Sabres at Panthers | How to watch, lineup notes, and storylines

The Buffalo Sabres continue their run of Atlantic Division games with a visit to Amerant Bank Arena to play the Florida Panthers Arena on Monday.

The Sabres are coming off a 4-2 loss at home to Montreal, which snapped a five-game winning streak. They currently hold the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference, eight points ahead of the two-time reigning Stanley Cup champion Panthers.

Following their game in Sunrise, the Sabres will make the short flight north to play the first-place Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday.

“Important games now coming up,” Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin said after the loss to Montreal. “If we want to show we’re a really good team, we better win these ones. These are the types of games you can see if you’re a good team or not.”

The puck drops at 7. Here’s what you need to know.

How to watch

TV (Sabres broadcast market): MSG (Pregame coverage begins at 6:30 p.m.)

Streaming: Gotham Sports App, ESPN+ (out of market)

Radio: WGR 550 / Buffalo Sabres App

More ways to watch/listen to Sabres games

Lineup notes

Josh Norris and Jacob Bryson, both of whom are on injured reserve with upper-body injuries, participated in the Sabres’ morning skate on Saturday and are considered day to day.

Norris has been out since Jan. 14, when he sustained his injury as the result of a cross-check to the ribs. Coach Lindy Ruff did not rule out the possibility of him playing before the Olympic break.

Bryson has been out since Jan. 22. Ruff said on Saturday that he expected the defenseman to be available for the start of the road trip.

The Sabres loaned defenseman Zac Jones to Rochester on Sunday and recalled forward Isak Rosen, giving them added depth at forward as Jordan Greenway continues to be evaluated in his recovery from offseason sports hernia surgery.

Numbers to know

• Dahlin enters Monday on a four-game point streak, with four goals and four assists in that span. He’s one assist shy of surpassing Don Luce (310) for sole possession of seventh place on the franchise all-time list.
• Jack Quinn has 12 points (5+7) in the last 12 games.
• Josh Doan has two goals in his first two matchups with Panthers this season.

Scouting the Panthers

The Panthers surrendered a third-period lead at home against Winnipeg on Saturday for their third straight loss. They were without two key forwards in Anton Lundell and Brad Marchand (both of whom are day to day), the latest entries in what’s been an injury-plagued for the two-time reigning champions.

Florida does have Matthew Tkachuk back in the fold. Tkachuk has six points in seven games since making his season debut on Jan. 19. He missed the first half of the season while recovering from offseason surgeries to repair a torn adductor muscle and sports hernia.

Even without Tkachuk and captain Aleksander Barkov, who has not played this season, the Panthers have proven to be a formidable opponent given their structure and experience. They won the last matchup with the Sabres 4-3 in Buffalo on Jan. 12 behind a pair of goals from A.J. Greer.