New Jersey Devils at Buffalo Sabres: game preview
New JerseyDevils2026-27: 1-2-0 · 2 pts · 2025-26: 42-37-3 · 87 pts · 21stat
BuffaloSabres2026-27: 2-1-0 · 4 pts · 2025-26: 50-23-9 · 109 pts · 4thTwenty-two points apart last season
New Jersey finished last season 21st in the league on 87 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.
Meeting number 163
Across 162 completed games, New Jersey lead the head-to-head 88-59-15.
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 28 Nov 2025, New Jersey were 3rd in the league and Buffalo 29th. By 25 Feb 2026 it was 20th and 7th.
Buffalo out-attempted New Jersey 195 to 166
Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.
New Jersey Devils
Buffalo Sabres
New Jersey and Buffalo 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 New Jersey, 3 for Buffalo. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.
Last 10 games: 10 games for New Jersey, 10 for Buffalo.
2025-26: 82 games for New Jersey, 82 for Buffalo.
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
New Jersey
Small sampleBuffalo
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.
Expected starter after their game on 9 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.
Expected starter after their game on 9 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.
New Jersey crease
NJD · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 9 Jan
No appearances against Buffalo in the last meetings.
Buffalo crease
BUF · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 9 Jan
No appearances against New Jersey in the last meetings.
Scoring rates point to about 6.3 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
New Jersey2.004.332.803.10
Buffalo3.333.673.512.94Goals 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.
11 on the injury lists
New Jersey · injuries
Buffalo · injuries
Latest moves
See all: Latest moves →Claimed LW Jeremie Poirier off waivers.
Claimed LW Jeremie Poirier off waivers. Placed C/RW Marc McLaughlin, LD Vladislav Kolyachonok, G David Rittich, LW Riley Tufte, LD Topias Vilen, and C/RW Colin White on waivers.
Assigned Ds Mikael Diotte, Ethan Edwards, Jeremy Hanzel, Etienne Morin and Anton Silaev, Fs Josh Filmon, Lenni Hameenaho, Shane Lachance, Matyas Melovsky, Xavier Parent, Cam Squires and Ben Steeves and G Jakub Malek to Utica (AHL). Waived for the purpose of assignment to Utica Ds DJ King, Charles Leddy and Eamon Powell, Fs Tristan Ashbrook, Zachary Gallant, Gabe Klassen, Jack Malone, Justin Pearson, Ryan Schmelzer, Cristophe Tellier and Jermey Wilmer and Gs Jeremy Brodeur and Seth Eisele.
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.
New Jersey · 2026 draft
See all: New Jersey · 2026 draft →Buffalo · 2026 draft
See all: Buffalo · 2026 draft →
Updated after every final