Buffalo Sabres at Florida Panthers: game preview
BuffaloSabres2026-27: 2-1-0 · 4 pts · 2025-26: 50-23-9 · 109 pts · 4that
FloridaPanthers2026-27: 2-0-2 · 6 pts · 2025-26: 40-38-4 · 84 pts · 25thTwenty-five points apart last season
Buffalo finished last season 4th in the league on 109 points. Florida finished 25th on 84, and the 2025-26 season series went BUF 3-1-0.
Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.
Meeting number 127
Across 126 completed games, Florida lead the head-to-head 66-48-12.
Last 5 meetings
See all: Last 5 meetings →The table on each 2025-26 meeting night
League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 18 Oct 2025, Buffalo were 26th in the league and Florida 20th. By 27 Feb 2026 it was 7th and 14th.
Florida out-attempted Buffalo 359 to 293
Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.
Buffalo Sabres
Florida Panthers
Buffalo have created the better chances, last 10 games
Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.
This season: 3 games for Buffalo, 4 for Florida. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.
Last 10 games: 10 games for Buffalo, 10 for Florida.
2025-26: 82 games for Buffalo, 82 for Florida.
Power play and penalty kill, season and series
This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.
All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings
Buffalo
Small sampleFlorida
Small sampleAlex Tuch has 6 points in the last 5 meetings
Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away, then who has produced in the last meetings.
Alex Tuch vs Florida · game by game
See all: Alex Tuch vs Florida · game by game →Alex Lyon has been the difference
Alex Lyon faced 103 shots across 3 appearances against Florida and conceded 5, a .951 save percentage against a season figure of .907. Starters are confirmed on game day.
Alex Lyon
See all: Alex Lyon →BUF · 20-10-4 in 2025-26 Starter estimate from 27 Dec
Also on the roster, 2026-27: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen .784 (2 GP) · Colten Ellis .900 (1 GP)
Full game logFlorida crease
FLA · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 27 Dec
No appearances against Buffalo in the last meetings.
Scoring rates point to about 6.2 goals
No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.
Goals in the last 5 meetings
Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.
Scoring rates
Buffalo3.333.673.512.94
Florida2.002.003.063.37Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.
11 on the injury lists
Buffalo · injuries
Florida · injuries
Latest moves
See all: Latest moves →Loaned D Dennis Gilbert to Rochester (AHL).
Recalled D Dennis Gilbert from Rochester (AHL). Placed G Alex Lyon and D Olen Zellweger on injured reserve. Signed D Louis Crevier to a four-year contract. Transferred F Matthew Savoie to long-term injured reserve.
Signed C Noah Östlund to an eight-year contract.
Placed C Aleksander Barkov on long-term injured reserve. Called up D Alexander Petrovic from Charlotte (AHL).
Placed C Aleksander Barkov on long-term injured reserve.
Placed RW/C Cole Schwindt, RD Alexander Petrovic, LD Donovan Sebrango, LW Kai Schwindt, LW Cole Reinhardt, RW Sam Lafferty and C/LW John Beecher on waivers. Agreed to terms with RW Nathan Bastian on a 1-year, two-way contract.
Buffalo · 2026 draft
See all: Buffalo · 2026 draft →Florida · 2026 draft
See all: Florida · 2026 draft →
Updated after every final