The Florida Panthers are set to take on the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday, aiming to extend their impressive road winning streak to double digits. Having already secured a nine-game road winning streak, the Panthers are on the brink of making history. The current record for consecutive away victories in a season is held by the 2014-15 Minnesota Wild and the 2005-06 Detroit Red Wings, who both achieved 12 straight wins. Only ten NHL teams have managed road win streaks of 10 or more games in a single season.
With a record of 16-8-2 at home and their road dominance, the Panthers are trailing the Boston Bruins by just two points for the top spot in both the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference.
In their recent 5-2 away win against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Panthers had a slow start, with only seven shots taken in a scoreless first period. However, Matthew Tkachuk’s goal at 4:28 of the second period opened the floodgates, leading to three more goals in just over eight minutes.
Tkachuk, along with linemates Sam Bennett and Nick Cousins, had a strategic approach to the game, focusing on physicality to wear down the Penguins’ defense. Tkachuk’s goal and two assists in that game added to his impressive performance over the past six weeks, with 35 points (13 goals, 22 assists) in his last 19 games.
Historically, the Panthers have dominated the Sabres, boasting a 15-4-1 record in their last 20 games against them since the 2016-17 season. Additionally, in their last 22 visits to Buffalo, the Panthers have a 15-4-3 record.
Despite the Sabres trailing the Panthers by 22 points in the standings, they are coming off their best victory of the season, a 7-0 win against the Los Angeles Kings, with eleven Sabres players contributing at least one point.
The Sabres’ success often hinges on scoring first, as they are 17-3-1 when achieving this, although they have scored first in fewer games than any other team except the New Jersey Devils.
With goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in top form, having posted three shutouts, a .941 save percentage, and a 1.60 goals against average in his last 12 games, the Sabres will look to build on their recent momentum.
Given that Sergei Bobrovsky started in the game against the Penguins, Anthony Stolarz is expected to start in the second half of the Panthers’ back-to-back set. Stolarz has been impressive as Bobrovsky’s backup, with a 2.11 GAA and a .917 save percentage over 16 games (14 starts).
The Panthers have been strong in the second game of back-to-backs this season, with a record of 3-0-1. Buffalo forward JJ Peterka has been a key contributor, with seven points (five goals, two assists) in his last five games.
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