BUF-Preview-16x9

SUNRISE, Fla. -- With a chance to jump back into a playoff spot with just five games left to play, the Florida Panthers will kick off a critical two-game homestand against the Buffalo Sabres at FLA Live Arena on Tuesday.
Entering tonight's matchup, the Panthers (39-31-7) currently sit just one point behind the Pittsburgh Penguins (38-29-10) for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, while also trailing the New York Islanders (39-30-9) by two points for the first wild-card spot.
Florida has also played one fewer game than New York.

"Every game here is the biggest game of the year," Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad said. "It's almost that playoff mentality. It's do-or-die for us, no doubt. We're excited for it."
Shaking off a four-game losing streak, the Panthers have won each of their last three games to claw their way back into the playoff hunt. After earning massive wins in Toronto and Montreal, they closed out their road trip with a 7-0 drubbing of the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday.
Carter Verhaeghe matched a franchise record with four goals against the Blue Jackets. In the process, the speedy sniper also became just the second player in the franchise's 29-year history to score at least 40 goals in a season, joining none other than Hall of Famer Pavel Bure.
Sam Reinhart, Eric Staal and Nick Cousins also lit the lamp in Columbus, while Aleksander Barkov and Anthony Duclair each handed out three assists. Making his third straight start, Alex Lyon stopped all 21 shots he faced for the first shutout of his NHL career.
Two points shy of matching the career-high 104 he racked up in 2021-22, Matthew Tkachuk leads the Panthers and ranks fifth in the NHL in scoring with 102 points (38 goals, 64 assists). In second, Barkov has logged 71 points (20 goals, 51 assists).
With Sergei Bobrovsky still recovering from a non-COVID illness, Lyon will man the crease against the Sabres for his fourth straight start. Over his three previous outings, the 30-year-old veteran goaltender has turned aside 77 of 81 shots for a sparkling .951 save percentage.
Working his way back, Bobrovsky skated this morning and, if he's feeling well enough to play, will serve as Lyon's backup against Buffalo, according to Panthers head coach Paul Maurice.
In other injury news, Maurice said that Sam Bennett, who has been out since March 20 with an undisclosed injury, returned to the ice this morning. If he's able to join practice this week, there's a chance the hard-nosed forward could be back in the lineup this weekend.
"That'll be the tell that things are moving forward, if you see him out there with the big group" Maurice said of Bennett, who's produced 40 points (16 goals, 24 assists) in 63 games this season. "If not, then things have leveled or stayed where they are."
Still very much in the playoff picture at 37-31-7, the Sabres, who trail the Panthers by four points with two games in hand, have won four of their last five games, including a 6-3 win at Philadelphia in their last outing on Saturday.
Tied 1-1 after 20 minutes against the Flyers, the Sabres scored four goals in the second period to pull away. Named the first star of the game, Alex Tuch scored three goals for Buffalo. In net for the Sabres, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 39 of 42 shots to earn his second straight victory.
After sitting out the last three games with an upper-body injury, Tage Thompson returned to practice on Monday and could be back in the lineup for the Sabres in Sunrise. Breaking out in a big way in 2022-23, the towering 6-foot-6 forward leads Buffalo in goals (44) and points (89).
In is return to practice, Thompson was back in his usual spot between Jeff Skinner and Tuch, according to Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News. A lethal trio on offense, Skinner and Tuch have also scored 30-plus goals. Tuch has notched 35 and Skinner has accumulated 33.
In three games against Florida this season, Tuch and Skinner have combined for five goals.
"They've got some range on that line," Maurice said. "A really unusual line that has over 100 goals. With two of them, they don't have to beat you one-on-one, they can get away from you one-on-one. They can get to open ice because they can carry the puck eight feet away from their bodies because they're so lanky. That just opens everybody else up."
Set to face a familiar face between the pipes, Devon Levi could get the not in net for Buffalo. A seventh-round draft pick of the Panthers in 2020, the 21-year-old goaltender was traded to the Sabres as part of a package that brought Sam Reinhart to South Florida in the summer of 2021.
Looking like a win-win trade for both teams, Reinhart ranks second on the Panthers in goals (62) and points (144) since the start of the 2021-22 campaign, while Levi, who signed his three-year, entry-level contract last week, has been touted as one of the top goalie prospects in the league.
In NHL debut on March 31, Levi made 31 saves in a 3-2 win over the New York Rangers.
Facing off for the fourth and final time, the Panthers have taken two of three games from the Sabres thus far. After the Panthers picked up two wins on the road at KeyBank Center earlier this season, the Sabres responded with a 3-1 win in their last meeting on Feb. 24 at FLA Live Arena.
Overall, Florida has won six of its previous seven matchups against Buffalo.
"I think this is a playoff game for both teams," Maurice said. "I don't think they feel necessarily any different than we do. They look at the schedule and say, 'We've got to run the table to get in.' The Islanders, Pittsburgh and ourselves all feel the same way. You can't play more than one game a time, but you know you're not going 1-4 or 1-5 and getting into the playoffs."

THEY SAID IT

"This is the first one where you come to the rink and you can kind of feel it, in a good way. This is a playoff night. It doesn't end your season if you lose the game, just like Game 1 of the playoffs, but you've probably got to play better than .500 to win a series here. Everybody feels like they've got to win tonight." - Paul Maurice on tonight's matchup
"They're very good, no doubt about it. They hold onto the puck, which makes them tough, right? They're not scared to take the hit and make the play. It's important to have good sticks, take away their time and space. It's similar things with every top line in the league." - Aaron Ekblad on facing Buffalo's top line

WHO'S HOT?

Panthers: Aleksander Barkov has 21 points (four goals, 17 assists) over his last 14 games. … Matthew Tkachuk has 21 points (10 goals, 11 assists) over his last 12 games. … Carter Verhaeghe has 17 points (nine goals, eight assists) over his last 14 games.
Sabres: Casey Mittelstadt has seven assists over his last four games. … Alex Tuch has eight points (five goals, three assists) over his last six games. … Jeff Skinner has 10 points (six goals, four assists) over his last 12 games.

FIVE CATS STATS

  • Since March 4, the Panthers rank fifth in the NHL on the power play (27.1%).
    - Carter Verhaeghe ranks fourth in the NHL in even-strength goals (33).
    - Aaron Ekblad has dished out an assist in each of his last four contests.
    - Brandon Montour ranks ninth in scoring among NHL defensemen with 65 points.
    - Matthew Tkachuk leads the Panthers with 56 points on home ice in 2022-23.

PANTHERS PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)

Forwards
Carter Verhaeghe - Aleksander Barkov - Anthony Duclair
Eetu Luostarinen - Anton Lundell - Matthew Tkachuk
Ryan Lomberg - Eric Staal - Sam Reinhart
Givani Smith - Colin White - Nick Cousins
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling - Aaron Ekblad
Marc Staal - Brandon Montour
Josh Mahura - Radko Gudas
Goaltenders
Alex Lyon
Sergei Bobrovsky

RECENT TRANSACTIONS

- April 3: F Ryan McAllister agreed to terms on a three-year, entry-level contract beginning in 2023-24
- March 29: G Mack Guzda recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
- March 27: Signed F Zac Dalpe to a two-year, two-way extension.

HOW TO WATCH

When: Tuesday, April 4 at 7 p.m. ET
Where:FLA Live Arena - Sunrise, FL
TV & Streaming:
Here
Radio:96.5 WPOW-FM HD-2 (Dade/Broward); 92.1 WZZR (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); SiriusXM Channel 220 / Streaming Channel 932; NHL App
Tickets:

Here

PREGAME LISTEN

Hear from Brandon Montour on the latest episode of Territory Talk.