BUFFALO, NY – Daytime hockey.
The Florida Panthers will be back on the road as they visit the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center on Monday at 1 p.m. ET.
Sitting at 2-1-2 following a 4-1 loss in their home opener to the Minnesota Wild on Saturday, the Panthers have been comfortable on the road so far this season, earning points in all four contests.
“All the games have been tight games, and I feel like our five-on-five game has been really solid,” said defenseman Gustav Forsling. ”We don't give up much.”
On the home bench, the Sabres own a 2-3-0 record on the season.
In their most recent game, Buffalo fell 4-1 to the Utah Mammoth on Saturday.
For more information on tonight’s game, continue below.
EYE ON THE CATS
BENNETT & TKACHUK’S
The Panthers are expected to give another look of the line of Sam Bennett centering Matthew and Brady Tkachuk on Monday. Lining up together for the first time in the third period against the Wild, the trio generated one scoring chance and a high-danger chance in just two minutes of play.
REINHART IN THE MIDDLE
There could be another new look line with Sam Reinhart centering Sam Lafferty and Carter Verhaeghe. Top four in Selke Trophy voting in two of the last three years, and a key factor on special teams, Reinhart is no stranger to taking draws. This season, the two-way forward has 12 shots and 11 hits through five games.
HATHAWAY BRINGING THE HITS
The first-year Panther is playing the “Panther way.” With 22 hits, Garnet Hathaway leads the team in hits and ranks tied for seventh in the NHL. Over his last six seasons, Hathaway has thrown at least 250 hits in each season.
KULIKOV ASSIST MILESTONE
Dmitry Kulikov sits just two assists from 200 in his career. In 1,042 games, the 18-year-year veteran defenseman has tallied 248 points (50G, 198A), 1,344 blocked shots, and 1,632 hits.
FIVE KEY STATS
- Sam Bennett is three points away from 400 career points.
- The Panthers have outscored opponents 4-1 in the third period.
- Matthew Tkachuk has 24 (11G, 13A) points in 20 career games against the Sabres.
- 11 different skaters have recorded a point for the Panthers this season.
- The Panthers are 10-5-0 against the Sabres since the 2022-23 season.
THEY SAID IT
“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.” – Paul Maurice on Matthew Tkachuk adding speed
“We know they're going to come out flying, so we're going to match their speed and
intensity right away.” – Gustav Forsling on getting a good start against the Sabres
“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.” – Paul Maurice on the Sabres
OPPOSITION OUTLOOK
- Tage Thompson is picking up where he left off last season. Notching 81 points (40G, 41A) in 81 games during the 2025-26 season, Thompson has five points (3G, 2A) through five games.
- Tied for team lead in points with five, Owen Power (1G, 4A) ranks first on the Sabres’ blue line in points, assists, and plus/minus rating (+1). The 6-foot-6 defenseman also ranks second in average time on ice (26:02).
- A Norris Trophy finalist last season, Rasmus Dahlin racked up 74 points (19G, 55A) in 77 games. The Sabres captain leads the Sabres in ice time (26:32) and has 3 points (1G, 2A) in five games.
- Colten Ellis is expected to get the start in net for the Sabres. Ellis owns a 1-1-0 record, .880 save percentage, and 2.91 goals against average. In his last outing, Ellis stopped 26 of 30 shots in the 4-1 loss to Utah.
- The Sabres went 26-10-5 at home during the 2025-26 season, including a 20-2-0 record when scoring first.
PROJECTED ROSTER
Stay tuned ahead of puck drop for lineup updates.
