How to Watch Sabres at Panthers: New Lines, Goalies, Bet Info

FORT LAUDERDALE — Uvis Balinskis has taken a long road to the NHL, but tonight he plays in No. 100 when the Florida Panthers play host to the Buffalo Sabres.

Balinskis was almost 26 when he signed with the Panthers while playing in the Czech League, telling FHN that he had not given up on playing in the NHL — it had just not happened.

“For the past couple of years, I was not really thinking about the NHL anymore,” Balinskis said after making Florida’s opening night roster in 2024.

“I was just trying to be the best player in the league where I was playing. Last year was a good season and there was some interest from Florida. I sort of forgot about the NHL, but then it all came back.”

He has certainly been a nice find for the Panthers and this year, his first full season in the NHL, has been a strong one.

Balinskis has played in 73 games for Florida and will on the top pairing with Gus Forsling for his milestone night in Sunrise.

“It is pretty awesome,” Balinskis said Saturday morning. “I signed here two years ago and was hoping for a little sniff, maybe play in a couple of games. Now, I’m here with 100. I’ve been through more than some guys get in their whole career. It’s been pretty awesome to have the chance to sign here and go through all of that.”

SABRES @ PANTHERS

• The Panthers will rest Sasha Barkov and Sam Reinhart tonight; Sam Bennett and Dmitry Kulikov could join them back in the lineup Monday against the Rangers.
• Tonight is Fan Appreciation Night at The Vault. The team asks that fans be in their seats by 5:30 for the second annual ‘Panthers Awards’ pregame celebration. The Panthers will award three players with three awards voted on by media, the team and Panthers fans: Three Stars, Unsung Hero, and Fan Choice Award.
• All fans will receive the final player trading card pack of the three-part Upper Deck collection. The team will also do its annual ‘Jerseys Off Our Back’ immediately following the conclusion of tonight’s game.
• How to Watch: Tonight’s game is on local TV and can be streamed locally on Panthers+. Those who live outside the Panthers viewing territory can stream the game on ESPN+.
• Starting Goalies: The Panthers will go with Vitek Vanecek; Buffalo will start former Panthers goalie James Reimer.
• NHL Betting Odds: The local book once again has Florida as a favorite (-185) on the money line. To win with the Panthers, a $185 bet pays $100.

ON DECK: GAME No. 80

BUFFALO SABRES at FLORIDA PANTHERS

• When: Saturday, 6 p.m.
• Where: Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise
• Local TV: Scripps Sports — WSFL 39 (Miami/FTL); WPTV 5/WHDT 9 (WPB); LAFF 36.3 (SWFla)
• Streaming: Panthers+; ESPN+
• Radio: WPOW 96.5-FM2; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM
• Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932, NHL App
• Betting Odds — Panthers Favored: Money Line (-185); Puck line (-1.5, +130); Over/Under 5.5 (-115/-105)
• Last Season: Panthers Won 3-0
• This Season (Panthers lead 2-1) — At Buffalo: Sabres 5, Panthers 2 (Oct. 12); Panthers 5, Sabres 2 (Oct. 28). At Florida: Panthers 4, Sabres 0 (March 8); Sunday.
• All-time Regular Season Series: Florida leads 59-46-8, 4 ties
• Up Next for the Panthers: Monday vs. New York Rangers, 7 p.m.

PROJECTED FLORIDA PANTHERS (46-29-4; 96 points) LINES

27 Eetu Luostarinen // 15 Anton Lundell //63 Brad Marchand

23 Carter Verhaeghe // 17 Evan Rodrigues // 25 Mackie Samoskevich

20 Jesse Puljujarvi // 8 Nico Sturm // 70 Jesper Boqvist

10 A.J. Greer // 74 Rasmus Asplund // 12 Jonah Gadjovich

42 Gus Forsling // 26 Uvis Balinskis

77 Niko Mikkola // 3 Seth Jones

6 Jaycob Megna // 88 Nate Schmidt

41 Vitek Vanecek

72 Sergei Bobrovsky

Scratched: Sasha Barkov, Sam Reinhart, Matt Kiersted

Injured: Matthew Tkachuk (lower body), Dmitry Kulikov (upper body), Sam Bennett (UBI), Tomas Nosek (illness)

Suspended: Aaron Ekblad

PROJECTED BUFFALO SABRES (35-37-6; 76 points) LINES

9 Zach Benson // 20 Jiri Kulich // 72 Tage Thompson

77 JJ Peterka // 71 Ryan McLeod // 22 Jack Quinn

17 Jason Zucker // 19 Peyton Krebs // 89 Alex Tuch

29 Beck Malenstyn // 36 Noah Ostlund // 81 Sam Lafferty

23 Mattias Samuelsson // 26 Rasmus Dahlin

25 Owen Power // 24 Jacob Bernard-Docker

4 Bowen Byram // 75 Connor Clifton

47 James Reimer

1 Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

Scratched: Jacob Bryson

Injured: Tyson Kozak (hip strain), Jordan Greenway (lower body), Josh Norris (middle body)