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On Saturday, the Florida Panthers will battle the Buffalo Sabres at the KeyBank Center. It will be a battle in Upstate New York as we share our NHL odds series and make a Panthers-Sabres prediction and pick.
The Panthers are 1-1 after losing 3-1 to the Ottawa Senators on Thursday in Canada. Unfortunately, they fell behind early and could not solve Linus Ullmark. The Cats crashed down to Earth after a solid season-opening win.
The Sabres lost 3-1 to the Los Angeles Kings. Sadly, they could not muster up much scoring and also allowed Anze Kopitar to strike three times. Buffalo hopes to bounce back from this collapse.
Here are the Panthers-Sabres NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Panthers-Sabres Odds
Florida Panthers: -1.5 (+188)
Moneyline: -137
Buffalo Sabres: +1.5 (-230)
Moneyline: +114
Over: 5.5 (-134)
Under: 5.5 (+110)
How To Watch Panthers vs Sabres
Time: 7 PM ET/4 PM PT
TV: ESPN+, Scripps, and Madison Square Garden +
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why the Panthers Could Cover the Spread/Win
- The Panthers have held Tage Thompson to just four goals, five assists, and a plus-minus of -10 over 16 games.
- The Panthers have held Rasmus Dahlin to one goal and eight assists with a plus-minus of -7 over 18 games.
- Matthew Tkachuk has netted 10 goals and 12 assists over 17 games against the Sabres.
- Sam Reinhart has potted three goals and nine assists over 11 games against the Sabres.
- The Panthers are 9-1 over the past 10 games against the Sabres.
The Panthers stumbled badly on Thursday after dominating the Boston Bruins. Now, the defending champs must bounce back as they face the Sabres.
Sam Bennett leads the team with two goals and one assist. Likewise, Sam Reinhart has netted a goal and an assist through two games. Matthew Tkachuk has distributed two helpers. Also, Evan Rodrigues has added one goal and one assist. But the Cats suffered a big hit as Aleksander Barkov sustained an injury in the third period against the Sens and may miss some time. Regardless, the Panthers have such great depth and are able to overcome this.
Sergei Bobrovsky is 1-1 with a 3.04 goals-against average and a save percentage of .897. Like last season, he struggled in a game after a strong showing. This defense played loose and allowed the Sens to control this game, and they will look to rectify it against Buffalo.
The Panthers will cover the spread if Tkachuk, Bennett, and Reinhart continue to produce scoring chances. Then, Bobrovsky must bounce back, and the defense must tighten up.
Why the Sabres Could Cover the Spread/Win
- The Sabres are 6-4 against the spread over the past 10 games against the Panthers.
- The Sabres are 3-1 against the spread over the past four games against the Panthers.
- Alex Tuch has scored three goals and three assists over 15 games against the Panthers.
- The Sabres are 4-1 in their last five games against the spread.
- The Sabres were 21-19-1 at home last season.
Thompson is the best scorer on this team. However, the Sabres expect more from him, as he scored one goal in three games. Alex Tuch has tallied one goal and one assist over three games. Meanwhile, Owen Power has tallied a goal. This offense has averaged just 1.66 goals per game. Yet, they have the playmakers to do much more.
The Sabres have not announced who will be in the net. So far, Ukko-Pekka Luukonen and Devon Levy have split the net. Pekka Luukonen is 0-1 with a 3.05 goals-against average and a save percentage of .864, while Levy is 1-0 with a 3.17 goals-against average and a save percentage of .919.
The Sabres will cover the spread if they can get their offense going and convert on their chances. Then, the defense must avoid giving the Panthers too many chances or scoring opportunities.
Final Panthers-Sabres Prediction & Pick
The Panthers are 1-1 against the spread, while the Sabres are 0-3 against the odds. Ultimately, Florida split their first two games, while the Sabres looked horrendous over their first three games.
The Panthers dominated this series in 2023-2024 and even shut them out in Buffalo in one game. Ultimately, they have an explosive offense that can go off at any time, and they have dominated all facets of the game when everything has been firing on all cylinders. Their defense can be suffocating and strong.
The Sabres have struggled to do much of anything over the first three games. Consequently, their offense has looked lost, and stars like Thompson and Dahlin are not pulling their weight yet. The Sabres will eventually win a game. However, drawing the Panthers while on a three-game losing streak does not increase their chances. Because of this, I expect the Panthers to cover the spread on the road.
Final Panthers-Sabres Prediction & Pick: Florida Panthers -1.5 (+188)
