Buffalo Sabres at Florida Panthers

By Sam Batz

The Buffalo Sabres hit the road to face division rival the Florida Panthers on Tuesday, April 4th (7:00 PM EST, NHLPP/ESPN+). The Panthers lead the series 2-1-0 and are favored at -200 for the final regular season matchup on Tuesday. Florida averages 3.0 goals per game against Buffalo, and the Sabres average 2.3 goals per game against the Panthers. Buffalo is the underdog at +165 and will be looking to even the series and move closer to a potential playoff bid. Florida leads Buffalo by 4 points in the Atlantic Division and need a win just as much as the Sabres in order to keep their playoff dreams a reality. 

Buffalo Sabres Breakdown

The Sabres are 37-31-7 with 81 points, which puts them at 5th in the Atlantic Division and 10th in the Eastern Conference. The Sabres are being given a 9% chance to make the playoffs, which isn’t great, and with 7 games left on their schedule, the best Buffalo can finish with is 95 points. They are projected to finish with 88 points, and after going 5-3-2 (12 pts) in their last 10 games, expecting the Sabres to win-out the rest of their games might be overly ambitious. Buffalo has won back-to-back games and averaged 3.20 goals for and 3.80 goals against in their last 10. The Sabres matchup well against Florida, but are the underdogs because of their lower standing in the division and inconsistent defense. 

Florida Panthers Breakdown

The Florida Panthers are 39-31-7 with 85 points through 77 games. They are 4th in the Atlantic Division and 9th in the Eastern Conference, directly adjacent to the Sabres in both. Florida has a 57% chance to make the playoffs and are projected to finish the season with 91 points. The Panthers have 5 games left in the regular season, meaning the best they can finish with is 95 points, the exact same as the Sabres. Florida went 6-4-0 (12 pts) in their last 10 games, and are on a three game winning streak that they need to build upon in order to give themselves a fighting chance in the race to the playoffs. 

Sabres vs. Panthers Odds

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Sabres vs. Panthers: Season Stats

Sabres vs. Panthers: Betting Trends

Sabres vs. Panthers: Game Changers

Buffalo Sabres

• Tage Thompson leads the Sabres with 89 points (44 goals, 45 assists)
• Buffalo has the 4th-most goals in the NHL (269) and have 5 players (Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch, Jeff Skinner, Dylan Cozens, & Victor Olofsson) with 20+ goals
• Those 5 players have combined for 166 goals, or 61.7% of Buffalo’s total goals
• Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has been the best goaltender for the Sabres this year, he is 17-11-4 (28th), averages 3.61 GA/G (48th), and has a 89.2% SV% (43rd)

Florida Panthers

• Matthew Tkachuk leads the Panthers with 102 points (38 goals, 64 assists), which is the 5th-most points in the NHL
• Carter Verhaeghe leads the Panthers with 40 goals, but Florida has 12 players posting double-digit scoring figures
• Sergei Bobrovsky has the most games between the sticks (50) for Florida this season, he is 24-20-3 (T-15th), averages 3.07 GA/G (35th), and has a 90.1% SV% (T-30th)
• The Florida Panthers have the 3rd-most goals in the NHL (270), leading Buffalo by just 1 goal

Sabres vs. Panthers Prediction 

Take the Buffalo Sabres to cover the spread (+1.5). The Panthers and Sabres are very evenly matched and Tuesday’s game should be a close and thrilling contest. The Sabres win 61.1% of the time on the road, while the Panthers win 56.8% of the time at home. Buffalo has 18 wins as the underdog away, while Florida has 18 wins as the favorite at home. They both rank in the top-five in goals scored per game, but also rank in the bottom-five in goals against per game. Florida has a lead, but both sides are desperately fighting for a spot in the playoffs, and whoever wins Tuesday, will get a much needed point boost. 

Prediction: Buffalo Sabres cover (-143) the spread (+1.5)

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