Barkov Returns for Panthers Against Surging Sabres

The Florida Panthers will have reinforcements this time around versus the Buffalo Sabres. Aleksander Barkov returns to the lineup for the first time since October 10th, giving the Panthers a near-full lineup in a divisional matchup. The Sabres defeated the Panthers on October 12th, 5-2, as they took advantage of a depleted Florida lineup.

Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, and Sergei Bobrovsky did not participate in the previous Sabres matchup against Florida. Tkachuk has played three games since. Bobrovsky, who served as the backup against the Sabres, will get the start in net tonight.

Previous Matchup: Samuelsson, Jokiharju Step Up In Sabres Win Over Panthers

Where to Watch

Gametime: 7:00 p.m. ET

Location: KeyBank Center (Buffalo, NY)

TV: MSG; SCRIPPS

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

Radio: WGR550

Sabres Gameday

By all accounts, it appears Nicolas Aube-Kubel will return to the Sabres lineup tonight. Aube-Kubel took line rushes yesterday with Dylan Cozens and Jack Quinn, and has previously practiced on a line with Ryan McLeod and Jordan Greenway.

Regardless of where he slots in, head coach Lindy Ruff said, “In all likelihood” Jiri Kulich will be the healthy scratch. The rookie was Buffalo’s lowest-graded Sabres forward over the past two games, as he continues to develop some consistency. Bowen Byram worked on the right flank of the second powerplay unit to confirm the notion that Kulich would not play.

More Sabres: How Ruff is Matching Up Sabres Lines

Owen Power has been dealing with an illness but took the full morning skate. Ruff said he assumes Power will be available to play despite missing most of Saturday’s third period.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was working in the starter’s net and should be the goalie tonight for Buffalo.

Florida Panthers

A nearly complete lineup means that the Panthers can ditch the 11 forwards and seven defensemen lineup they’ve been using and reunite some of their Stanley Cup-winning combinations. Barkov will return to centering the top line between former Sabres Evan Rodrigues and Sam Reinhart. Tkachuk, Carter Verhaeghe, and Sam Bennett form one of the NHL’s most dangerous second lines.

Jameson Olive of FloridaPanthers.com reports that Adam Boqvist, the team’s top powerplay quarterback, will be the one coming out of the lineup. That leaves either Uvis Balinskis or Aaron Ekblad to man the point on the top unit.

Bobrovsky has backstopped the Panthers to points in four of his last five starts despite a sub-.900 save percentage. The Sabres have scored four or more goals in six straight games, so Bobrovsky will have to be sharp in this one to give the Panthers a chance.

Injury Report

Buffalo Sabres

• Zach Benson (Lower Body) Day-to-day

Florida Panthers

• Jonah Gadjovich (Back) Out
• Tomas Nosek (Upper Body) Out [IR]
• Justin Sourdif (Undisclosed) Out [IR]

Projected Lineups

Buffalo Sabres

Forwards (Projected)

JJ Peterka – Tage Thompson – Alex Tuch

Nicolas Aube-Kubel – Dylan Cozens – Jack Quinn

Jason Zucker – Ryan McLeod – Jordan Greenway

Beck Malenstyn – Peyton Krebs – Sam Lafferty

Defense (Projected)

Rasmus Dahlin – Henri Jokiharju

Owen Power – Bowen Byram

Mattias Samuelsson – Connor Clifton

Goalie (Confirmed)

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

Florida Panthers

Forwards (Projected)

Evan Rodrigues – Aleksander Barkov – Sam Reinhart

Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk

Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Jesper Boqvist

A.J. Greer – Patrick Giles – Mackie Samoskevich

Defense (Projected)

Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad

Niko Mikkola – Dmitry Kulikov

Uvis Balinskis – Nate Schmidt

Goalie (Confirmed)

Sergei Bobrovsky

Source: Jameson Olive, FloridaPanthers.com

Betting Breakdown

With Barkov back, the read on the Florida Panthers and Buffalo Sabres is nearly identical between the sportsbooks and the PuckLuck predictive model. The consensus odds on the Panthers are hovering between -140 and -145, which implies a 58%-59% chance of Florida defeating the Sabres.

Since PuckLuck agrees, and there is a vig baked into sportsbook odds, there isn’t a betting edge on either side at the time of publishing this. The over isn’t much of a value at this point either, although PuckLuck projects a fifth of a goal more than the consensus set at six goals.

Since the moneyline, puckline, and game totals are dormant of a true betting edge, let’s look to a prop bet that shows plenty of value. Jack Quinn is off to a slow start this season and finally notched his first goal of the season, an empty-netter, against the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday.

He’s listed at +400 in places, which is a value based on his historical shooting ability. Good players don’t stay in slumps too long, and Quinn could be on the verge of breaking through.

If you’re not already signed up, here are a couple of places offering exclusive deals through Buffalo Hockey Now:

Fanatics: https://fanatics.onelink.me/5kut/1v32imkp

(Up to $1000 back.)

MGM: https://mediaserver.betmgmpartners.com/renderBanner.do?zoneId=1714117

(Up to $1,500 back.)

For more betting analysis across the NHL, 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.*