Our Florida Panthers vs Buffalo Sabres preview covers the odds, puck line, total, start time, TV channel and where to watch on Monday, October 12, 2026. The Florida Panthers (2-1-2 this season; 40-38-4 in 2025-26) visit the Buffalo Sabres (2-3-0 this season; 50-23-9 in 2025-26) at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, N.Y. Puck drop is 1:00 PM ET (1:00 PM local). TV: MSG-B / SCRIPPS / Sportsnet / TVA Sports.
Storyline: Both teams lost at home on Saturday. Minnesota beat Florida 4-1 as Kirill Kaprizov scored three goals, the last into an empty net, and Jesper Wallstedt made 29 saves; Matthew Tkachuk scored for the Panthers. Utah beat Buffalo 4-1, scoring four straight goals after Tage Thompson opened the scoring on a first-period power play. ESPN lists Brad Marchand (leg) as out for Florida. Buffalo won three of four meetings last season (NHL.com). DraftKings lists Florida at -115 and Buffalo at -105 on the moneyline, with the total at 6.5.
Florida Panthers vs Buffalo Sabres Odds, Puck Line & Game Info
| Matchup | Florida Panthers @ Buffalo Sabres |
|---|---|
| 2026-27 Records | Florida Panthers 2-1-2 | Buffalo Sabres 2-3-0 |
| 2025-26 Records | Florida Panthers 40-38-4 | Buffalo Sabres 50-23-9 |
| Head Coaches | FLA: Paul Maurice (5th season) | BUF: Lindy Ruff (3rd season) |
| Puck Line | FLA -1.5 (+220) | BUF +1.5 (-270) |
| Moneyline | Florida Panthers: -115 | Buffalo Sabres: -105 |
| Total | O/U 6.5 (o+114 / u-135) |
| Venue | KeyBank Center (Buffalo, N.Y.) |
| Date / Time | Monday, October 12, 2026 — 1:00 PM ET |
| TV / How to Watch | MSG-B / SCRIPPS / Sportsnet / TVA Sports |
| Probable Starting Goalies | FLA: Jacob Markstrom (probable, per ESPN; not confirmed) | BUF: Colten Ellis (probable, per ESPN; not confirmed) |
Odds via DraftKings (through ESPN), cross-checked on Action Network, as of Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026, ~6:20 PM ET. Other books listed the same total at research time. Lines move, so check your sportsbook before puck drop. ESPN lists Jacob Markstrom (Florida) and Colten Ellis (Buffalo) as probable starters, not yet confirmed at research time.
Florida Panthers Preview: Tkachuk Leads a 2-1-2 Start
2025-26 recap: Florida went 40-38-4 (84 points), finished seventh in the Atlantic Division and missed the playoffs one year after winning a second straight Stanley Cup. Barkov missed the entire season. Sam Reinhart led the team with 61 points (29 goals, 32 assists) in 64 games, Sam Bennett had 58 points, Carter Verhaeghe had 55 and Brad Marchand scored 27 goals in 52 games (NHL.com).
Offseason moves: Florida acquired forward Brady Tkachuk from Ottawa on June 21 to join his brother Matthew. He had 59 points in 60 games last season. The Panthers also added goalies Jacob Markstrom (New Jersey) and Akira Schmid (Vegas), forwards Lars Eller and Garnet Hathaway, and defenseman Radko Gudas. Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky now plays for Toronto, Daniil Tarasov for Detroit and Mackie Samoskevich for Seattle (NHL.com).
Key players & coach: Reinhart, Bennett, Verhaeghe, the Tkachuk brothers, Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen and Eller lead the forwards. Aaron Ekblad, Gustav Forsling, Seth Jones, Niko Mikkola, Gudas and Dmitry Kulikov are on defense. Paul Maurice is in his fifth season as coach.
Goalies: Jacob Markstrom has started four games and is 2-1-1 with a .916 save percentage (76 saves on 83 shots). Most recently, he made 25 saves on 28 shots in a 4-1 loss to Minnesota (Oct. 10). Akira Schmid has started one game and is 0-0-1 with an .875 save percentage (28 saves on 32 shots). That start was a 4-3 overtime loss at San Jose (Oct. 1). ESPN lists Jacob Markstrom as the probable starter for Monday (not confirmed at research time).
Season so far: Florida is 2-1-2 through five games, with 9 goals scored and 12 allowed. Results: a 1-0 overtime win at Carolina (Sept. 29), a 4-3 overtime loss at San Jose (Oct. 1), a 3-2 overtime loss at Anaheim (Oct. 4), a 2-1 win at Los Angeles (Oct. 6) and a 4-1 loss to Minnesota (Oct. 10). Matthew Tkachuk has four points (three goals, one assist), and Lars Eller has three assists (NHL.com).
Injuries: Brad Marchand (leg) is listed as out; Aleksander Barkov (lower body) and Jonah Gadjovich (upper body surgery) are on injured reserve (ESPN).
Buffalo Sabres Preview: Two Straight Losses at Home
2025-26 recap: Buffalo went 50-23-9 (109 points), won the Atlantic Division, beat Boston in six games in the first round and lost to Montreal in seven games in the second round. Tage Thompson led the team with 81 points (40 goals, 41 assists), Rasmus Dahlin had 74 points, Alex Tuch scored 33 goals and Ryan McLeod had 54 points (NHL.com).
Offseason moves: Buffalo added defensemen Matt Grzelcyk and Louis Crevier from Chicago and Olen Zellweger from Anaheim. Tuch now plays for Washington, and defenseman Bowen Byram (42 points) now plays for Chicago (NHL.com).
Key players & coach: Thompson, Jack Quinn, Josh Doan, McLeod, Josh Norris, Zach Benson, Jiri Kulich, Noah Ostlund and Konsta Helenius lead the forwards. Dahlin, Owen Power, Mattias Samuelsson, Crevier, Grzelcyk and Zellweger are on defense. Lindy Ruff is in his third season as coach.
Goalies: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has started three games and is 1-2-0 with a .782 save percentage (43 saves on 55 shots). Most recently, he made 14 saves on 18 shots in a 4-0 loss to Dallas (Oct. 8). Colten Ellis has started two games and is 1-1-0 with an .880 save percentage (44 saves on 50 shots). Most recently, he made 26 saves on 30 shots in a 4-1 loss to Utah (Oct. 10). ESPN lists Colten Ellis as the probable starter for Monday (not confirmed at research time).
Season so far: Buffalo is 2-3-0 through five games, with 11 goals scored and 19 allowed. Results: a 6-3 loss at Columbus (Oct. 1), a 4-3 win over Chicago (Oct. 3), a 3-2 overtime win over Minnesota (Oct. 6), a 4-0 loss to Dallas (Oct. 8) and a 4-1 loss to Utah (Oct. 10). Tage Thompson has five points (three goals, two assists), and Owen Power has five points (one goal, four assists) (NHL.com).
Injuries: Jason Zucker (abdomen surgery), Alex Lyon (upper body) and Conor Timmins (lower body) are on injured reserve; Topias Leinonen (lower body) and Jack Rathbone (undisclosed) are on the injured non-roster list (ESPN).
Key Matchup Notes: Panthers vs Sabres
- Schedule spot: Both teams last played Saturday, so neither is on a back-to-back. Florida visits Columbus on Tuesday, and Buffalo visits Montreal on Tuesday.
- Last season: Buffalo won three of four meetings last season. Florida won 4-3 in Buffalo on Jan. 12, 2026. Buffalo won 3-0 at home on Oct. 18, 2025, 5-3 in Florida on Feb. 2 and 3-2 in Florida on Feb. 27 (NHL.com).
- Special teams: Florida is converting 3.6 percent of its power plays and has killed 77.3 percent of penalties. Buffalo is converting 5.9 percent of its power plays and has killed 62.5 percent of penalties (NHL.com).
- Scoring: Florida has scored 9 goals and allowed 12 in 5 games. Buffalo has scored 11 goals and allowed 19 in 5 games.
- Odds snapshot: Florida -115 / Buffalo -105 on the moneyline, Panthers -1.5 (+220) on the puck line, total 6.5 (DraftKings).
How to Watch Florida Panthers vs Buffalo Sabres
Date: Monday, October 12, 2026
Puck drop: 1:00 PM ET (1:00 PM local)
Venue: KeyBank Center, Buffalo, N.Y.
TV: In the U.S., MSG-B carries it in the Sabres’ market and Scripps Sports (SCRIPPS) carries it in the Panthers’ market (NHL.com). In Canada, Sportsnet and TVA Sports carry it (NHL.com). ESPN also lists ESPN+ streaming. No U.S. national TV broadcast is listed at research time.
Check the puck line, moneyline and total above against your sportsbook before the October 12, 2026 puck drop, and look for confirmed starting goalies closer to game time.