Florida Panthers at Buffalo Sabres: game preview
FloridaPanthers2026-27: 2-0-2 · 6 pts · 2025-26: 40-38-4 · 84 pts · 25that
BuffaloSabres2026-27: 2-1-0 · 4 pts · 2025-26: 50-23-9 · 109 pts · 4thTwenty-five points apart last season
Florida finished last season 25th in the league on 84 points. Buffalo finished 4th on 109, 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, Florida were 20th in the league and Buffalo 26th. By 27 Feb 2026 it was 14th and 7th.
Florida out-attempted Buffalo 359 to 293
Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.
Florida Panthers
Buffalo Sabres
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: 4 games for Florida, 3 for Buffalo. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.
Last 10 games: 10 games for Florida, 10 for Buffalo.
2025-26: 82 games for Florida, 82 for Buffalo.
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
Florida
Small sampleBuffalo
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.
Florida crease
FLA · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 9 Oct
No appearances against Buffalo in the last meetings.
Alex Lyon
See all: Alex Lyon →BUF · 20-10-4 in 2025-26 Starter estimate from 9 Oct
Also on the roster, 2026-27: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen .784 (2 GP) · Colten Ellis .900 (1 GP)
Full game logScoring 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
Florida2.002.003.063.37
Buffalo3.333.673.512.94Goals 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
Florida · injuries
Buffalo · injuries
Latest moves
See all: Latest moves →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.
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.
Florida · 2026 draft
See all: Florida · 2026 draft →Buffalo · 2026 draft
See all: Buffalo · 2026 draft →Monday 12 October · the full slate
See all: Monday 12 October · the full slate →
Updated after every final