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

The Buffalo Sabres look to continue collecting points as they take on the Florida Panthers on Friday at 7 p.m. at Amerant Bank Arena.

After returning from the break with a 2-1 win in New Jersey on Wednesday, the Sabres (72 points) remain comfortably inside the Eastern Conference playoff picture. They’re taking these last 24 games one at a time, understanding that with each win they inch closer to their goal.

“We have something really good going here, and I think every point – especially at this point in the season, going forward – is crucial for us,” said forward Tage Thompson, who had a goal and an assist against the Devils. “Especially (against) teams in the East.”

• NHL standings

The injury-ridden Panthers (63 points) have a big climb if they’re to return to the playoffs and defend their back-to-back titles. Buffalo is 2-1-0 against them this season, including a 5-3 win in Sunrise earlier this month, but the Panthers are unlikely to go away quietly.

“Every game’s a playoff game from here on out. We need the wins, and it’s gonna be a lot of fun,” said forward Peyton Krebs.

Here’s what you need to know before that Friday night fun gets underway.

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 (updated 12:45 p.m.)

Zach Benson – initially not expected to play on the road trip – has joined the Sabres in Florida and was on the ice for their morning skate.

While Benson has not been officially ruled out for tonight’s game, coach Lindy Ruff suggested a return was more likely for Tampa on Saturday.

• Injuries and transactions | Latest on Benson, Greenway, Timmins, others

The Sabres’ lines and defense pairs at the morning skate were unchanged from Wednesday’s win in New Jersey.

The team did make a tweak on the power play, with Josh Doan joining the first unit at the net-front position alongside Tage Thompson (left flank), Jason Zucker (bumper), Josh Norris (right flank), and Rasmus Dahlin (point).

The Sabres were 0-for-3 on the power play in New Jersey and surrendered a pair of shorthanded breakaways. Ruff said the focus coming out of that game is on simplifying and puck retrievals, a strength of Doan’s.

Alex Lyon is expected to start in goal. The former Panther has stopped 71 of 74 shots in his two starts against Florida this season, both wins.

Here’s the full projected lineup based on the morning skate:

The top line

Krebs’ career numbers entering this season didn’t scream “first-line forward,” but his recent play has. With Benson out, the 25-year-old Krebs has been skating with Thompson and Alex Tuch, and Krebs and Thompson combined for both Sabres goals in New Jersey.

That trio has played 68 minutes at 5-on-5 this season, outscoring opponents 5-1 with significant shares of expected goals (55.2 percent) and high-danger scoring chances (65.2 percent), per Natural Stat Trick.

Wednesday was Krebs’ fifth multi-point game since late December, a span during which he’s plus-12 with 16 points (7+9) – that includes a career-best three-point game in the last matchup against Florida. With 27 points (8+19) this season, Krebs is just one shy of his career high from last season.

His production, combined with Thompson (31+30) and Tuch (22+26), give the Sabres’ top line game-breaking potential, and Wednesday was a great example.

Scouting the Panthers

Florida remains without captain Aleksander Barkov and defensemen Seth Jones and Dmitry Kulikov, each key contributors during last season’s playoff run.

Including the Sabres game, the Panthers lost five of their last six before the break, but they returned Thursday with a 5-1 win over Toronto.

Here’s the breakdown of the Sabres-Panthers season series so far, with Friday being the finale.