The Buffalo Sabres finally got their first win of the season on Wednesday night with an 8-4 win over the Ottawa Senators. They are now set to take the ice on Saturday against the Florida Panthers in a game that they were not expected to have much chance at the beginning of the season.
The Panthers are two-time Stanley Cup champions, but this is not the same lineup they had when they won the cup. They unfortunately find themselves in a similar situation the Sabres did earlier this season, with a number of key players out due to injuries.
The holes in the lineup started before even the regular season began, as Matthew Tkachuk had surgery in August to repair an injury suffered during the 4 Nations Face-off. Then during training camp, Aleksander Barkov suffered a knee injury that will keep him out for the majority of the regular season.
More recently, Dmitry Kulikov had surgery for an upper-body injury that will also keep him out for the majority of the season. The injuries have been piling up, and for the Florida Panthers, it has resulted in losing their last three road games.
Buffalo Sabres have to capitalize on a depleted Florida Panthers team
The Buffalo Sabres are trying to find their way back to the playoffs, but there isn't any chance they are going to be confused for a Stanley Cup contender. Their path to the playoffs is beating the teams they should and hoping they can steal a game or two against the top tier of the league.
For that reason, this is now becoming a must-win game for the Sabres because there won't be many times over the course of the season that they have the chance to add two points to their total in games against the Florida Panthers.
It is still early in the season, and the Panthers' focus right now is to be good enough to get to the playoffs and hope that by that time, they have a fully healthy roster. A loss for them in the fourth game of a five-game road trip, with how many players they are missing, won't change anything for them.
For the Sabres, though, they need to build momentum after an ugly 0-3 start. They are dealing with a lot of outside noise and if they suffer a loss after their win against the Senators, that noise and doubt will come roaring back.