Buffalo Sabres at Columbus Blue Jackets: game preview
BuffaloSabres2026-27: 2-1-0 · 4 pts · 2025-26: 50-23-9 · 109 pts · 4that
ColumbusBlue Jackets2026-27: 1-1-0 · 2 pts · 2025-26: 40-30-12 · 92 pts · 17thSeventeen points apart last season
Buffalo finished last season 4th in the league on 109 points. Columbus finished 17th on 92, and the 2025-26 season series went CBJ 2-1-0.
Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.
Meeting number 53
Across 52 completed games, Columbus lead the head-to-head 29-18-4.
Last 5 meetings
See all: Last 5 meetings →The table on each meeting night
League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 28 Oct 2025, Buffalo were 22nd in the league and Columbus 21st. By 1 Oct it was 28th and 7th.
Buffalo out-attempted Columbus 326 to 320
Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.
Buffalo Sabres
Columbus Blue Jackets
Buffalo 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.
This season: 3 games for Buffalo, 2 for Columbus. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.
Last 10 games: 10 games for Buffalo, 10 for Columbus.
2025-26: 82 games for Buffalo, 82 for Columbus.
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 sampleColumbus
Small sampleZach Werenski has 7 points in the last 5 meetings
Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away, then who has produced in the last meetings.
Zach Werenski vs Buffalo · game by game
See all: Zach Werenski vs Buffalo · game by game →Jet Greaves has been the difference
Jet Greaves faced 161 shots across 5 appearances against Buffalo and conceded 13, a .919 save percentage against a season figure of .877. Starters are confirmed on game day.
Buffalo crease
BUF · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 5 Jan
Three goalies used against Columbus
Jet Greaves
See all: Jet Greaves →CBJ · 1-1-0 in 2026-27 Starter estimate from 5 Jan
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
Columbus3.503.503.093.09Goals 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.
6 on the injury lists
Buffalo · injuries
Columbus · injuries
No players listed.
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.
Placed LW Mikael Pyyhtia on waivers.
Placed D Ivan Provorov on injured reserve.
Assigned G Pheonix Copley to Cleveland (AHL).
Buffalo · 2026 draft
See all: Buffalo · 2026 draft →Columbus · 2026 draft
See all: Columbus · 2026 draft →
Updated after every final