Buffalo Sabres at New Jersey Devils: game preview
BuffaloSabres2026-27: 2-1-0 · 4 pts · 2025-26: 50-23-9 · 109 pts · 4that
New JerseyDevils2026-27: 1-2-0 · 2 pts · 2025-26: 42-37-3 · 87 pts · 21stTwenty-two points apart last season
Buffalo finished last season 4th in the league on 109 points. New Jersey finished 21st on 87.
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, Buffalo were 29th in the league and New Jersey 3rd. By 25 Feb 2026 it was 7th and 20th.
Buffalo out-attempted New Jersey 195 to 166
Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.
Buffalo Sabres
New Jersey Devils
Buffalo and New Jersey 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 Buffalo, 3 for New Jersey. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.
Last 10 games: 10 games for Buffalo, 10 for New Jersey.
2025-26: 82 games for Buffalo, 82 for New Jersey.
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 sampleNew Jersey
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 18 Feb: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.
Expected starter after their game on 18 Feb: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.
Buffalo crease
BUF · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 17 Feb
No appearances against New Jersey in the last meetings.
New Jersey crease
NJD · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 17 Feb
No appearances against Buffalo 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
Buffalo3.333.673.512.94
New Jersey2.004.332.803.10Goals 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
Buffalo · injuries
New Jersey · injuries
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.
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.
Buffalo · 2026 draft
See all: Buffalo · 2026 draft →New Jersey · 2026 draft
See all: New Jersey · 2026 draft →
Updated after every final