Panthers vs Sabres Game Overview
FLA vs BUFRecords
Head-To-HeadLast 10
Win / Loss
8-2
Over / Under
2-8-0
| Date | Home | Result | ML | O/U | HSOG | ASOG | HPP | APP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 12, '25 | FLA |
3 - 2 (SO)
|
FLA -147 | u5.5 | 34 | 28 | 0-3 | 2-3 |
| Mar 08, '25 | FLA |
4 - 0
|
FLA -255 | u6.0 | 36 | 21 | 0-1 | 0-2 |
| Oct 28, '24 | BUF |
5 - 2
|
FLA -148 | o6.0 | 28 | 31 | 1-3 | 2-4 |
| Oct 12, '24 | BUF |
5 - 2
|
BUF -102 | o6.0 | 27 | 25 | 0-3 | 1-2 |
| Apr 13, '24 | FLA |
3 - 2 (OT)
|
FLA -218 | u5.5 | 42 | 29 | 0-3 | 1-2 |
| Feb 27, '24 | FLA |
3 - 2
|
FLA -224 | u6.0 | 37 | 30 | 2-5 | 1-4 |
| Feb 15, '24 | BUF |
4 - 0
|
FLA -162 | u6.5 | 45 | 30 | 0-2 | 1-3 |
| Apr 04, '23 | FLA |
2 - 1
|
FLA -187 | u7.0 | 36 | 40 | 1-4 | 1-5 |
| Feb 24, '23 | FLA |
3 - 1
|
BUF +169 | u7.0 | 50 | 33 | 0-3 | 1-2 |
| Jan 16, '23 | BUF |
4 - 1
|
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A. Lundell | C | Day To Day - Upper-body( Jan 29, '26) | Jan 29, '26 | |
| Lundell did not play in Thursday's (Jan. 29) game versus the Blues. | ||||
| B. Marchand | C | Day To Day - Undisclosed( Jan 28, '26) | Jan 28, '26 | |
| Marchand will undergo further evaluation after leaving Thursday's (Jan. 29) game versus the Blues, per Rob Darragh of the Panthers' official site. | ||||
| S. Jones | D | Out - Upper Body( Jan 18, '26) | Jan 18, '26 | |
| The Florida Panthers placed D Seth Jones on long-term injured reserve on Monday (Jan. 19). | ||||
| 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. | ||||
| D. Kulikov | D | Out - Upper Body( Oct 14, '25) | Oct 14, '25 | |
| The Panthers reported on Wednesday (Oct. 15) that Kulikov underwent surgery for his upper-body injury and is expected to be shelved for at least five months, per Sean Shapiro of DLLS Sports. | ||||
| A. Barkov | C | Out - Knee( Oct 06, '25) | Oct 06, '25 | |
| The Florida Panthers placed F Aleksander Barkov on injured reserve on Tuesday (Oct. 7). | ||||
| T. Nosek | LW | Out - Knee( Oct 06, '25) | Oct 06, '25 | |
| The Florida Panthers placed F Tomas Nosek on injured reserve non-roster list on Tuesday (Oct. 7). | ||||
Buffalo's Injuries
| Player | POS | Status | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| J. Greenway | LW | Day To Day - Lower-body( Jan 29, '26) | Jan 29, '26 | |
| Greenway did not play in Thursday's (Jan. 29) game versus the Kings. | ||||
| U. Luukkonen | G | Out - Lower Body( Jan 28, '26) | Jan 28, '26 | |
| The Sabres said on Thursday (Jan. 29) that Luukkonen is expected to miss about a week, according to head coach Lindy Ruff, per Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550. | ||||
| J. Norris | C | Day To Day - Ribs( Jan 27, '26) | Jan 27, '26 | |
| The Sabres said on Wednesday (Jan. 28) that Norris is day-to-day by head coach Lindy Ruff, Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald reports Monday, but won't play this week, per Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550. | ||||
| 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. | ||||
| J. Bryson | D | Out - Upper-body( Jan 22, '26) | Jan 22, '26 | |
| The Sabres placed D Jacob Bryson on injured reserve on Friday (Jan. 23). | ||||
| J. Dunne | C | Out - Middle-body( Jan 14, '26) | Jan 14, '26 | |
| The Buffalo Sabres placed F Josh Dunne on injured reserve on Thursday (Jan. 15) | ||||
| C. Timmins | D | Out - Leg( Dec 19, '25) | Dec 19, '25 | |
| The Buffalo Sabres placed D Conor Timmins on Injured Reserve on Saturday (Dec. 20). | ||||
| J. Kulich | C | Out - Ear( Nov 09, '25) | Nov 09, '25 | |
| The Sabres said on Monday (Nov. 10) that Kulich is slated to miss significant time due to a blood clot issue. | ||||
GoaltendersLast 5
W/L
2-3-0-0
GAA
2.20
Save %
.910
| 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 |
W/L
1-3-1-0
GAA
2.83
Save %
.887
| 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
| OFFENSE |
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
| OFFENSE |
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
| SHOOTING |
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
| POWERPLAY |
Stat | PENALTY KILL |
|---|---|---|
| 6 - 24 | G/Att vs. GA/Att | 1 - 16 |
| 25.00 | PP % vs. PK % | 93.75 |
Goaltenders
| Florida Goaltenders |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | S | SV | SV% | WL | ||
| Sergei Bobrovsky | 90 | 83 | 0.922 | 3-1-0 | ||
| Daniil Tarasov | 53 | 47 | 0.887 | 0-2-0 | ||