BUFFALO – The Florida Panthers are thinking about double-digits.
With a chance to pick up their 10th straight win on the road, they’ll close the book on their back-to-back with a matchup against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center on Thursday.
Sitting at 34-15-4, the Panthers can also close the gap with Boston and move into a tie for first in the Atlantic Division if they win and the Bruins lose to Seattle in regulation tonight.
“We want to play a good solid road game,” Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad said. “It’s never easy on a back-to-back. We’ve got to go into their building and find a way to win.”
Picking up their seventh win in their last eight games overall, the Panthers opened their three-game road trip with a 5-2 win at Pittsburgh less than 24 hours ago on Wednesday.
After a few clutch penalty kills in the first period, the Panthers erupted for four goals in the second as Matthew Tkachuk, Jonah Gadjovich, Ekblad and Anton Lundell all scored within a span of less than 10 minutes to put the Penguins in a deep hole.
In the third period, Lundell lit the lamp again for his first multi-goal game of the season.
Going 4-for-4 in Pittsburgh, Florida has gone 37-for-39 on the PK during its road win streak.
“Our penalty kill has been such an important part of what we do,” Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said. “It’s the major improvement over all of the things from last season.”
While Sam Reinhart leads the Panthers in goals (39) and points (64), Tkachuk has been on fire since the calendar flipped to 2024. Since Jan. 1, Tkachuk leads the NHL in scoring with 32 points (13 goals, 19 assists) in a 17-game span in which he’s earned a point in all but two games.
Between the pipes, backup goaltender Anthony Stolarz will likely get the nod in net against the Sabres after Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 25 shots in Pittsburgh to earn his 26th win of the campaign.
Owning an 8-5-2 record with a .917 save percentage in 16 appearances this season, Stolarz, who towers in the crease at 6-foot-6, has gone 6-2-1 over his nine starts on the road.
With no morning skate, full lineup information won't be available until Maurice speaks to the media around 4:15 p.m. ET.
In need of a big second-half push in order to get back into the playoff picture, the Sabres sit at 23-25-4 and have lost two of their last three games. That being said, they should head into tonight’s matchup full off confidence following a 7-0 win against the Kings on Tuesday.
The second-most goals they’ve scored this season, the Sabres found the back of the net three times in the first period against Los Angeles and never looked back. Jordan Greenway netted two goals, while JJ Peterka, Kyle Okposo, Rasmus Dahlin, Zach Benson and Alex Tuch all scored once.
In net, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 33 shots to record his fourth shutout of 2023-24.
“I try to keep a level head. But I think when we’re (leading) it’s easier,” Luukkonen told reporters following the lopsided win. “You can look at the stats and it’s a huge thing in a game, who gets the first goal. So, I think that was one of the more important things today.”
Casey Mittelstadt leads the Sabres in scoring with 43 points (12 goals, 31 assists). In second, Dahlin has produced 41 points (14 goals, 27 assists). Since Jan. 1, Mittelstadt, Dahlin and Tuch are tied for first on the team with 12 points each in a 14-game stretch.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see Luukkonen get the nod in net again after his shutout of the Kings. In 29 appearances this season, he’s posted a 13-13-2 record with a .913 save percentage. He’s also only faced the Panthers once in his career.
A homecoming of sorts for several players, four different Panthers have previously suited up for Buffalo, including Evan Rodrigues, Dmitry Kulikov, Reinhart and Brandon Montour.
This will be the first of three meetings between the Panthers and Sabres this season.
“They put up seven on LA,” Maurice said when asked about the threat that Buffalo poses. “They’ll be just flying. With that skillset, they’re going to be able to generate some things tomorrow. We want to make sure that we don’t feed them, that we don’t help them and that we can come in and fire ourselves back up to have another first period like we did tonight.”
Flying or not, the Sabres should have their hands full with Florida’s second-ranked defense.
Surrendering an average of just 2.49 goals per game, the Panthers have given up two or fewer goals in 29 games this season.
If they win tonight, the Panthers will also match last season’s road-win total of 19.
PREGAME QUOTES
“We’re just trying to build trust inside the team. That’s what’s going on right now. We’re getting more and more confident. We need to keep building on it.” – Anton Lundell
“Big penalty kills will find a way to give you momentum,” – Aaron Ekblad
FIVE CATS STATS
- Aleksander Barkov has notched 31 points (9G, 22Ac) in 27 career games vs. Buffalo.
- Sam Reinhart leads the NHL with 13 power-play goals on the road this season.
- Matthew Tkachuk has logged eight points (2G, 6A) over his last three games.
- Aaron Ekblad and Gustav Forsling boast a combined +52 plus/minus rating.
- The Panthers own a 20-3-1 record when Carter Verhaeghe scores this season.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Carter Verhaeghe – Aleksander Barkov – Sam Reinhart
Nick Cousins – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Evan Rodrigues
Jonah Gadjovich – Kevin Stenlund – Ryan Lomberg
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Brandon Montour
Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Dmitry Kulikov
Goaltenders
Anthony Stolarz
Sergei Bobrovsky
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Thursday, Feb. 15 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: KeyBank Center – Buffalo, NY
TV & Streaming: Bally Sports Florida, Bally Sports+
Radio: 560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 1230 WBZT (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 101.7 WCZR (Treasure Coast); SiriusXM App & Streaming 932; Panthers App
