Florida Panthers (23-12-4 50P) at Buffalo Sabres (15-20-4 34P)
- WHEN: 7:00 p.m. ET – LBC GameThread right here at 6:30ish
- WHERE: First Niagara Center – Buffalo, NY/
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- ON THE TUBE: FOX Sports Florida, BELL TV, MSG -B
- ON THE DIAL: 560, 640, 760, 1210 (AM); 97.7, 107.9 (FM); Official App
- SOCIALLY SPEAKING: #FlaPanthers, #Sabres, #FLAvsBUF, @LitterBoxCats, LBC FaceBook page
- ENEMY INTEL: Die By The Blade
- SB NATION: Game Hub /
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- FLA IN SEASON SERIES: Game 3 of 4 (1-1-0)
- ALL-TIME vs BUF: 36W-39L-4T 5OTL 2SOL 208GF 242GA
- ALL-TIME at BUF: 15W-21L-3T 4OTL 0SOL 92GF 122GA
- LAST FIVE vs BUF: 3-1-1 15GF 12GA/
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- PROJECTED STARTERS: Luongo (17-11-3 .929/2.09 3SO), Ullmark (5-9-2 .914/2.56 0SO)
- JAGR WATCH: All-time vs BUF (regular season): 85GP 44G-58A 102P 4GWG
- PLAYER STATS: Florida / Buffalo /
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NOTES:
Panthers G Roberto Luongo has posted a shutout in his last three starts, two with the Cats – one with the Canucks, at First Niagara Center. F Dave Bolland was left at home and is not expected back until after the All-Star break. The Cats 10-6-2 record on the road is the 9th best in the league. Rookie Connor Brickley was returned to the Portland Pirates to get more playing time. Buffalo enters the tilt on a four-game losing streak, with three of those losses coming on home ice. The Sabres have dropped 16 of 23 since beating the Panthers on November 12 at the BB&T Center. Rookie F Jack Eichel is on hot streak with 11 points (4G/7A) over the last 7 games.
NHL.com Preview:
Fourth-line left wing Nicolas Deslauriers will miss 3-5 weeks with a lower-body injury sustained in a 4-3 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday, coach Dan Bylsma told the Sabres website. “I think he’s been our most physical guy the last 10 games,” Bylsma said. “Marcus [Foligno] getting back in there has offered that as well, but Nic’s been a pretty annoying guy with those 10 minutes in being physical and being hard. We saw it be a factor in a number of our games … It’s something we’re going to miss.” Forward Tyler Ennis (upper body) is week-to-week after being hit into the boards in a game against the Washington Capitals last Wednesday. (More)
Yahoo.com Preview:
Florida is the surprise leader in the Atlantic Division, thanks to a 15-3-0 stretch that includes team records for the longest overall (nine) and home (seven) winning streaks after beating Minnesota 2-1 on Sunday. The Panthers are aiming for the longest overall run in the NHL since Boston won 12 straight March 2-22, 2014. Florida’s streak started with a 5-1 win over the New York Islanders on Dec. 15, going on to win the last three of a four-game trip. (More)
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Last game for the Cats: 2-1 regulation victory over Minnesota Sunday. Past five: 5-0-0 13GF 5GA (streak: 9W)
Last game for the Sabres: 4-3 regulation loss vs Detroit on Saturday. Past five: 1-4-0 12GF 16GA (streak: 4L)
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Sunday in the Atlantic Division (Standings / Panthers Playoff Chances):
- Washington (28-7-3 59P) at BOSTON (28-13-4 44P), 7:00
- MONTREAL (22-15-3 47P) at Philadelphia (15-15-7 37P), 7:30 NBCSN
- TAMPA BAY (19-16-4 42P) at Calgary (18-18-2 38P), 9:00
- Idle: DET (47P) OTT (42P), TOR (37P)/
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Panthers, SoFla Media & Loyal Opposition on the Tweets
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