Game Preview | 5 things to know ahead of Sabres vs. Panthers

The Buffalo Sabres will close out their four-game homestand against the Florida Panthers on Thursday after scoring seven goals in a 7-0 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday.

Coach Don Granato shared that his team needs to be ready and remain in the moment against the reigning Eastern Conference champions.

“…We have to stay in the moment, really. And that moment is you’ve got a very competitive, accomplished hockey team coming in that you have to be ready to play for,” Granato said. “It’s going to be a hard-fought game. They don’t give you much for time and space. They come in I think on a nine-game road winning streak, so their confidence is very high. … So, we need to stay in the moment, be ready.”

The Sabres are proud to host their annual Military Appreciation Night, which will honor both current and former members of our nation’s armed forces and will feature special game experiences and activations.

Faceoff from KeyBank Center is set for 7 p.m. Tickets are available here.

For more information on the night and what to expect, click here. 

Pregame coverage on MSG/MSG+ begins at 6:30 p.m. Fans can also stream MSG on Fubo. Radio coverage can be found on WGR 550.

Here are five things to know before the puck drops.

1. Projected lines

The Sabres skated Thursday morning with the same lines and pairs as they played with in Tuesday’s win over Los Angeles. Here are the projected lines based on the skate:

Forwards

53 Jeff Skinner – 72 Tage Thompson – 21 Kyle Okposo

9 Zach Benson – 24 Dylan Cozens – 77 JJ Peterka

12 Jordan Greenway – 37 Casey Mittelstadt – 89 Alex Tuch

28 Zemgus Girgensons – 19 Peyton Krebs – 71 Victor Olofsson

Defensemen

26 Rasmus Dahlin – 10 Henri Jokiharju

78 Jacob Bryson – 75 Connor Clifton

33 Ryan Johnson – 6 Erik Johnson

2. Luukkonen’s rise

UPDATE - 5:30 p.m. (2/15/2024) Goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is day to day with a lower-body injury and will miss Thursday's game against the Panthers. Goaltender Eric Comrie is expected to start in goal while Dustin Tokarski, who was recalled from the Rochester Americans, will back up. 

Luukkonen has posted a 6-5-0 record in 11 games since Jan. 1, recording a .944 save percentage and a 1.57 goals-against average, which rank first among NHL goalies with more than three games played during that span.

The 24-year-old has also recorded three shutouts in that span and four total this season, becoming the first Sabres goaltender since Ryan Miller in 2011-12 to record four or more shutouts in a single season.

“He’s obviously found himself,” defenseman Connor Clifton said. “He’s big. He’s really fast. His legs are so powerful – he makes these backdoor saves that a lot of goalies can’t.”

3. Bryson’s opportunity

As the Sabres deal with injuries to Mattias Samuelsson, who underwent season-ending surgery to repair an upper-body injury, and Owen Power, who is week to week after sustaining an upper-body injury during practice on Monday, Jacob Bryson has entered the lineup and made the most of his opportunity.

Bryson has appeared in just six games this season, including Tuesday’s contest against the Kings, but has kept himself ready to step in and have an impact on the game. He logged a season-high 19:17 of ice time on Tuesday, recording two assists and a plus-4 rating while playing alongside Clifton.

Following the morning skate, Bryson emphasized the importance of doing whatever he can to help the team win as the Sabres have posted a 6-0-0 record with him in the lineup this season.

“I mean, that’s all I want is I want to play well and do what I can to help my team win,” he said. “And obviously, I’ve been fortunate to have that every game I’ve played this year. But I just want to keep that going and do whatever I can to make a presence out there and help the guys do whatever we can to get wins because that’s what matters in this league.”

4. Peterka power

JJ Peterka tallied a goal and an assist against Los Angeles and has now recorded seven even-strength goals and 11 even-strength points since the start of the new year, the most among all Sabres skaters.

Peterka leads Buffalo with 19 goals in 2023-24, including five goals in his last five games.

His 36 points (19+17) in 52 games this season have surpassed his previous single-season career high of 32 points (12+20) in 2022-23.

5. Scouting the Panthers

Florida is currently in second in the Atlantic Division standings with 72 points and a 34-15-4 record, sitting just two points behind the Boston Bruins.

The Panthers enter Thursday’s matchup on a three-game winning streak and a franchise-record nine-game road winning streak after defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2 in the first game of their back-to-back set in Pittsburgh on Wednesday.

Center Sam Reinhart leads the team with 64 points (39+25) in 53 games this season. His 39 goals rank second in the NHL, which include a league-best 22 power-play goals for a Panthers power play that ranks sixth in the NHL.

Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky played Wednesday in Pittsburgh, which could set up Anthony Stolarz for the start in Buffalo.