Early look · NHL 2026-27

Buffalo Sabres at Carolina Hurricanes: game preview

BuffaloSabres2026-27: 2-1-0 · 4 pts · 2025-26: 50-23-9 · 109 pts · 4that

CarolinaHurricanes2026-27: 2-1-1 · 5 pts · 2025-26: 53-22-7 · 113 pts · 2nd

Puck drop13 Feb · 7:00 PM ET

VenueLenovo Center

All-time meetings106 completed

BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26

The thesis

Four points apart last season

Buffalo finished last season 4th in the league on 109 points. Carolina finished 2nd on 113.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 107

Across 106 completed games, Carolina lead the head-to-head 55-39-12.

All-time record55-39-12Carolina's record in the series

Meetings played106This is number 107

2025-26 series—

Last 53-2Carolina

Last 5 meetings

See all: Last 5 meetings →

DateResultShotsPower playWinner

19 Jan 2026BUF 1 – CAR 2——CAR

23 Nov 2025CAR 1 – BUF 4——BUF

8 Nov 2025BUF 3 – CAR 6——CAR

8 Apr 2025CAR 0 – BUF 3——BUF

27 Feb 2025BUF 2 – CAR 5——CAR

Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateBuffaloCarolina

8 Nov 20255-6-4 · 14 pts29th10-4-0 · 20 pts6th

23 Nov 20259-9-4 · 22 pts26th14-6-2 · 30 pts2nd

19 Jan 202626-17-5 · 57 pts12th31-15-4 · 66 pts2nd

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 8 Nov 2025, Buffalo were 29th in the league and Carolina 6th. By 19 Jan 2026 it was 12th and 2nd.

Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Carolina out-attempted Buffalo 202 to 133

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

Buffalo Sabres

133 att · 61 on goal · 8 G · 13.1%

Crease10 att · 0 G

Slot57 att · 6 G

Wing48 att · 2 G

Point14 att · 0 G

Neutral zone4 att · 0 G

Carolina Hurricanes

202 att · 94 on goal · 9 G · 9.6%

Crease12 att · 1 G

Slot59 att · 2 G

Wing90 att · 5 G

Point34 att · 0 G

Neutral zone7 att · 1 G

GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Buffalo and Carolina 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.

BuffaloCarolina

3.53xG for per game3.74

2.17xG against per game2.21

62.0%xG share62.9%

−0.6FinishingGoals minus expected goals−4.0

−4.5GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−3.2

This season: 3 games for Buffalo, 4 for Carolina. 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

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

Carolina

Small sample

Power play · 2026-2719.0%

Power play · 2025-2624.9% · 4th

Power play · last 5 meetings—

Penalty kill · 2026-2789.5%

Penalty kill · 2025-2680.5% · 11th

Faceoffs · 2026-2752.1% · 125/240

Drawn · 2026-2721 (5.25/gm)

Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-2719 (4.75/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.

Forwards to watch

See all: Forwards to watch →

PlayerGPGAPP/GP

72Tage Thompson32241.33

86Noah Ostlund31231.00

22Jack Quinn32020.67

20Sebastian Aho44371.75

37Andrei Svechnikov41341.00

53Jackson Blake40330.75

Points leaders

Defencemen to watch

See all: Defencemen to watch →

PlayerGPGAPP/GP

25Owen Power31451.67

23Mattias Samuelsson31120.67

26Rasmus Dahlin31120.67

4Shayne Gostisbehere41120.50

74Jaccob Slavin40220.50

5Jalen Chatfield40110.25

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 →

Buffalo

Expected starter after their game on 3 Feb: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Carolina

Expected starter after their game on 11 Feb: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Buffalo crease

BUF · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 10 Feb

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.7842 GP · 1-1-0 · GSAx −3.7

Colten Ellis.9001 GP · 1-0-0 · GSAx −0.2

No appearances against Carolina in the last meetings.

Carolina crease

CAR · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 10 Feb

Brandon Bussi.8513 GP · 1-1-1 · GSAx −3.7

Pyotr Kochetkov.8891 GP · 1-0-0 · GSAx +0.5

No appearances against Buffalo in the last meetings.

Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.5 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

19 Jan 20263 · BUF 1–2 CAR

23 Nov 20255 · CAR 1–4 BUF

8 Nov 20259 · BUF 3–6 CAR

8 Apr 20253 · CAR 0–3 BUF

27 Feb 20257 · BUF 2–5 CAR

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA

Buffalo3.333.673.512.94

Carolina2.753.003.612.93

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 suggest6.5Goals in this game

Last 5 meetings5.4Goals per game

Line—No total posted yet

Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

8 on the injury lists

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

Carolina · injuries

Alexander NikishinContract DisputeOutReturn10 Oct

Seth JarvisShoulderIRReturn24 Oct

Latest moves

See all: Latest moves →

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.

30 Sep · CAR

Placed G Cayden Primeau on waivers.

27 Sep · CAR

Placed C Seth Jarvis on the injured non-roster list. Placed LD Juuso Valimaki on waivers.

27 Sep · CAR

Placed C Seth Jarvis on the injured non-roster list. Placed D Juuso Valimaki on waivers.

Injury report

Buffalo · 2026 draft

See all: Buffalo · 2026 draft →

#4Daxon RudolphRound 1 · Prince AlbertD

#20Ilia MorozovRound 1 · MiamiC

#124Olivers MurnieksRound 4 · Saint JohnC

#156Doman SzongothRound 5 · Kookoo Jr.C

Full draft

Carolina · 2026 draft

See all: Carolina · 2026 draft →

#51William HakanssonRound 2 · LuleaD

#61Wiggo SorenssonRound 2 · Boro/vetlandaC

#68Zachary LansardRound 3 · ReginaRW

#105Michael BerchildRound 4 · Usa U-18LW

Full draft

Saturday 13 February · the full slate

See all: Saturday 13 February · the full slate →

CARThis game 7:00 PM ET

Updated after every final