The Florida Panthers and the Buffalo Sabres meet Saturday night in NHL action from the KeyBank Arena. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Buffalo Sabres vs Florida Panthers Prediction.
Florida Panthers Recap
The Florida Panthers come into this one looking to rebound after a 3-1 loss at the hands of the Ottawa Senators last time out. After this game, Florida will continue their road trip with a rematch against the Boston Bruins.
Panthers Relying On Bennett To Lead Charge
Sam Bennett leads the Panthers with 3 points including a team-high 2 goals and an assist while Sam Reinhart and Evan Rodrigues each have a goal and an assist. Matthew Tkachuk has a pair of assists while Jonah Gadjovich, Eetu Luostarinen and Gustav Forsling all have a goal as well on the year. Anton Lundell leads the Panthers with 9 shots so far while Carter Verhaeghe and the aforementioned Bennett each have 8 shots so far on the year. Sergei Bobrovsky so far this season has a 1-1 record in goal for Florida with a 3.04 GAA and an .897 save percentage.
Why the Florida Panthers will win
- The Panthers have won 10 of their last 11 games against the Sabres.
- The Sabres have lost five of their last six games against Atlantic Division opponents.
- The road team has covered the puck line in each of the last six games between the Panthers and Sabres.
- The Sabres have failed to cover the puck line in seven of their last eight games as home underdogs against Atlantic Division opponents.
Buffalo Sabres Recap
The Buffalo Sabres come into this one still hunting for their first win after a 3-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings last time out. After this game, the Sabres will head out on the road for a date with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Sabres Offense Non-existent Out Of The Gate
Alex Tuch leads the Sabres with 2 points including a goal and an assists while Tage Thompson and Owen Power each have a goal. Jordan Greenway, JJ Peterka and Bowen Byram each have an assist while Dylan Cozens has a team-high 14 shots and Thompson has logged 11 shots so far this year. Ukka-Pekka Luukkonen is 0-2 with a 2.56 GAA and an .886 save percentage so far in goal for Buffalo while Devon Levi is 0-1 with a 3.17 GAA and a .919 save percentage.
Why the Buffalo Sabres will win
- The Sabres have won each of their last seven night games at KeyBank Center following a home loss.
- The Panthers have lost two of their last three games as favorites.
- The Sabres have covered the puck line in each of their last four night games at KeyBank Center following a home loss.
- The Panthers have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last four games as favorites against opponents on a losing streak.
Buffalo Sabres vs Florida Panthers Prediction
I’m on the Panthers in this one. I just think that this Sabres team is going to have issues. Normally, I wait for a bit of the season to go by before the Sabres shoot themselves in the foot. Nope, this season they’re getting right after it, and it doesn’t matter if it’s Europe, Buffalo or anywhere else, I think this team is going to struggle and struggle big time. The Panthers came out flat against Ottawa, but I think they bounce back here. I’ll side with Florida.