Against the Florida Panthers
2022-23 Matchups: October 15th at 1pm, January 16th at 1pm, February 24th at 7pm, April 4th at 7pm
The Florida Panthers won the Presidents’ Trophy in 2021-22, before falling to the Lightning in Eastern Conference Semis four games to zero. Some have ranked the Panthers lower this season, given the arrival of a new head coach in Paul Maurice plus the departures of Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar.
But, Matthew Tkachuk is no joke, and is without a doubt one of the best young players in the game. However, the Panthers also lost a first round pick and a high end prospect in Cole Schwindt. Anthony Duclair won’t be there to start the season, and they also could not re-sign Claude Giroux.
I can honestly see the Buffalo Sabres stealing an upset during the October 15th matinee. But they don’t play the Panthers again until January 16th, by which time Duclair will have returned and Tkachuk will have also had time to mesh with his new teammates. Odds are, they will have also bought into Maurice’s system.
So don’t be surprised if the Sabres pull it out early on. But I can see the Panthers taking the next two games while the Sabes win the April 4th matchup in a nail-biter. So, I’m going to get bold here and predict a 2-2 season series.