Buffalo Sabres at Ottawa Senators: game preview
BuffaloSabres2026-27: 2-1-0 · 4 pts · 2025-26: 50-23-9 · 109 pts · 4that
OttawaSenators2026-27: 2-1-0 · 4 pts · 2025-26: 44-27-11 · 99 pts · 9thTen points apart last season
Buffalo finished last season 4th in the league on 109 points. Ottawa finished 9th on 99, and the 2025-26 season series went BUF 2-1-0.
Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.
Meeting number 191
Across 190 completed games, Buffalo lead the head-to-head 104-68-18.
Last 5 meetings
See all: Last 5 meetings →The table on each 2025-26 meeting night
League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 15 Oct 2025, Buffalo were 29th in the league and Ottawa 30th. By 2 Apr 2026 it was 5th and 11th.
Ottawa out-attempted Buffalo 195 to 129
Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.
Buffalo Sabres
Ottawa Senators
Buffalo and Ottawa are level on 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.
This season: 3 games for Buffalo, 3 for Ottawa. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.
Last 10 games: 10 games for Buffalo, 10 for Ottawa.
2025-26: 82 games for Buffalo, 82 for Ottawa.
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
Buffalo
Small sampleOttawa
Small sampleSkaters to watch
Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.
Who has stopped this matchup
Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.
Buffalo crease
BUF · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 11 Dec
No appearances against Ottawa in the last meetings.
Ottawa crease
OTT · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 11 Dec
No appearances against Buffalo in the last meetings.
Scoring rates point to about 6.4 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
Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.
Scoring rates
Buffalo3.333.673.512.94
Ottawa3.332.673.393.00Goals 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.
12 on the injury lists
Buffalo · injuries
Ottawa · injuries
Latest moves
See all: Latest moves →Loaned D Dennis Gilbert to Rochester (AHL).
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.
Signed C Noah Östlund to an eight-year contract.
Recalled G Marcus Johansson from Belleville (AHL). Assigned D Donovan Sebrango to Belleville.
Recalled D Donovan Sebrango from Belleville (AHL). Placed LW Andre Burakovsky on injured reserve.
Loaned D Hoyt Stanley to Belleville (AHL).
Buffalo · 2026 draft
See all: Buffalo · 2026 draft →Ottawa · 2026 draft
See all: Ottawa · 2026 draft →
Updated after every final