Sabres vs. Panthers: Projected Lines, Betting Odds, How to Watch & More 2/15/24

The Buffalo Sabres [23-25-4] will look to maintain their composure and urgency as the Florida Panthers [34-15-4] steamroll into town tonight. Coming off a 7-0 win on Tuesday, the Sabres cannot afford to be overrelaxed. The Panthers are riding a nine-game road winning streak, including a 5-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins tonight.

Head coach Don Granato acknowledged that Florida has some pot-stirrers on their roster, and wants his team to remain disciplined and focused. Staying in the moment is important, as Buffalo must string together wins to try to change their inconsistent play this season.

Must Read: Sabres Dethrone Kings in 7-0 Shutout Victory

How to Watch

Gametime: 7:00 p.m. ET

Location: KeyBank Center (Buffalo, NY)

TV: MSG (Buffalo); BSFL (Sunrise)

Stream: MSG+; ESPN+ (Out of market)

Radio: WGR550

The Sabres

When you win a game in such a dominating fashion, there’s no reason for any lineup changes. Thus, the Sabres will run the same lines and pairs Thursday night. That also means Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is in net, whose four shutouts this season is the most in a single season since Ryan Miller in 2011-2012.

It will be interesting to see the line matchups tonight, as Granato and the Sabres have the last change at home. Recently the Jordan Greenway, Casey Mittelstadt, and Alex Tuch line have been out there against top opponents, but the Panthers have two top-scoring lines.

Aleksander Barkov’s line features the team’s leading scorer Sam Reinhart. Matthew Tkachuk, last season’s leading scorer for Florida, started the season slow but has picked up the pace over the last couple of months. He skates on a line with Sam Bennett.

The Panthers

Former Sabres second-overall pick Sam Reinhart is the spotlight of the Panthers this season. Reinhart is looking to register his 40th goal of the campaign. He has a team-best 64 points in 53 games, putting him on pace for 60 goals and 99 points on the season.

Reinhart is one of four Panthers at a point-per-game pace or better. Tkachuk, Barkov, and Carter Verhaeghe are the others.

As for between the pipes, Anthony Stolarz is the likely starter tonight. Sergei Bobrovsky recorded 25 saves and the win in Pittsburgh last night, leaving the Sabres to face the Florida backup.

Stolarz has not been your average backup this season, however. He’s saving nearly half a goal per game above expected and has a 2.11 goals-against average. His 91.7% save percentage is the best of any goalie on both teams in this contest.

Injury Report

Buffalo

• Owen Power (Hand) Week-to-Week
• Jack Quinn (Lower Body) Out 5-7 Weeks
• Mattias Samuelsson (Upper Body) Out For Season [IR]

Florida

• William Lockwood (Concussion) Day-to-Day

Buffalo Sabres

Jeff Skinner – Tage Thompson – Kyle Okposo

Zach Benson – Dylan Cozens – JJ Peterka

Jordan Greenway – Casey Mittelstadt – Alex Tuch

Zemgus Girgensons – Peyton Krebs – Victor Olofsson

Rasmus Dahlin – Henri Jokiharju

Ryan Johnson – Connor Clifton

Jacob Bryson – Erik Johnson

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (Confirmed)

Florida Panthers

Carter Verhaeghe – Aleksander Barkov – Sam Reinhart

Nick Cousins – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk

Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Evan Rodrigues

Jonah Gadjovich – Kevin Stenlund – Ryan Lomberg

Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad

Niko Mikkola – Brandon Montour

Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Dmitry Kulikov

Anthony Stolarz (Likely)

Lineup Source: PuckLuck Projected

Goalie Source: PuckLuck Projected

Betting Odds Breakdown

If you’re impressed by the Sabres’ last win and looking to roll with them tonight over the Panthers, you’re in luck. The sportsbooks’ consensus is about a 44% chance of Buffalo winning tonight, while the PuckLuck model shows an edge at nearly 47%.

The edge also carries over to the puckline, although straight betting the Sabres +1.5 goals may not be as enticing at -190.

Then we come to the under, which is predictably the value here with the outstanding play of Luukkonen and Stolarz this season. Yes, Florida can score consistently, but that’s what drives our betting edge here. Look for this one to be a little tighter than the public may think, and watch the line if it moves to a better value than -120 at 6.5 goals.

For more betting analysis across the NHL, be sure to head over to PuckLuck.com.

*PuckLuck.com provides data related to gambling and cannot guarantee the success of any suggested or related wagers. Please gamble responsibly.*