3 Things: Bufalo Sabres at Florida Panthers:- 3/2/18

The Sabres will take on the Florida Panthers, who are fighting to stay in the playoff picture, tonight in a big Atlantic Division game.

Here are three things to watch for in tonight's game:

1.) LIMIT MISTAKES- SABRES

The Sabres need to limit their mistakes and play smart game. If they turn the puck over then they need to back check because if they don't then the Panthers will take it right into the offensive zone for a scoring chance. The Sabres need to make sure that the passing lanes are open and that they pass can't be deflected for the Panthers to go back the other way on an odd man rush. If a shot is there, then it needs to be taken instead of trying for the additional pass, which could be picked off and go the other way for a Panthers odd man rush or scoring chance. The Sabres just need to make sure that they make the smart play and not the high risk one that could be taken back the other way.

2.) TOP SIX FORWARDS- PANTHERS

The top six forwards for the Panthers do most of the damage for the team on the score sheet. If Evgenii Dadonov, Aleksander Barkov, Nick Bjustad, Jonathan Huberdeau, Vincent Trocheck and Denis Malgin get going then it cold be a long night for the Sabres. The six forwards have combined for a whopping 258 points of total offense. The top six can not only play in the offensive zone, but some of them are really good in their own zone. If the top six of the Panthers are ready to go early and have the chemistry clicking then the Sabres better watch out.

3.) GOALTENDING- SABRES & PANTHERS

The goaltending could be a deciding factor in this game since both teams will have their chances. The teams are going to need to make life for the goalies miserable by getting some traffic in front and going for deflections. The goalies are going to have to make the easy save, and if they let in a soft goal put it behind them pretty quick. They will need to make sure that they have good positioning and if they are out of position, they'll need to get back or hope that a teammate is there to help them out. The goaltenders may have to make some spectacular saves since they have not exactly been playing at Vezina-like levels all year.