympic return to action, per Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald. | ||||
GoaltendersLast 5
| Date | Score | W/L | GA | SA | SV% | SO | ML | O/U | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D.Tarasov | Oct 16, 2025 | NJ 3 - FLA 1 | L | 3 | 33 | .909 | - | L +130 | u5.5 |
| S.Bobrovsky | Oct 15, 2025 | DET 4 - FLA 1 | L | 2 | 23 | .913 | - | L -162 | u5.5 |
| D.Tarasov | Oct 13, 2025 | PHI 5 - FLA 2 | L | 3 | 20 | .850 | - | L -150 | o5.5 |
| S.Bobrovsky | Oct 11, 2025 | FLA 6 - OTT 2 | W | 2 | 28 | .929 | - | W -152 | o5.5 |
| S.Bobrovsky | Oct 9, 2025 | FLA 2 - PHI 1 | W | 1 | 20 | .950 | - | W -225 | u5.5 |
| Date | Score | W/L | GA | SA | SV% | SO | ML | O/U | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A.Lyon | Oct 15, 2025 | BUF 8 - OTT 4 | W | 4 | 37 | .892 | - | W -104 | o6.5 |
| A.Lyon | Oct 13, 2025 | BUF 1 - COL 3 | L | 3 | 37 | .919 | - | L +144 | u6.5 |
| A.Lyon | Oct 11, 2025 | BOS 3 - BUF 1 | L | 2 | 30 | .933 | - | L -102 | u5.5 |
| A.Lyon | Oct 9, 2025 | BUF 0 - NYR 4 | L | 3 | 32 | .906 | - | L +100 | u6.5 |
| A.Lyon | Oct 3, 2025 | PIT 5 - BUF 4 (OT) | - | 2 | 13 | .846 | - | L -115 | o6.5 |
| A.Georgiev | Oct 3, 2025 | PIT 5 - BUF 4 (OT) | - | 3 | 17 | .824 | - | L -115 | o6.5 |
FLA vs BUFStats
Offense vs Defense
Goals
| Stat | DEFENSE |
|
|---|---|---|
| 2.50 | Total | 3.50 |
| 0.83 | 1st Period | 1.00 |
| 0.83 | 2nd Period | 1.00 |
| 0.83 | 3rd Period | 1.50 |
| 0.00 | OT | 0.00 |
Shots
| Stat | DEFENSE |
|
|---|---|---|
| 27.83 | Total | 34.50 |
| 9.83 | 1st Period | 12.75 |
| 9.67 | 2nd Period | 10.75 |
| 8.33 | 3rd Period | 11.00 |
| 0.00 | OT | 0.00 |
Shot Pct vs. Save Pct
| Stat | SAVE PCT. |
|
|---|---|---|
| 0.09 | Total | 0.90 |
| 0.08 | 1st Period | 0.92 |
| 0.09 | 2nd Period | 0.91 |
| 0.10 | 3rd Period | 0.86 |
| 0.00 | OT | 0.00 |
Power Play vs Penalty Kill
| Stat | PENALTY KILL |
|
|---|---|---|
| 6 - 24 | G/Att vs. GA/Att | 1 - 16 |
| 25.00 | PP % vs. PK % | 93.75 |
Goaltenders
| Name | S | SV | SV% | WL | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sergei Bobrovsky | 90 | 83 | 0.922 | 3-1-0 | ||
| Daniil Tarasov | 53 | 47 | 0.887 | 0-2-0 | ||