Both finding great success since joining the Panthers, Reinhart, acquired during the offseason, is tied for second on the team in scoring with 52 points (18 goals, 34 assists), while Montour, a deadline acquisition last season, has tallied 22 points (five goals, 17 assists) from the blue line.
Beginning his career in Anaheim, Montour only spent three seasons in Buffalo before taking his talents to South Florida. Reinhart, however, spent the first 454 games of his NHL career with the Sabres after being scooped up with the second-overall pick in the draft all the way back in 2014.
Over parts of seven seasons in Buffalo, Reinhart recorded 295 points (134 goals, 161 assists).
"Pretty excited," he said of his return. "I was there quite a long time and it's the only place I had known, so a lot of friendships that have kept going, even though I'm in a different organization."
With Montour and Reinhart both cracking the scoresheet, the Panthers enter tonight's matchup riding high after closing out their homestand with a 6-2 victory over the Red Wings on Saturday.
Earning his league-leading 18th win on home ice, Sergei Bobrovsky turned aside all 18 shots he faced for his second shutout of the season. On offense, Anton Lundell scored twice, while Sam Bennett, Lucas Carlsson, Anthony Duclair and Mason Marchment each set off the lamp once.
Third in the NHL in scoring, Jonathan Huberdeau leads Florida with 76 points (18 goals, 58 assists), while Aleksander Barkov, who had three assists last game, has the most goals (25).
After beating the Maple Leafs (5-1) and Wild (5-4), the Sabres suffered a 3-0 loss to the Kings on Sunday to drop to 18-31-8. Losing seven of their last nine games since Feb. 17, the Sabres have been outscored 36-22 during that skid while surrendering at least four goals in six games.
Facing off for the second time this season, the Panthers erased a 3-0 deficit against the Sabres to come from behind and secure a 7-4 win in Sunrise on Dec. 2. In the comeback, Lundell and Aaron Ekblad each scored twice, while Huberdeau registered five points (one goal, four assists).
Coming into that game in relief of Bobrovsky, Spencer Knight stopped all 19 shots he faced to record the win. Recalled from the AHL on Sunday, the 20-year-old rookie will look to pick up right where he left off in tonight's tilt. In 18 NHL games this season, he's posted a 9-6-2 record.
Solid during his stint in the AHL, Knight went 7-3-0 with a .917 save percentage with Charlotte.
"They're a scary team if we give them room and let them play offense and let them have fun," Brunette said of Buffalo. "Last time at home, even though I thought we got tighter as it went on, we'll be in trouble if we do that. It's the same philosophy. Hopefully we learned our lesson."
Tage Thompson leads the Sabres in scoring with 42 points (23 goals, 19 assists). Right behind him in second, Jeff Skinner has tallied 41 points (23 goals, 18 assists). Providing offense from the blue line, Rasmus Dahlin leads the club's defensemen in goals (8), assists (29) and points (37).
Skinner has recorded at least one point in eight of 12 career games against Florida.
Manning the crease, Craig Anderson is expected to start for the Sabres. Sitting on 299 career wins, the veteran goaltender picked up 24 of those wins over parts of three seasons with the Panthers from 2006-09. In 15 games this season, he's gone 8-7-0 with a .907 save percentage.
Sitting at 37-13-5 and trailing the cross-state rival Lightning by just one point for first place in the Atlantic Division, the Panthers have posted a 7-2-0 mark over their last nine games on the road.
"Every game's a challenge, especially on the road in the NHL," Brunette said. "We've been really good on home ice, and we want to be a really good road team. We kind of gained some momentum on our last trip. We want to keep that going heading into these next couple games."
