Buffalo Sabres vs Florida Panthers Prediction, Preview and Odds - 02/27/2026

Game Time: 7:00 pm ET, Friday, February 27, 2026

Venue:  Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise, FL 

Where to Watch:  NHL Network

DraftKings:  Moneyline:  Sabres +105, Panthers -125; Over/Under:  6.5 goals

Bet365:  Moneyline:  Sabres +105, Panthers -125; Over/Under:  6.5 goals

BetMGM:  Moneyline:  Sabres +105, Panthers -125; Over/Under:  6 goals

Buffalo Sabres:  33-19-6 (3rd place, Atlantic Division)

Florida Panthers:  29-25-3 (8th place, Atlantic Division)

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Buffalo Sabres:  7-2-1 last 10

Florida Panthers:  4-6-0 last 10

The Sabres are entering this game with 72 points, a 33-19-6 record overall, and they are 16-11-3 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the New Jersey Devils in their last game, winning that one on the road 2-1. Peyton Krebs and Tage Thompson each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Peyton Krebs, Tage Thompson, and Bowen Byram each led the team in assists with 1 while Mattias Samuelsson led the team in shots on net in that game with 4. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 1 goal on 28 shots with 27 saves and a .964 save percentage. Their offense has scored 197 goals this season averaging 3.4 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 177 goals against them allowing 3.1 goals per game.

The Panthers are entering this game with 61 points, a 29-25-3 record overall, and they are 15-13-3 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the Tampa Bay Lightning in their last game, losing that one on the road 6-1, but this is also the 2nd game of a back-to-back for them with their game against the Toronto Maple Leafs still to be played on Thursday night. In their game against the Lightning, Mackie Samoskevich scored 1 goal for them in that one. Anton Lundell and Jesper Boqvist each led the team in assists with 1 while Mackie Samoskevich led the team in shots on net in that game with 7. Daniil Tarasov was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 5 goals on 25 shots with 20 saves and a .800 sv percentage before being replaced by Sergei Bobrovsky who allowed 1 goal on 3 shots. Their offense has scored 174 goals this season averaging 3.1 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 191 goals against them allowing 3.4 goals per game.

The current betting odds have the Sabres listed as a slight underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Sabres have looked in their games this season with their 33-19-6 record overall which has them in the top half of their division in the East. They have been a good road team too with their 16-11-3 road record this year. Meanwhile, the Panthers haven't looked good in their games this season with their 29-25-3 record overall which has them right at the bottom of their division in the East. They haven't looked that great on home ice either with their 15-13-3 home record this season. The Panthers are the back-to-back defending Stanley Cup Champions, but they have been struggling a lot this year and they are finally seeing some regression after 2 long years being the best in the NHL. They have a lot of work coming out of the Olympic Break if they want to make the playoffs and they haven't looked that great lately either. They went into the break off a 6-1 loss to the Lightning and they are 4-6-0 in their last 10 games too. They aren't in a great situation here either, playing their first game back from the break on Thursday against the Maple Leafs who also need to get their act together, so they aren't going to have their best effort here on a back-to-back. The Sabres are going to be rested though and they have picked up right where they left off going into the break. They are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games and they are off a 2-1 road win over the Devils in their first game back. The Sabres have a lot more momentum on their side right now and they can take advantage of the Panthers in a bad situation here, especially since the Sabres are pushing to snap a long playoff drought this season. The best way to place a bet here is on the Sabres to win this game. 

Sabres Panthers Prediction:  Our NHL Pick for Friday, February 27, 2026 (7:00 pm ET start time) is Sabres 4 Panthers 1.

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Buffalo Sabres: 31-29 (+8.4 units) on the moneyline when playing against a marginal winning team (Win Pct. 51% to 60%). 61-70 (+7.3 units) on the moneyline against explosive offensive teams - scoring 3+ goals/game. 59-50 (+17.5 units) on the moneyline after playing a road game. 9-5 UNDER as an underdog of +100 to +150.

Florida Panthers: 44-38 (-16 units) on the moneyline as a home favorite of -200 or less. 39-31 (-7.4 units) on the moneyline revenging a same season loss vs opponent. 44-39 (-9.6 units) on the moneyline when playing against a marginal winning team (Win Pct. 51% to 60%). 62-39 UNDER against poor defensive teams - 29 shots on goal or more, convert 17% pp or more.

Buffalo Sabres:  Z. Benson (LW) Out - Upper Body. J. Greenway (LW) Out - Abdomen. C. Timmins (D) Out - Leg. J. Danforth (RW) Out - Lower Body. J. Kulich (C) Out - Ear.

Florida Panthers:  D. Kulikov (D) Out - Upper Body. T. Nosek (LW) Out - Knee. T. Bjornfot (D) Out - Undisclosed. S. Jones (D) Out - Upper Body. J. Gadjovich (LW) Out - Upper Body. A. Barkov (C) Out - Knee.

"I didn't feel great out there, but no better way to find it than just jumping right in. I was trying to keep it as simple as I can, keep short shifts. I felt better as the game got going." - Tage Thompson after their win against the Devils in their game on Wednesday.

“This is a veteran team that clearly understands what is ahead of us. We don’t have 25 games left. We have 25 one-game (seasons) left. You really narrow your focus and don’t get ahead of yourself. Like the playoffs, don’t carry a loss into the next day. Cut it off and move on.” - Paul Maurice on getting back into the playoff race in the final stretch of the season. 

LW Peyton Krebs

C Tage Thompson

RW Alex Tuch

LD Mattias Samuelsson

RD Rasmus Dahlin

G Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

LW Carter Verhaeghe

C Evan Rodrigues

RW Sam Reinhart

LD Gustav Forsling

RD Aaron Ekblad

G Sergei Bobrovsky

Points: Tage Thompson (61)

Goals: Tage Thompson (31)

Assists: Rasmus Dahlin (37)

GAA: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (2.65)

Points: Sam Reinhart (55)

Goals: Sam Reinhart (27)

Assists: Sam Reinhart (28)

GAA: Daniil Tarasov (2.83)

Coaches:

Buffalo Sabres: Lindy Ruff (2nd season)

Florida Panthers: Paul Maurice (4th season)