Main storyline: The Buffalo Sabres (9-15-2) are coming off of a thumping at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-0 on Thursday night. The loss was only their second loss in eight contests. In that game, Steven Stamkos netted a goal while assisting on two others. The Panthers come into the game having lost in a shootout to the Columbus Blue Jackets, 4-3 on Thursday evening.
Season series: This will be the second matchup between the two squads on the evening with Florida taking the first one in Buffalo, 1-0, on October 17. They will next meet up next Saturday in Buffalo
Where they stand: The Sabres currently sit at 26th with 20 points after posting a 6-4-0 record in their last 10 games. Despite their ability to come away above .500, the team has still been atrocious in this 10 game span. Most notably with special teams. Over this 10 game span the Sabres only potted 3 goals on 24 power play opportunities, good for 12.5%, while also allowing a short handed goal. On 36 shorthanded chances, the Sabres gave up 11 goals, which is good for a 69.4% penalty kill percentage. They will need to drastically improve their special teams play if they wish to sustain their winning ways.
Recent performance: The Sabres came out victorious in their last game, defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning 2 to 1 in a shootout. Zemgus Girgensons score the tying goal with less than 4 minutes left in regulation to propel the Sabres into overtime. Jhonas Enroth made 2 saves in overtime and 2 more in the shootout to secure the win.
Buffalo notes: The Sabres are still in eighth place in the Atlantic with 20 points, five points behind the Senators. They are tied for 26th, but have been bumped to 27th place by the Flyers who have one less game played. Tyler Ennis leads the way with 16 points (7g, 9a) while Zemgus Girgensons has a team-high eight goals. Enroth is 6-10-1 on the year with a .913% and 3.08GAA
Opponent notes: For the Panthers, they are led by Nick Bjugstad with 10 goals and 15 points on the season. Aaron Ekblad has four goals with 10 assists on the year and Jussi Jokinen has 11 assists, a team-high. In net, Roberto Luongo leads the way with an 8-5-6 record and .924% and a 2.39GAA. Florida sits 18th with 27 points which puts them sixth in the division
Conclusion: Buffalo looks to continue their recent winning ways on the road as they play the Florida Panthers on Saturday evening at 7:00 p.m.