SUNRISE, Fla. – All eyes are on South Florida.
Following an incredibly eventful week of wheeling and dealing, the Florida Panthers (39-21-3) will host the Buffalo Sabres (24-31-6) at Amerant Bank Arena on Saturday at 6 p.m. ET.
Making five trades prior to Friday’s deadline, the Panthers shocked the hockey world less than 24 hours ago when they acquired former Stanley Cup champion Brad Marchand from the Boston Bruins in exchange for a conditional second-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft.
While the former Bruins captain and 16-year NHL veteran is currently week-to-week with an injury, the Panthers expect him to fit right in when he does eventually make his debut.
“A lot of experience,” captain Aleksander Barkov said when asked about what he expects Marchand to bring to the Panthers. “Regular season, but then obviously playoffs. He’s a winner. He won the Stanley Cup with Boston. Every year, he’s been a part of really good teams. He has that experience of playing meaningful games. Everyone knows what kind of player and human he is. We’re excited to have him on our side for once.”
In joining the Panthers, Marchand essentially makes the rich a little bit richer.
Sitting first in the Atlantic Division, the defending Stanley Cup champions extended their winning streak to five games with a 3-0 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday.
A potent one-two punch of the top line, Barkov and Sam Reinhart led the charge up front for the Panthers, with each superstar forward registering a goal and two assists in the win.
Notching an assist, Aaron Ekblad extended his point streak to five games.
Earning his fourth shutout of the season, Sergei Bobrovsky stopped all 16 shots he faced.
On fire, “Bob” is 9-2-0 with a .942 save percentage over his last 11 starts.
By backstopping the Panthers to a win over Columbus, the two-time Vezina Trophy also moved into a tie with Tony Esposito for 10th place on the NHL's all-time wins list with 423.
That being said, a new face will be between the pipes for Florida tonight.
Acquired from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for forward prospect Patrick Giles, Vitek Vanecek will make his debut.
Arriving to South Florida with plenty of experience under his belt, the 29-year-old veteran goaltender has appeared in 181 career NHL games between San Jose (2024-25), the New Jersey Devils (2021-22 to 2023-24) and Washington Capitals (2020-21 to 2021-22), going 94-52-20 with a .903 save percentage, 2.82 goals-against average and nine shutouts.
In his career against Buffalo, Vanecek has gone 10-2-1 with a .917 save percentage.
Also coming over from San Jose in a separate trade, Nico Sturm, who along with a 2027 seventh-round pick was acquired in exchange for a 2026 fourth-round pick, will also take the ice for the first time as a Panther.
Snapping back draws at an exceptional rate, the German center holds a league-best 62.7% faceoff win percentage.
“It’s always the integral part of my game,” Sturm said of his success in the circle. “You get the puck, and you don't have to chase it the rest of your shift, which is always nice. It helps on a penalty kill, which is obviously a part of my game as well.”
Going in the opposite direction of the Panthers, the Sabres currently sit last in the Eastern Conference with just 54 points.
Shaking things up at the deadline, the Sabres acquired Josh Norris and Jacob Bernard-Docker from the Ottawa Senators for Dylan Cozens, Dennis Gilbert and a second-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
The key piece of Buffalo’s return, Norris had notched 33 points (20 goals, 13 assists) in 53 games with Ottawa this season.
Norris is expected to be in the lineup for the Sabres tonight.
“The offense is there for them,” head coach Paul Maurice. “They’re more dangerous at this time of the year. They’re not looking at the playoffs; they’re looking at next year. Some of their risk changes in the game. They’ve got some dynamic defensemen.”
In a barnburner on Thursday, the Sabres fell 6-5 to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Zach Benson (two assists), Ryan McLeod (two assists), JJ Peterka (goal, assist), and Rasmus Dahlin (goal, assist) each recorded two points for Buffalo in defeat.
Despite their record, the Sabres remain a threat to fill up the back of the net on any given night, possessing the league’s 11th-ranked offense with an average of 3.18 goals per game.
Leading the way, Thompson and Alex Tuch have scored 31 and 24 goals, respectively.
One of the NHL’s most-dynamic defensemen, Dahlin leads Buffalo’s blueliners with 51 points (11 goals, 40 assists) and a +9 plus/minus rating in 53 games.
In net, the Sabres will either turn to Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (20-19-4, .890 save percentage, 3.14 goals-against average) or James Reimer (2-7-2, .895 save percentage, 2.99 goal-against average).
Surrendering one or fewer goals in each game of their five-game winning streaks – including posting two shutouts – the Panthers want to see that trend continue against Buffalo.
“We’ve been good,” Barkov said. “We’ve been playing the right way, exactly how we’ve wanted to. We’ve been building. We know some areas we can get better at. Each game, we get better at those. Keep building, keep learning to play better. Same thing tonight.”
THEY SAID IT
“It's probably the best-case scenario for me. I'm super excited to be here and help this team win another Stanley Cup.” -- Nico Sturm on joining the Panthers
“His record speaks for itself. We're thrilled to have him aboard. We'll see where it goes.” -- Bill Zito on acquiring Brad Marchand
"Really excited. Brad's an amazing person. Great player. He brings out the best in everyone every day. He's a competitor. Whether it's in practice or in games, he always seems to elevate everyone around him." – A.J. Greer on what Brad Marchand will bring to Florida
FIVE CATS STATS
- Aleksander Barkov has tallied 36 points (10G, 26A) in 31 career games against Buffalo.
- Florida is 11-2-0 in their last 13 games against Buffalo.
- Mackie Samoskevich has scored in four of the last seven games.
- Sam Reinhart has netted 120 goals over his last 227 games.
- Niko Mikkola leads the Panthers with 79 blocked shots.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Carter Verhaeghe – Aleksander Barkov – Sam Reinhart
Mackie Samoskevich – Sam Bennett – Evan Rodrigues
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Jesper Boqvist
A.J. Greer – Nico Sturm – Tomas Nosek
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones
Dmitry Kulikov – Nate Schmidt
Goaltenders
Vitek Vanecek
Sergei Bobrovsky
RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
- March 7: Acquired forward Brad Marchand from the Boston Bruins for a conditional 2027 second-round selection
- March 6: Acquired Kaapo Kahkonen from the Winnipeg Jets for Chris Driedger
- March 6: Acquired Nico Sturm and a 2027 seventh-round selection from the San Jose Sharks for 2026 fourth-round selection
- March 5: Acquired Vitek Vanecek from the San Jose Sharks for Patrick Giles
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Saturday, March 8 at 6 p.m. ET
Where: Amerant Bank Arena – Sunrise, FL
TV & Streaming: Panthers+, WSFL-TV, WHDT, WFTX, ESPN+ (out of market)
Radio: 790 WAXY (Dade/Broward); 1230 WBZT-AM & 1 WZZR-FM (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); Panthers App; SiriusXM App & Streaming 931
Theme: Paddyfest
Tickets: Click Here
*Jameson Olive contributed to this article
