Early look The full preview opens on Thursday 5 November, three days before puck drop, with the expected goalies, the latest team news and game-day prices. Until then this page shows the matchup as it stands.
Early look · NHL 2026-27

Vegas Golden Knights at Buffalo Sabres: game preview

Puck drop8 Nov · 3:30 PM ET
VenueKeyBank Center
All-time meetings16 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Fourteen points apart last season

Vegas finished last season 13th in the league on 95 points. Buffalo finished 4th on 109.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 17

Across 16 completed games, Buffalo lead the head-to-head 9-5-2.

All-time record9-5-2Buffalo's record in the series
Meetings played16This is number 17
2025-26 series—
Last 54-1Buffalo
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
17 Mar 2026BUF 2 – VGK 0——BUF
3 Mar 2026VGK 2 – BUF 3——BUF
15 Mar 2025VGK 3 – BUF 4 SO——BUF
4 Jan 2025BUF 1 – VGK 3——VGK
2 Mar 2024VGK 2 – BUF 7——BUF
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateVegasBuffalo
3 Mar 202625-14-12 · 62 pts11th29-17-5 · 63 pts7th
17 Mar 202631-23-14 · 76 pts17th42-20-6 · 90 pts4th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 3 Mar 2026, Vegas were 11th in the league and Buffalo 7th. By 17 Mar 2026 it was 17th and 4th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Vegas out-attempted Buffalo 122 to 108

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

Vegas Golden Knights

122 att · 58 on goal · 2 G · 3.4%
Crease15 att · 1 G
Slot45 att · 1 G
Wing34 att · 0 G
Point25 att · 0 G
Neutral zone3 att · 0 G

Buffalo Sabres

108 att · 53 on goal · 5 G · 9.4%
Crease7 att · 2 G
Slot37 att · 1 G
Wing46 att · 1 G
Point14 att · 1 G
Neutral zone4 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Vegas have created the better chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

VegasBuffalo
3.79xG for per game3.53
2.09xG against per game2.17
64.4%xG share62.0%
+1.8FinishingGoals minus expected goals−0.6
−1.6GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−4.5

This season: 4 games for Vegas, 3 for Buffalo. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →


Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

Vegas

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2731.3%
Power play · 2025-2624.6% · 6th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2783.3%
Penalty kill · 2025-2681.4% · 7th
Faceoffs · 2026-2753.0% · 122/230
Drawn · 2026-2716 (4.00/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2712 (3.00/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Buffalo

Small sample
Power play · 2026-270.0%
Power play · 2025-2619.5% · 21st
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2766.7%
Penalty kill · 2025-2681.9% · 4th
Faceoffs · 2026-2750.6% · 91/180
Drawn · 2026-2710 (3.33/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-279 (3.00/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Skaters to watch

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
9Jack Eichel428102.50
95Victor Olofsson44151.25
48Tomas Hertl43251.25
72Tage Thompson32241.33
86Noah Ostlund31231.00
22Jack Quinn32020.67
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
27Shea Theodore41230.75
15Noah Hanifin41010.25
25Owen Power31451.67
26Rasmus Dahlin31120.67
Defencemen stats

Goaltending

Who has stopped this matchup

Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Expected starter after their game on 5 Nov: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 6 Nov: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Vegas crease

VGK · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 5 Nov

Carter Hart.8903 GP · 2-1-0 · GSAx −1.1
Adin Hill.9001 GP · 1-0-0 · GSAx −0.5

No appearances against Buffalo in the last meetings.

Buffalo crease

BUF · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 5 Nov

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.7842 GP · 1-1-0 · GSAx −3.7
Colten Ellis.9001 GP · 1-0-0 · GSAx −0.2

No appearances against Vegas in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.5 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

17 Mar 20262 · BUF 2–0 VGK
3 Mar 20265 · VGK 2–3 BUF
15 Mar 20257 · VGK 3–4 BUF
4 Jan 20254 · BUF 1–3 VGK
2 Mar 20249 · VGK 2–7 BUF

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Vegas4.252.503.233.05
Buffalo3.333.673.512.94

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest6.5Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings5.4Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

9 on the injury lists

Vegas · injuries

Lukas CormierUndisclosedIRReturn22 Oct
Raphael LavoieUndisclosedOutReturn8 Oct
Victor OlofssonUndisclosedDay-to-dayReturn8 Oct

Buffalo · injuries

Alex LyonUpper BodyIRReturn10 Oct
Conor TimminsLower BodyIRReturn17 Oct
Jack RathboneUndisclosedIRReturn24 Oct
Jason ZuckerAbdomenIRReturn15 Oct
Josh DoanLower BodyDay-to-dayReturn8 Oct
Topias LeinonenLower BodyIRReturn10 Oct
30 Sep · VGK

Signed C William Karlsson to a two-year contract.

29 Sep · VGK

Placed C Jakub Cormier, RW Matyas Hemmerling and C Jakub Uchacz on the injured non-roster list.

23 Sep · VGK

Placed D Jaycob Megna, D Adam Ginning, D Joe Fleming, C Jakub Demek and D Jeremy Davies on waivers.

2 Oct · BUF

Loaned D Dennis Gilbert to Rochester (AHL).

1 Oct · BUF

Recalled D Dennis Gilbert from Rochester (AHL). Placed G Alex Lyon and D Olen Zellweger on injured reserve. Signed D Louis Crevier to a four-year contract. Transferred F Matthew Savoie to long-term injured reserve.

14 Sep · BUF

Signed C Noah Östlund to an eight-year contract.

Injury report
#29Juho PiiparinenRound 1 · TapparaD
#63ForfeitedRound 2 ·
#92Benjamin WilmottRound 3 · BarrieC
#95Sean BurickRound 3 · PentictonD
Full draft
#4Daxon RudolphRound 1 · Prince AlbertD
#20Ilia MorozovRound 1 · MiamiC
#124Olivers MurnieksRound 4 · Saint JohnC
#156Doman SzongothRound 5 · Kookoo Jr.C
Full draft

Updated after every final