Panthers face division rival as they battle to get back into a playoff spot

Buffalo is above Florida in the Atlantic right now, and that alone changes the temperature. The Sabres are 24-15-4 for 52 points, while the Panthers are 23-18-3 for 49.

The scary part is Buffalo is not just winning, they are stacking wins like a team tired of waiting. They've won 13 of their last 14 games, and the building has been feeling it every night.

Florida's travel hasn't been gentle either, especially with the lineup constantly taped together. Brad Marchand is dealing with an undisclosed injury, and Seth Jones is expected out a couple of weeks.

As a Panthers fan, this one feels like the kind of road game that tells you who you are.

Saturday in Ottawa was exactly the template Florida needs to repeat, stay calm, cash special teams, survive the late push. Bobrovsky stopped 17 of 19, and the Panthers got power-play goals from Evan Rodrigues and Carter Verhaeghe.

The season line is still a little uneasy, which is why Saturday mattered. Bobrovsky sits at 18-12-1 with a 2.90 goals-against average and an .881 save percentage, and Florida needs the best version of him until help arrives.

On the other end, Buffalo's crease story has turned into a real subplot. Alex Lyon is out indefinitely, and he leaves behind a 10-6-3 record with a 2.82 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage.

So Monday is simple, but not easy, Florida cannot gift Buffalo's rush game with messy puck management, and it can't take penalties that light up KeyBank Center. If the Cats keep their shifts tight again, the road trip suddenly looks a lot less like trouble.