BUFFALO – The Florida Panthers will try to get back to their structure when they visit the Buffalo Sabres for a matinee matchup at KeyBank Center on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET.
After racing out to a 3-0-0 record, the Panthers currently sit at 3-3-0.
“We were trailing for 63 seconds in our first three games, so it’s really easy to stay in your structure,” head coach Paul Maurice said. “Then when you get behind on the road, you have a tendency to open up, and you’ve got a different energy level with a couple home openers and a back-to-back for us. Getting back to staying and maintaining that structure even when you’re chasing the game. That’s the most important one. A critical lesson you learn.”
Dropping each of the first three games on their five-game road trip, the Panthers have been in position to win in each of those three losses, with all of them tied during the third period.
In their last outing on Thursday, the Panthers were tied 1-1 with the Devils in the third period before Timo Meier stuck out his stick and tipped in a shot that was sailing wide of the net.
Later, Nico Hischier scored to extend New Jersey’s lead and lock in the 3-1 win.
Outstanding between the pipes during his second start for the Panthers, Daniil Tarasov, who was signed to a one-year deal in the offseason, stopped 30 of 33 shots he faced.
Of those saves, eight were considered high danger by NaturalStatTrick.com.
“We put ourselves in a good spot going into the third, tie game,” said forward Evan Rodrigues, who scored Florida’s lone goal against the Devils in the first period. “Just kind of couldn’t find that next one. Our power play has to be a little bit crisper. We had our looks, but don’t think it was good enough. One goal would have made the difference.”
Entering this afternoon’s matchup on a five-game point streak, Brad Marchand leads Florida with six points (3G, 3A). Anton Lundell sits in second with five points (2G, 3A), and has also won 60% of his faceoffs while stepping up in Aleksander Barkov’s absence.
Off to an outstanding start, Sergei Boborvksy will defend the net against Buffalo.
Owning a 3-1-0 record, the two-time Vezina Trophy winner boasts a 1.77 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage. In 26 career games against the Sabres, he’s posted a 16-7-2 record and a .916 save percentage, earning wins in each of his last three starts.
After scoring just two total goals during a lackluster 0-3-0 start, the pitchforks were briefly put down in Buffalo after the Sabres exploded offensively during an 8-4 win over Ottawa on Wednesday.
Leading the Sabres to their first win of the season, six different players found the back of the net, with Jason Zucker (both on the power play) and Jack Quinn each scoring twice.
Feasting on the man advantage, Buffalo went 3-for-3 on the power play against Ottawa.
“I think we were a desperate group tonight, haven’t gotten the results we’ve wanted,” forward Ryan McLeod told NHL.com. “We haven’t played the game we wanted, either, and I think tonight’s kind of a staple going forward for us that we should keep building on.”
Zach Benson, still just 20 years old, leads Buffalo in scoring with four points after dishing out four helpers during his season debut against the Senators. Five other Sabres have posted three points: Zucker, Alex Tuch, Tage Thompson, Rasmus Dahlin and Josh Doan.
Injured against Ottawa, forward Justin Danforth will miss over a month for Buffalo.
Per reports, Alex Lyon is likely to get the nod in net.
Known around South Florida as the “Lyon King” after his incredible run to help the Panthers get into the playoffs back in 2023, the 32-year-old goaltender has manned the crease in each of Buffalo’s first four games, registering a 1-3-0 record with a .912 save percentage.
“At the core, what makes him great, is he’s competitive,” Maurice said of Lyon. “He had to fight to get into the NHL. He battles in that net. He had some big wins for us.”
Last season, the Panthers went 3-1-0 against the Sabres, leading 13-9 in goals.
THEY SAID IT
“I liked Samoskevich’s game tonight. Thought he had some jump. Rodrigues plays a real smart game of hockey. We wouldn’t be bragging about much after that.” – Paul Maurice on Thursday’s loss at New Jersey
“There are really great D’s here. 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.” – Daniil Tarasov on getting comfortable with the Panthers
FIVE CATS STATS
– The Panthers are surrendering just 24.5 shots on goal per game.
– Aaron Ekblad is averaging a team-high 24:01 of ice time per game
– Seth Jones has dished out three assists this season.
– Evan Rodrigues is two goals away from his 100th NHL goal.
– Luke Kunin has blocked a team-high nine shots.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Mackie Samoskevich – Sam Bennett – Brad Marchand
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe – Evan Rodrigues – Jesper Boqvist
A.J. Greer – Luke Kunin – Jonah Gadjovich
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones
Uvis Balinskis – Jeff Petry
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Daniil Tarasov
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
– Oct. 15: D Donovan Sebrango claimed off waivers from Ottawa
– Oct. 13: D Tobias Bjornfot recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
– Oct. 12: F Jonah Gadjovich agreed to terms on a two-year contract extension
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Saturday, October 18 at 1 p.m. ET
Where: KeyBank Center — Buffalo, NY
TV: WSFL, WHDT, WFTX, PanthersPlus.TV
Radio: 104.3 WQAM-FM/560 WQAM-AM (Dade/Broward); 106.3 WESP-FM (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 101.7 WCZR (Treasure Coast); Panthers GameDay App; NHL App; SiriusXM 221 / App & Streaming 931
How to Watch: Click Here