Buffalo Sabres at Detroit Red Wings: game preview
BuffaloSabres2026-27: 2-1-0 · 4 pts · 2025-26: 50-23-9 · 109 pts · 4that
DetroitRed Wings2026-27: 1-2-0 · 2 pts · 2025-26: 41-31-10 · 92 pts · 16thSeventeen points apart last season
Buffalo finished last season 4th in the league on 109 points. Detroit finished 16th on 92, and the 2025-26 season series went BUF 2-1-0.
Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.
Meeting number 166
Across 165 completed games, Detroit lead the head-to-head 85-69-11.
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 22 Oct 2025, Buffalo were 25th in the league and Detroit 9th. By 27 Mar 2026 it was 4th and 13th.
Buffalo out-attempted Detroit 192 to 168
Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.
Buffalo Sabres
Detroit Red Wings
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 Buffalo, 3 for Detroit. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.
Last 10 games: 10 games for Buffalo, 10 for Detroit.
2025-26: 82 games for Buffalo, 82 for Detroit.
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 sampleDetroit
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.
Buffalo crease
BUF · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 9 Mar
No appearances against Detroit in the last meetings.
Detroit crease
DET · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 9 Mar
No appearances against Buffalo in the last meetings.
Scoring rates point to about 6.2 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
Detroit2.332.672.943.15Goals 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.
13 on the injury lists
Buffalo · injuries
Detroit · 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.
Placed F Dylan Larkin on the non-roster injured reserve.
Assigned Fs Ondrej Becher, Cameron Butler, Sheldon Dries, Noah Dower Nilsson, Dylan James, Jesse Kiiskinen, John Leonard, Sutter Muzzatti, Theo Rochette, Dominik Shine and Wilmer Skoog, Ds Ronnie Attard, Jacob Bryson, Shai Buium and William Lagesson and Gs Trey Augustine and Michal Postava to Grand Rapids (AHL).
Acquired F Sutter Muzzatti from Nashville Predators for future considerations.
Buffalo · 2026 draft
See all: Buffalo · 2026 draft →Detroit · 2026 draft
See all: Detroit · 2026 draft →Friday 12 March · the full slate
See all: Friday 12 March · the full slate →
Updated after every final