{"id":484119,"date":"2026-02-27T10:22:01","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T15:22:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=484119"},"modified":"2026-02-27T10:22:01","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T15:22:01","slug":"nhl-predictions-feb-27-buffalo-sabres-vs-florida-panthers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/02\/27\/nhl-predictions-feb-27-buffalo-sabres-vs-florida-panthers\/","title":{"rendered":"NHL Predictions: Feb. 27 Buffalo Sabres vs Florida Panthers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span>Welcome back to NHL Predictions. Each day, our writers here at\u00a0<\/span><em>Last Word On Hockey<\/em><span>\u00a0look at the games and give in-depth analysis. Our team breaks down the key matchups, storylines, and stats, then makes predictions based on how they might play out. Our featured game of this edition is the Buffalo Sabres taking on the Florida Panthers<\/span><span>. Don\u2019t forget to check out more\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/category\/nhl-predictions\/\" target=\"_self\">NHL Predictions<\/a>, as our writers continue this series throughout the 2025-26 season.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>NHL Predictions<\/h2>\n<h2><strong>Buffalo Sabres<\/strong>\u00a0vs Florida Panthers<\/h2>\n<h3>Head-to-Head: Sabres 2-1 Panthers<\/h3>\n<h3><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/full-guide-for-how-to-stream-and-watch-nhl-hockey-games\/\" target=\"_self\">How to Watch<\/a>:<span>\u00a0<\/span><strong>US TV: Scripps Florida; MSG Buffalo; ESPN+. Canada TV: Sportsnet.<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Time:<span>\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>7 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)<\/p>\n<p>We open up NHL predictions with our featured game between the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/02\/03\/buffalo-sabres-goaltender-to-miss-2026-milano-cortina-olympics\/\" target=\"_self\">Buffalo Sabres<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/02\/26\/nhl-rumours-panthers-in-limbo-bobrovsky\/\" target=\"_self\">Florida Panthers<\/a>. Buffalo is slated give former Florida goalie <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/l\/lyonal01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-02-27_hr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Alex Lyon<\/a> the start in this game. However, always check social media before locking in a daily fantasy starter. The Sabres are 7-2-1 in their previous 10 games, including a victory over the<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/02\/25\/nhl-predictions-buffalo-sabres-new-jersey-devils-february-25\/\" target=\"_self\"> New Jersey Devils<\/a> last time out. Gold medalist <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/t\/thompta01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-02-27_hr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tage Thompson<\/a> leads the club in goals (31) and points (61) so far this season.<\/p>\n<p>Florida is coming off a victory over the rival <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/02\/26\/nhl-predictions-feb-26-toronto-maple-leafs-vs-florida-panthers\/\" target=\"_self\">Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a> in its first game back from the Olympic break. However, the Panthers are 5-5 in their last 10 games entering this matchup. <span><a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=tarasda02,tarasda01&amp;search=Daniil+Tarasov&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-02-27_hr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Daniil Tarasov<\/a> is the likely starter after <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/b\/bobrose01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-02-27_hr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sergei Bobrovsky<\/a> got the call versus the Leafs. <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/r\/reinhsa01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-02-27_hr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sam Reinhart<\/a> is first on the team in assists (29) and points (56) for the Panthers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Both teams are trying to get points for different reasons. However, the Sabres should collect the win.<\/p>\n<p><em>Prediction: Sabres win 4-2.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<p><a id=\"BnymVlG_TJhSU8hbKvAhjg\" class=\"gie-single\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/2185325895\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'BnymVlG_TJhSU8hbKvAhjg',sig:'RM0C2Rhxi0WndDkPE0EgAXBpBX3i1GaAVPHvI25RlIA=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'2185325895',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n<h2>Vegas Golden Knights vs Washington Capitals<\/h2>\n<h3>2024-25 Season Series: Golden Knights 0-2 Capitals<\/h3>\n<h3>How to Watch:<span>\u00a0<\/span><strong>US TV: Scripps Vegas; Monumental Sports Network; NHL Network. Canada TV: Sportsnet; TVA Sports.<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Time:<span>\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>7 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)<\/p>\n<p><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.thescore.com\/nhl\/events\/32045\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Our second game<\/a> of NHL predictions has the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/02\/25\/nhl-predictions-feb-25-vegas-golden-knights-vs-los-angeles-kings\/\" target=\"_self\">Vegas Golden Knights<\/a> squaring off with the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/11\/19\/nhl-predictions-nov-19-edmonton-oilers-vs-washington-capitals\/\" target=\"_self\">Washington Capitals <\/a>for the first time this season. <span><a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/h\/hillad01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-02-27_hr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Adin Hill<\/a> is the expected starter for the Golden Knights, who have won the last three games in a row. Vegas is 4-4-2 in its last 10 games, but the team is starting to round into form. <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/e\/eicheja01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-02-27_hr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jack Eichel<\/a> leads the Golden Knights in assists (47) and points (68) so far, this campaign.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Canadian Olympian <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/t\/thomplo01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-02-27_hr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Logan Thompson<\/a> is the projected starter for the Capitals, who are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games. This includes victories in four of their last five games. Fellow Olympian <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/w\/wilsoto01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-02-27_hr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tom Wilson<\/a> leads the club in goals (23) and points (49).<\/p>\n<p>This is a rematch of a previous Stanley Cup Final. However, the Capitals are more rested and should get the win.<\/p>\n<p><em>Prediction: Capitals win 4-3.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<p><a id=\"Crq4uIWkT2dF4fZ7unF0Jw\" class=\"gie-single\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/2242994584\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'Crq4uIWkT2dF4fZ7unF0Jw',sig:'VDaIda2HIJIsUMxu4_02uUV4YaR2Kfrqxm431p9DFHA=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'2242994584',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n<h2>Minnesota Wild vs Utah Mammoth<\/h2>\n<h3>Head-to-Head: Wild 0-1 Mammoth<\/h3>\n<h3>How to Watch:<span>\u00a0<\/span><strong>US TV: Fox Sports North; Fox Sports Wisconsin; Utah16; KTSP; ESPN+. Canada TV: SN360.<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Time:<span>\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>9 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)<\/p>\n<p>Our last game of NHL predictions has the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/02\/12\/nhl-rumours-what-a-quinn-hughes-deal-could-look-like-for-minnesota-wild\/\" target=\"_self\">Minnesota Wild<\/a> looking to even up the season series against the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/02\/24\/nhl-rumours-utah-mammoth-must-address-their-centre-position\/\" target=\"_self\">Utah Mammoth<\/a>. <span><a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/w\/wallsje01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-02-27_hr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jesper Wallstedt<\/a> is the expected starter after the Wild played the night before. Minnesota is 8-1-1 in its previous 10 games, including six consecutive victories. <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/b\/boldyma01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-02-27_hr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Matt Boldy<\/a> has six goals and six assists for 12 points in the team&#8217;s last 10 games.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Utah is projected to give Czech goalie <span><a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/v\/vejmeka01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-02-27_hr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Karel Vejmelka<\/a> the start in this game. The Mammoth are 6-4 in their last 10 games but did lose to the<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/02\/24\/pittsburgh-penguins-colorado-avalanche-trade-veteran-defencemen\/\" target=\"_self\"> Colorado Avalanche<\/a> in their first game back from the Olympic break. Team captain <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/k\/kellecl01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-02-27_hr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Clayton Keller<\/a> leads the team in assists (38) and points (55).<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Both teams are seeking a postseason spot. However, the Wild have been red hot as of late.<\/p>\n<p><em>Prediction: Wild win 4-2.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Best Bets<\/h3>\n<p>We close out NHL predictions with some prop bets of the night. Let&#8217;s go back to the featured game for our preferred props. The over\/under for the Sabres versus the Panthers is 6.5, and we like the under in this game.<\/p>\n<p>As for individual props, go with <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/d\/dahlira01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-02-27_hr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rasmus Dahlin<\/a> to get at least one assist for Buffalo. One the Florida side of things, take <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/m\/marchbr03.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-02-27_hr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Brad Marchand<\/a> to score a goal.<\/p>\n<p><em>Main photo by: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Please play responsibly, check for your local rules and age restrictions, some jurisdictions require ages 21+. Gambling\u00a0<span class=\"s15\"><span class=\"bumpedFont15\">problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome back to NHL Predictions. Each day, our writers here at\u00a0Last Word On Hockey\u00a0look at the games and give in-depth analysis. Our team breaks down the key matchups, storylines, and stats, then makes predictions based on how they might play out. Our featured game of this edition is the Buffalo Sabres taking on the Florida [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2352,"featured_media":441857,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,6,4547,4548,4524],"tags":[6254,6255,6012,8231,6019,6239],"class_list":["post-484119","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sabres","category-panthers","category-hockey","category-nhl","category-nhl-predictions","tag-buffalo-sabres-predictions","tag-florida-panthers-predictions","tag-minnesota-wild-predictions","tag-utah-mammoth-predictions","tag-vegas-golden-knights-predictions","tag-washington-capitals-predictions"],"modified_by":"Dan Mount, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/484119","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2352"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=484119"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/484119\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":484129,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/484119\/revisions\/484129"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/441857"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=484119"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=484119"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=484119"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}