Nashville Predators at Buffalo Sabres: game preview
NashvillePredators2026-27: 1-1-1 · 3 pts · 2025-26: 38-34-10 · 86 pts · 23rdat
BuffaloSabres2026-27: 2-1-0 · 4 pts · 2025-26: 50-23-9 · 109 pts · 4thTwenty-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.
Meeting number 41
Across 40 completed games, Nashville lead the head-to-head 23-15-2.
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 20 Jan 2026, Nashville were 26th in the league and Buffalo 9th. By 7 Mar 2026 it was 26th and 7th.
Nashville out-attempted Buffalo 143 to 102
Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.
Nashville Predators
Buffalo Sabres
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 Nashville, 3 for Buffalo. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.
Last 10 games: 10 games for Nashville, 10 for Buffalo.
2025-26: 82 games for Nashville, 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
Nashville
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.
Nashville crease
NSH · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 13 Jan
No appearances against Buffalo in the last meetings.
Buffalo crease
BUF · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 13 Jan
No appearances against Nashville 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
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.
7 on the injury lists
Nashville · injuries
Buffalo · injuries
Latest moves
See all: Latest moves →Recalled G Matt Murray from Milwaukee (AHL). Placed G Justus Annunen on injured reserve.
Recalled LW Yegor Pinchuk from Milwaukee (AHL). Assigned G Matt Murray to Milwaukee.
Recalled G Matthew Murray from Milwaukee (AHL).
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.
Nashville · 2026 draft
See all: Nashville · 2026 draft →Buffalo · 2026 draft
See all: Buffalo · 2026 draft →Saturday 16 January · the full slate
See all: Saturday 16 January · the full slate →Updated after every final