Florida Panthers at Buffalo Sabres
NHL game between the Florida Panthers and the Buffalo Sabres on Oct 12, 2026. Final score: Florida Panthers 3, Buffalo Sabres 5.
| Status | Final |
|---|---|
| Date | Oct 12, 2026 |
| Venue | KeyBank Center |
| Florida Panthers score | 3 |
| Buffalo Sabres score | 5 |
Shot charts, expected goals (xG), Game Score and advanced box scores for this game are available on Hockey Alchemy.
Three Stars by Game Score
Ranked by Game Score, which rolls goals, assists, shot quality, play-driving and penalties into one number — so the best player is chosen by the box score, not by a vote.
| Player | Pos | G | A | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Olen Zellweger | D | 0 | 1 | 6 | 20:03 | 0.53 | 1.61 |
| 2nd | Peyton Krebs | C | 0 | 2 | 0 | 15:08 | 0.06 | 1.43 |
| 3rd | Tage Thompson | C | 1 | 1 | 1 | 17:58 | 0.18 | 1.41 |
Scoring Summary
| Time | Team | Goal | Assists | Strength | Score (Florida Panthers–Buffalo Sabres) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st 05:58 | BUF | Josh Doan | Peyton Krebs | 5v5 | 0–1 |
| 1st 11:00 | FLA | Anton Lundell | Aaron Ekblad, Sandis Vilmanis | 5v5 | 1–1 |
| 1st 15:55 | BUF | Rasmus Dahlin | Jack Quinn, Tage Thompson | 5v4 | 1–2 |
| 2nd 06:26 | FLA | Sam Reinhart | Seth Jones, Matthew Tkachuk | 4v5 | 2–2 |
| 2nd 11:25 | BUF | Ryan McLeod | Olen Zellweger, Owen Power | 5v5 | 2–3 |
| 2nd 13:41 | FLA | Sam Reinhart | Brady Tkachuk, Seth Jones | 4v5 | 3–3 |
| 3rd 07:15 | BUF | Noah Ostlund | Zach Benson, Jack Quinn | 5v4 | 3–4 |
| 3rd 13:20 | BUF | Tage Thompson | Owen Power, Peyton Krebs | 5v5 | 3–5 |
Team Comparison
| Florida Panthers | Buffalo Sabres | |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 3 | 5 |
| Shots on goal | 23 | 32 |
| Expected goals (xG) | 4.37 | 3.53 |
| High-danger shots | 18 | 15 |
| Corsi % | 56.2% | 43.8% |
| Power play | 2/4 | 2/5 |
| Faceoff % | 52.6% | 47.4% |
| Hits | 42 | 14 |
| Blocks | 5 | 17 |
| Giveaways | 15 | 14 |
| Takeaways | 4 | 2 |
Florida Panthers Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Reinhart | C | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 20:27 | 1.09 | 1.08 |
| Anton Lundell | C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 14:51 | 0.49 | 1.06 |
| Brady Tkachuk | L | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 16:32 | 0.80 | 1.05 |
| Sandis Vilmanis | L | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 12:21 | 0.00 | 0.88 |
| Seth Jones | D | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 23:55 | 0.34 | 0.86 |
| Matthew Tkachuk | L | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 18:25 | 0.04 | 0.60 |
| Aaron Ekblad | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 20:25 | 0.41 | 0.46 |
| Garnet Hathaway | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10:05 | 0.18 | 0.35 |
| Eetu Luostarinen | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 16:37 | 0.60 | 0.19 |
| Bokondji Imama | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8:56 | 0.00 | 0.10 |
| Sam Bennett | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 15:34 | 0.09 | 0.07 |
| Lars Eller | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12:36 | 0.14 | -0.04 |
| Gustav Forsling | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 24:10 | 0.15 | -0.16 |
| Niko Mikkola | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19:48 | 0.01 | -0.46 |
| Dmitry Kulikov | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14:32 | 0.00 | -0.60 |
| Radko Gudas | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12:27 | 0.01 | -0.83 |
| Carter Verhaeghe | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17:37 | 0.02 | -0.90 |
| Sam Lafferty | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14:54 | 0.00 | -0.99 |
Buffalo Sabres Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olen Zellweger | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 20:03 | 0.53 | 1.61 |
| Peyton Krebs | C | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 15:08 | 0.06 | 1.43 |
| Tage Thompson | C | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 17:58 | 0.18 | 1.41 |
| Jack Quinn | R | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 17:35 | 0.06 | 1.38 |
| Rasmus Dahlin | D | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 9:06 | 0.24 | 1.28 |
| Mattias Samuelsson | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 26:59 | 0.04 | 1.27 |
| Ryan McLeod | C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 16:04 | 0.23 | 1.26 |
| Owen Power | D | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 26:31 | 0.01 | 1.13 |
| Zach Benson | L | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 19:40 | 0.55 | 1.07 |
| Josh Doan | R | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 16:15 | 0.35 | 0.97 |
| Noah Ostlund | C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 17:54 | 0.18 | 0.75 |
| Beck Malenstyn | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9:56 | 0.47 | 0.69 |
| Konsta Helenius | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14:52 | 0.02 | 0.50 |
| Jiri Kulich | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 13:52 | 0.16 | 0.45 |
| Zach Metsa | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15:38 | 0.00 | 0.40 |
| Tyson Kozak | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10:46 | 0.02 | 0.35 |
| Josh Norris | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 11:24 | 0.35 | 0.15 |
| Louis Crevier | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 15:03 | 0.06 | 0.03 |
Goaltending
| Goalie | Team | SV | SA | SV% | GSAx | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akira Schmid | Florida Panthers | 18 | 21 | 85.7% | -1.22 | L |
| Jacob Markstrom | Florida Panthers | 9 | 11 | 81.8% | -0.68 | |
| Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen | Buffalo Sabres | 13 | 14 | 92.9% | 1.94 | W |
| Colten Ellis | Buffalo Sabres | 7 | 9 | 77.8% | -0.57 |
Analysis
The Buffalo Sabres defeated the Florida Panthers 5–3 on Oct 12, 2026.
Buffalo Sabres generated 3.53 expected goals to Florida Panthers's 4.37 — Florida Panthers owned the better of the chances but Buffalo Sabres took the game, the kind of split that usually means finishing or goaltending decided it.
Olen Zellweger led all skaters with a Game Score of 1.61 on 1 assist, 6 shots on goal.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 13 of 14, worth 1.94 goals saved above expected.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the Florida Panthers vs Buffalo Sabres game?
The Buffalo Sabres beat the Florida Panthers 5–3 on Oct 12, 2026.
What was the final score?
The final score was Buffalo Sabres 5, Florida Panthers 3.
Who was the best player in this game?
By Game Score — a single-number summary of everything a skater did — Olen Zellweger led all skaters at 1.61, on 0G, 1A and 6 shots on goal.
Which team deserved to win by expected goals?
Buffalo Sabres generated 3.53 expected goals and Florida Panthers generated 4.37, so Florida Panthers created the better chances. The scoreboard went the other way, which points to finishing or goaltending.
What were the shot totals?
Florida Panthers put 23 shots on goal and Buffalo Sabres put 32. High-danger chances went 18 to 15.