February 25, 2026; Newark, New Jersey, USA; Buffalo Sabers center Tage Thompson (72) celebrates after scoring a goal in the second period against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-Imagn Image The Buffalo Sabers want to solidify their spot in the playoffs. The Florida Panthers are hoping to get a little closer to making the postseason. Each will try to do just that when the Sabers face the Panthers on Friday in Sunrise, Florida.
Buffalo earned a 2-1 win over the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday in its first game since the NHL’s Winter Olympics suspension. The Sabers sit in the first Eastern Conference wild card spot. They are five points ahead of the first team on the other side of the cut-off line.
“We’re doing a really good job and I think every point in the season going forward is important for us, especially this one,” Sabers forward Tage Thompson said. “Especially against an East team… it was a big game (Wednesday). It wasn’t the prettiest game, but we found a way to get it done.”
After a whirlwind few days with plenty of travel and celebration following winning gold with Team USA at the Olympics, Thompson joined his team for a skate Wednesday morning. He then recorded a goal and an assist in 19:19 of ice time, extending his point streak to five games (three goals, three assists) and raising his season point totals to 31 goals and 30 assists.
“It shows the character of the guy and how bad he wants to help us win here,” teammate Payton Krebs said.
Krebs is filling in as left winger Thompson and Alex Turk in the absence of injured winger Jack Benson. In the win over the Devils, the 25-year-old Krebs had solid minutes of late after a slow start to the season. He also had an assist against New Jersey and has 11 points (five goals, six assists) in his last 12 games.
Meanwhile, the Panthers have won two of their last three games with a 5-1 win in their return against the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday. They scored three goals in the first period and added a pair of empty-net goals late in the third.
As a result, Florida fell within eight points of the Boston Bruins’ final spot in the Eastern Conference wild card. The two-time defending Stanley Cup champions sit nine points behind Buffalo.
“Everyone understands what we need to do and that is very important,” said goalkeeper Sergei Bobrovsky. “It’s a big win. It’s a big two points for us, but (Friday) is the other biggest game of the year.”
Brad Marchand scored twice in the win to tie Sam Reinhart for the team lead with 27 goals on the season. Marchand has 52 points, second among Panthers behind Reinhart’s 56 points.
“In the end, (ranking) points are important, right?” Marchand said: “We did a lot of good things. I thought we played really well as a group after a few weeks off. There are some things we can work on, but it was a good start.”
Friday’s contest will be the last of four meetings between the Atlantic Division foes. Buffalo won 5-3 in its most recent tilt at Florida on Feb. 2 and is 2-1-0 in season series.
–Field level media
