BUFFALO, N.Y. - The Florida Panthers, sitting at 2-1-2 after a 4-1 home-opening loss to the Minnesota Wild, travel to KeyBank Center to face the Buffalo Sabres Monday at 1 p.m. ET in a daytime matchup that opens a back-to-back stretch.
Despite the stumble at home Saturday, the Panthers have earned points in all four road contests this season. Defenseman Gustav Forsling credited the team’s defensive structure for keeping games close. “All the games have been tight games, and I feel like our five-on-five game has been really solid,” Forsling said. “We don’t give up much.”
Coach Paul Maurice is expected to deploy Sam Bennett centering Matthew and Brady Tkachuk, a line that saw its first action together in the third period against Minnesota, generating one scoring chance and one high-danger chance in two minutes of play. Maurice has also noted a physical evolution in Matthew Tkachuk heading into the season. “He left the season healthy last year. He’s faster, considerably faster, so he’s going to be in the opportunity to take pucks to the net. It’s a piece of his game maybe we haven’t seen before,” Maurice said. Tkachuk has 24 points - 11 goals and 13 assists - in 20 career games against Buffalo.
Another line adjustment could see Sam Reinhart centering Sam Lafferty and Carter Verhaeghe. Reinhart, a top-four Selke Trophy finalist in two of the last three seasons, has posted 12 shots and 11 hits through five games. First-year Panther Garnet Hathaway leads the team with 22 hits, ranking tied for seventh in the NHL. Over his last six seasons, Hathaway has recorded at least 250 hits each year.
Defenseman Dmitry Kulikov enters Monday two assists shy of 200 for his career. The 18-year veteran has tallied 248 points - 50 goals and 198 assists - along with 1,344 blocked shots and 1,632 hits across 1,042 games. Bennett, meanwhile, sits three points from 400 for his career, and 11 different Panthers skaters have already recorded a point this season. Florida has outscored opponents 4-1 in third periods and holds a 10-5-0 record against Buffalo since the 2022-23 season.
The Sabres enter at 2-3-0, also coming off a 4-1 loss Saturday, that one to the Utah Mammoth. Buffalo went 26-10-5 at home last season, including a 20-2-0 record when scoring first. Tage Thompson leads the Sabres with five points - three goals and two assists - through five games after posting 81 points in 81 games last season. Captain Rasmus Dahlin, a Norris Trophy finalist last season who recorded 74 points in 77 games, leads Buffalo in ice time at 26:32 per game. Maurice acknowledged the Sabres’ trajectory. “They’re ascending. They had a really strong year last year, and then they, like everybody else, had some personal changeovers and start to deal with injuries that come from playing longer into the playoffs. So very dynamic,” he said.
Forsling said the Panthers are prepared for a fast start from the home side. “We know they’re going to come out flying, so we’re going to match their speed and intensity right away,” he said. Colten Ellis is expected to start in net for Buffalo, carrying a 1-1-0 record, a .880 save percentage, and a 2.91 goals-against average. Puck drop at KeyBank Center is set for 1 p.m. ET Monday.