Game number 10

Buffalo saber (4-4-1) vs. Florida Panthers (6-3-1)

Puck drop: 7:00 p.m. EDT | KeyBank Center

TV: MSG-B, ESPN+

Know your opponent

Florida Panthers

Record: 6-3-1 | 13 PTS

Last game: 6-3 win against Islanders

Division ranking: 1

PP: 15th, 20.0% (5/25 Opps) (Sabre: 32nd, 3.9% (1/26 Opps))

PK: 4th, 89.3% (25/28 dead) (Sabre: 16th, 77.8% (21/27 dead))

1. Return of the Stanley Cup Champions

The Sabers went winless in their first three games to start the season when the defending champions came to Buffalo. Surprisingly, Buffalo controlled the game at the time and got its first win of the season.

Tonight, the Sabers are on a three-game winning streak and have points in five of their last six games. The Panthers are on a two-game winning streak themselves and are once again leading the division. It’s early days, but there are five teams in the division with four wins, so there’s already quite a logjam.

2. Do you feel better now?

Buffalo needed time to prepare for the new season, but some of the hallmarks of a Lindy Ruff team are starting to emerge. Despite some early injury concerns and the non-existent second line, the Sabers are starting to put up some points and look like a competent hockey team.

There’s still a lot of work to be done to shore up the struggling defense, and both goaltenders are still allowing plenty of goals, but with the offense getting up to speed (at 5v5, no less), the signs are good.

3. Raz’s growing influence

It was so mysterious that it had to be an anomaly. It was strange that Rasmus Dahlin was an anonymous spectator in this squad at the start of the season. He had just been named team captain for the season and people were starting to wonder if that was too difficult a task for the Swede. There had been talk of a lingering injury, and then there was an argument with Peyton Krebs throughout practice, and everything indicated that there were some off-ice issues that needed to be addressed.

Well, that seems to be a thing of the past now, as in the last few games we’re seeing the Dahlin we’ve become accustomed to. He starts to control the game better with the puck on his stick and that’s when he’s at his best.

NB: Owen Power is battling an illness and may miss tonight.

Buffalo saber

Forward

JJ Peterka – Tage Thompson – Alex Tuch
Nicolas Aube-Kubel – Dylan Cozens – Jack Quinn
Jordan Greenway – Ryan McLeod – Jason Zucker
Beck Malenstyn – Peyton Krebs – Sam Lafferty

defense

Rasmus Dahlin – Henri Jokiharju
Bowen Byram-Owen Power
Mattias Samuelsson – Connor Clifton

Goalkeeper: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (expected starter), Devon Levi

Florida Panthers

Forward

Evan Rodrigues – Aleksander Barkov – Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Jesper Boqvist
AJ Greer – Patrick Giles – Mackie Samoskevich

defense

Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Dmitry Kulikov
Uvis Balinskis – Nate Schmidt

Goalkeeper: Sergei Bobrovsky (planned starter), Spencer Knight