Early look The full preview opens on Wednesday 13 January, 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

Nashville Predators at Buffalo Sabres: game preview

Puck drop16 Jan · 7:00 PM ET
VenueKeyBank Center
All-time meetings40 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Twenty-three points apart last season

Nashville finished last season 23rd in the league on 86 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 41

Across 40 completed games, Nashville lead the head-to-head 23-15-2.

All-time record23-15-2Nashville's record in the series
Meetings played40This is number 41
2025-26 series—
Last 53-2Buffalo
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
7 Mar 2026NSH 2 – BUF 3——BUF
20 Jan 2026BUF 5 – NSH 3——BUF
8 Feb 2025BUF 4 – NSH 6——NSH
31 Jan 2025NSH 3 – BUF 4——BUF
7 Mar 2024BUF 2 – NSH 4——NSH
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateNashvilleBuffalo
20 Jan 202623-22-4 · 50 pts26th27-17-5 · 59 pts9th
7 Mar 202624-23-4 · 52 pts26th29-17-5 · 63 pts7th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 20 Jan 2026, Nashville were 26th in the league and Buffalo 9th. By 7 Mar 2026 it was 26th and 7th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Nashville out-attempted Buffalo 143 to 102

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

Nashville Predators

143 att · 59 on goal · 5 G · 8.5%
Crease14 att · 0 G
Slot52 att · 4 G
Wing54 att · 1 G
Point19 att · 0 G
Neutral zone4 att · 0 G

Buffalo Sabres

102 att · 57 on goal · 8 G · 14.0%
Crease10 att · 2 G
Slot27 att · 3 G
Wing50 att · 2 G
Point11 att · 0 G
Neutral zone4 att · 1 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

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.

NashvilleBuffalo
2.50xG for per game3.53
3.14xG against per game2.17
44.3%xG share62.0%
−0.5FinishingGoals minus expected goals−0.6
+0.4GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−4.5

This season: 3 games for Nashville, 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

Nashville

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2737.5%
Power play · 2025-2623.1% · 11th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2775.0%
Penalty kill · 2025-2681.7% · 5th
Faceoffs · 2026-2747.6% · 80/168
Drawn · 2026-278 (2.67/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-278 (2.67/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
91Steven Stamkos33141.33
21Nils Hoglander33031.00
72Tage Thompson32241.33
86Noah Ostlund31231.00
22Jack Quinn32020.67
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
59Roman Josi31231.00
76Brady Skjei30110.33
47Jack Ahcan20110.50
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 14 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 14 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Nashville crease

NSH · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 13 Jan

Juuse Saros.9073 GP · 1-1-1 · GSAx +0.4

No appearances against Buffalo in the last meetings.

Buffalo crease

BUF · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 13 Jan

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

No appearances against Nashville in the last meetings.


Totals

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

7 Mar 20265 · NSH 2–3 BUF
20 Jan 20268 · BUF 5–3 NSH
8 Feb 202510 · BUF 4–6 NSH
31 Jan 20257 · NSH 3–4 BUF
7 Mar 20246 · BUF 2–4 NSH

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Nashville2.333.003.013.28
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 suggest6.3Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings7.2Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

7 on the injury lists

Nashville · injuries

Justus AnnunenUndisclosedIRReturn13 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
6 Oct · NSH

Recalled G Matt Murray from Milwaukee (AHL). Placed G Justus Annunen on injured reserve.

4 Oct · NSH

Recalled LW Yegor Pinchuk from Milwaukee (AHL). Assigned G Matt Murray to Milwaukee.

3 Oct · NSH

Recalled G Matthew Murray from Milwaukee (AHL).

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
#10Wyatt CullenRound 1 · Usa U-18LW
#31Thomas BleylRound 1 · MonctonD
#70Dmitri BorichevRound 3 · Loko-76 YaroslavlG
#106Jakub FlorisRound 4 · Lukko Jr.D
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