Main storyline: After an impressive win against the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night, the Buffalo Sabres (19-38-5) begin a five-game road trip this afternoon in Sunrise, Florida against the Panthers (26-22-13).
Season series: Saturday is the fifth and final meeting between the division foes. The last meeting came January 2, when the Roberto Luongo and the Panthers shut out the Sabres 2-0 in Buffalo as part of the Sabres’ franchise record 14-game losing streak. The Sabres are 1-3-0 this season against the Panthers, with its only win coming December 13 when Nikita Zadorov scored the overtime winner in Buffalo.
Where they stand: The Sabres continue to clim its way out of the basement, and are now just three points behind 29th place Edmonton and four points behind 28th place Arizona. Edmonton is back at home to host the St. Louis Blues on Saturday, while the Coyotes are on the road for a cross-conference game against the Boston Bruins.
Recent performance: The Sabres grabbed the lead early against the Canucks on Thursday, and never fell behind throughout the matchup. The Sabres had big performances from players who could be gone come Monday’s NHL Trade Deadline. Torrey Mitchell had two goals in the game, Chris Stewart had another goal, and Andrej Meszaros also added a goal in the 6-3 win. Michal Neuvirth was also good stopping 28 shots of 31 faced, and kept the Sabres lead in tact in the third period. For the Panthers, it’s been a struggle as the Cats have lost four straight games. The most recent game was a 3-0 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks at home on Thursday. Florida is just four points out of the final wild card spot in the East, but have lost ground with the past four games.
Buffalo notes: Saturday afternoon is the final matinee game the Sabres will have all season. The Sabres have three wins in four games this season that begin at 5pm or earlier. It could be safe to say that the Sabres almost prefer to play earlier in the day than later. The Sabres have won two straight games heading into the final game before the NHL Trade Deadline on Monday. There are many players on the Sabres roster that could be shipped out of Buffalo on Monday, and many of those players have found their game in recent games. Chris Stewart has three points in the past two games, and 13 points in the past 17 games. Torrey Mitchell had two goals on Thursday, and has four points in his last five games on a line with Matt Moulson and Brian Gionta. And Michal Neuvirth has had a great stretch of games since the trade of Jhonas Enroth. In the seven starts since the trade, Neuvirth has a 3-2-2 record with a .945 save-percentage. Neuvirth is expected to get the start on Florida once again.
Florida notes: The 2014-15 season for the Panthers has been a turn-around from last season when the Panthers ended up finishing second last to the Sabres. The Panthers are just four points out of a wild card position in the Eastern Conference, but have lost four straight games. However, on Thursday Panthers general manager Dale Tallon made a splash in the trade market by acquiring 43-year old Jaromir Jagr from the New Jersey Devils. In exchange, the Panthers give up this year’s second round pick and a conditional third round pick this year as well. Jagr has had his struggles as of late in New Jersey, being held pointless in the past eight games. Maybe a change of scenery will help Jagr recapture a scoring touch in Florida. Roberto Luongo is expected to get the start on Saturday, and will look to end Florida’s losing skid.
Conclusion: The Sabres look to go for its third straight win, while the Panthers look to snap its slump and get a win to inch its way closer to a playoff spot. Face-off is scheduled for 3pm today, and the game can be seen on MSG Network.