Florida @ Buffalo preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 19, 2019 ) Buffalo 2, Florida 4

A potent power play has allowed the Buffalo Sabres to collect seven of a possible eight points to match their best four-game start to a season since 2009-10. The Sabres vie to begin a campaign with three straight home wins for the first time since 2008-09 when they host the Florida Panthers on Friday.

Captain Jack Eichel has three goals and four assists over his last three games after recording two of each in Buffalo's 5-4 overtime victory over Montreal on Wednesday. "Jack is just one of the very elite players in the league and his game isn't even near complete," Sabres new coach Ralph Krueger said. "So, I'm just really excited to be coaching a player with that skill set. I'm going to work hard every day to try and help him get better." Florida has limped out of the gate after sustaining its second three-goal loss in three contests with a 6-3 setback to Carolina on Tuesday. "Some of those goals were self-inflicted," Panthers coach Joel Quenneville said after watching two-time Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky yield four tallies in the first period. "When you're down one or two goals at home it hurts and it's got to bother you and you've got to get excited about it. I didn't like our response."

TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN-Plus, Sportsnet1, FS Florida, MSG-B (Buffalo)

ABOUT THE PANTHERS (1-2-0): Captain Aleksander Barkov, who notched a pair of assists on Tuesday, tormented Buffalo by scoring four goals and setting up as many in the four-game season series in 2018-19. Fellow forward Jonathan Huberdeau also had eight points (two goals, six assists) against the Sabres in 2018-19 as Florida won three of four from its Atlantic Division rival. Mike Hoffman, who is off to a red-hot start with four goals and two assists this season, scored in the Panthers' 4-3 setback in Buffalo on Jan. 3.

ABOUT THE SABRES (3-0-1): Eichel joined rookie Victor Olofsson in scoring on the power play versus the Canadiens, giving Buffalo multiple goals with the man advantage in three straight games for the first time since March 4-7, 2009. "It's a great power play right now," the 24-year-old Olofsson said after his team improved to impressive 8-for-15 with the man advantage this season. "We got a lot of confidence out there. I feel like all five guys can score, which makes it hard to defend against." Olofsson became the fourth player to score each of his first six career goals on the power play, joining Winnipeg's Craig Norwich (1979-80), Hartford's Sylvain Turgeon (1983-84) and the New York Islanders' Jeff Norton (1987-88 to 1989-90).

OVERTIME

1. Florida D Keith Yandle competed in his 800th consecutive contest on Tuesday, joining Doug Jarvis (964), Garry Unger (914), Steve Larmer (884) and Andrew Cogliano (830) as the lone skaters to play in at least that many games in a row.

2. Buffalo's Rasmus Dahlin, 19, can tie Los Angeles' Drew Doughty (2009-10) and Larry Murphy (1980-81) for the longest season-opening point streak by a teenage defenseman on Friday should he dent the scoresheet in his fifth straight game.

3. Bobrovsky sports a sterling 11-5-1 record with one shutout and a .922 save percentage in 17 career starts against the Sabres.

PREDICTION: Panthers 4, Sabres 2