Panthers vs Sabres Today: Tkachuk Brothers Lead Florida Into Buffalo Matinee
Key takeaways
- The Florida Panthers visit the Buffalo Sabres on Monday at 1 pm Eastern time at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, with TV coverage on MSG-B, SN and other regional networks.
- Brothers Brady and Matthew Tkachuk skate together on Florida's top line with Sam Bennett, while Matthew leads the team with three goals and four points.
- Both clubs badly need points: Florida sits fifth in the Atlantic at 2-1-2, while Buffalo are 2-3-0 after a 4-1 home loss to Utah.
The Florida Panthers play the Buffalo Sabres in the NHL on Monday, October 12. The game is at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. Puck drop is at 1 pm Eastern time. It is a Monday matinee, an afternoon game on a holiday.
Florida come in at 2-1-2 with six points. That puts them fifth in the Atlantic Division. Buffalo are 2-3-0 with four points.
Both teams have gone five days without a win. Neither can afford to fall further behind the division leaders.
What happened
Florida's last game was a rough one. They lost 4-1 to the Minnesota Wild on Saturday. Coach Paul Maurice made a bold move in the third period.
He put brothers Brady and Matthew Tkachuk together on the top line with Sam Bennett. The trio stayed together at practice on Sunday. Now they start the Buffalo game as the first line.
Matthew Tkachuk has been Florida's best forward so far. He leads the team with three goals and four points in five games. He has a goal in three of the five games.
His shooting percentage is 27.3 percent, the best on the team. When he shoots, good things tend to happen.
Brady Tkachuk is still looking for his first point of the season. That sounds strange for a star player. But he plays big minutes, close to 18 per game.
He skates on the top line and the first power-play unit. The chances are there. The points should follow soon.
Florida's projected lineup shows their depth. Carter Verhaeghe, Sam Lafferty and Sam Reinhart form the second line. Eetu Luostarinen, Anton Lundell and Sandis Vilmanis make up the third.
The fourth line has Bokondji Imama, Lars Eller and Garnet Hathaway. On defence, Gustav Forsling pairs with Aaron Ekblad. Niko Mikkola plays with Seth Jones.
Dmitry Kulikov and Radko Gudas form the third pair.
In goal, Jacob Markstrom is expected to start for Florida. Akira Schmid is the backup. Markstrom gives the Panthers experience in net.
He will need to be sharp against Buffalo's young scorers.
But Florida have injury problems. Captain Aleksander Barkov is out with a knee injury. Brad Marchand is also out with a knee injury.
Jonah Gadjovich is out with a neck injury. Missing Barkov and Marchand hurts. They are two of the team's leaders.
Buffalo's story is about frustration. Their last game was a 4-1 home loss to the Utah Mammoth on Saturday. The Sabres did score on the power play in that game.
But little else went right. Before that, they won an overtime game that was overshadowed by an injury to forward Josh Doan.
The Sabres have talent. Tage Thompson and Owen Power each have five points this season. Thompson has three goals already.
Power has four assists from the blue line. They give Buffalo two real offensive weapons. The question is whether the rest of the team can support them.
Buffalo's projected lineup has Peyton Krebs centering Thompson and Doan on the top line. Zach Benson, Noah Ostlund and Jack Quinn form the second line. Jiri Kulich, Josh Norris and Konsta Helenius skate together on the third.
Ryan McLeod, Sam Carrick and Beck Malenstyn make up the fourth line.
On defence, Rasmus Dahlin pairs with Mattias Samuelsson. Owen Power plays with Zach Metsa. Olen Zellweger and Louis Crevier form the third pair.
Crevier just signed a four-year contract extension worth 16 million dollars. The club clearly believes in him.
In goal, Colten Ellis is expected to start for Buffalo. He has only 18 NHL games of experience. He will face a tough test behind a defence that allows 3.8 goals per game.
That is the sixth-worst mark in the league. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is the backup.
Buffalo also have injuries. Alex Lyon is out with an upper-body injury. Conor Timmins is out with a lower-body injury.
Jason Zucker is out after sports hernia surgery. The Sabres are not at full strength either.
Why it matters
Early-season games matter more than people think. Points earned in October count the same as points earned in March. The Atlantic Division is tight.
Tampa Bay and Ottawa have set the early pace. Florida and Buffalo cannot let the gap grow.
For Florida, this game is about a response. The 4-1 loss to Minnesota was poor. The team needs to show it was just one bad night.
The Tkachuk brothers playing together is the big story. Two brothers on the same top line is rare in the NHL. If they click, Florida become much harder to defend.
There is also a special-teams angle. Florida's power play has struggled badly. They rank near the bottom of the league.
They have scored only one power-play goal in four games. Against a Buffalo team that takes penalties, the power play must be better. This could be the game where it clicks.
For Buffalo, this game is about proving they belong. The Sabres have young talent everywhere. Thompson, Power, Dahlin and Benson could form a strong core for years.
But potential means nothing without results. The home fans want to see progress now, not promises for later.
The goaltending matchup is fascinating. Markstrom is the proven veteran. Ellis is the young player with something to prove.
If Ellis stands on his head, Buffalo can steal this game. If he struggles, the Sabres' defensive problems will be exposed again.
Monday matinees have their own feel. The building is full of families and kids out of school. The energy is different from a night game.
Players say afternoon games feel strange. The team that adjusts faster often wins.
There is also history between these clubs. Florida have been one of the NHL's best teams in recent years. Buffalo have been rebuilding.
Games like this show where the Sabres really stand. A win over Florida would be a statement. A loss would raise more questions.
What happens next
If Florida win, they move closer to the top of the Atlantic. Six points would become eight. The Tkachuk experiment would look smart.
The team would head home feeling good about the road trip. The power play might finally have some life.
If Buffalo win, the Sabres get back to .500 at 3-3-0. The young core would gain huge confidence. Beating a top team at home can change a season's mood. The fans would start to believe this year is different.
The game started at 1 pm Eastern. Fans could watch on several networks, including MSG-B, SN and SCRIPPS, depending on their region. Streaming was available on ESPN+.
For those who missed it, the highlights will show whether the Tkachuk brothers' reunion sparked Florida or Buffalo's young stars stole the show.
Both teams play again soon. The NHL schedule is relentless in October. There is no time to dwell on one result.
But Monday's matinee will linger. For Florida, it is about getting back on track. For Buffalo, it is about showing the rebuild is real.
By the final horn, one team will feel much better about its season. Hockey fans looking for more game coverage can read our explainers on Zizou Bergs' stunning tennis upset in Shanghai and Mike Evans' big night in the NFL. The NFL also delivered late drama with the Ravens' overtime win over the Falcons.
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