Buffalo Sabres (29-23-4, sixth in the Atlantic Division) vs. Florida Panthers (29-25-6, fifth in the Atlantic Division)
Sunrise, Florida; Friday, 7 p.m. EST
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK NHL LINE: Panthers -189, Sabres +160; over/under is 7
BOTTOM LINE: The Buffalo Sabres visit the Florida Panthers after Tage Thompson recorded a hat trick in the Sabres' 6-5 overtime win against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Florida is 10-3-2 against the Atlantic Division and 29-25-6 overall. The Panthers rank first in NHL play serving 12.0 penalty minutes per game.
Buffalo is 29-23-4 overall and 7-9-1 against the Atlantic Division. The Sabres have conceded 197 goals while scoring 209 for a +12 scoring differential.
Friday's game is the third time these teams square off this season. The Panthers won 4-3 in the previous matchup.
TOP PERFORMERS: Carter Verhaeghe has 30 goals and 22 assists for the Panthers. Sam Reinhart has five goals and two assists over the past 10 games.
Thompson has 39 goals and 36 assists for the Sabres. Rasmus Dahlin has nine assists over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Panthers: 6-4-0, averaging 3.7 goals, 5.6 assists, 4.1 penalties and 10 penalty minutes while giving up three goals per game.
Sabres: 5-4-1, averaging 3.5 goals, 5.5 assists, 3.4 penalties and 7.6 penalty minutes while giving up 3.8 goals per game.
INJURIES: Panthers: Anthony Duclair: out (achilles), Sam Bennett: day to day (undisclosed), Patric Hornqvist: out (upper-body).
Sabres: None listed.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
