Buffalo Sabres at Minnesota Wild: game preview
BuffaloSabres2026-27: 2-1-0 · 4 pts · 2025-26: 50-23-9 · 109 pts · 4that
MinnesotaWild2026-27: 2-0-1 · 5 pts · 2025-26: 46-24-12 · 104 pts · 7thFive points apart last season
Buffalo finished last season 4th in the league on 109 points. Minnesota finished 7th on 104, and the 2025-26 season series went BUF 1-0-1.
Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.
Meeting number 38
Across 37 completed games, Minnesota lead the head-to-head 19-10-7.
Last 5 meetings
See all: Last 5 meetings →The table on each meeting night
League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 29 Nov 2025, Buffalo were 29th in the league and Minnesota 5th. By 6 Oct it was 14th and 5th.
Buffalo out-attempted Minnesota 314 to 263
Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.
Buffalo Sabres
Minnesota Wild
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 Minnesota. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.
Last 10 games: 10 games for Buffalo, 10 for Minnesota.
2025-26: 82 games for Buffalo, 82 for Minnesota.
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 sampleMinnesota
Small sampleKirill Kaprizov has 5 points in the last 5 meetings
Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away, then who has produced in the last meetings.
Kirill Kaprizov vs Buffalo · game by game
See all: Kirill Kaprizov vs Buffalo · game by game →Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has been the difference
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen faced 86 shots across 3 appearances against Minnesota and conceded 9, a .895 save percentage against a season figure of .784. Starters are confirmed on game day.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
See all: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen →BUF · 1-1-0 in 2026-27 Starter estimate from 11 Mar
Also on the roster, 2026-27: Colten Ellis .900 (1 GP)
Full game logFilip Gustavsson
See all: Filip Gustavsson →MIN · 28-15-6 in 2025-26 Starter estimate from 11 Mar
Also on the roster, 2026-27: Jesper Wallstedt .933 (3 GP)
Full game logScoring 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
Minnesota3.001.673.322.93Goals 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.
9 on the injury lists
Buffalo · injuries
Minnesota · 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.
Waived for the purpose of assignment to Iowa (AHL) Ds Matt Kiersted, Carson Lambos, and Roman Schmidt and Fs Caedan Bankier, Dylan Gambrell, Justin Kirkland, Tyler Pitlick, and Mason Shaw. Assigned Ds Ben Dexheimer and Viking Gustafsson Nyberg and Fs Jagger Joshua, Hunter Haight, Riley Heidt, Rasmus Kumpulainen, and Rieger Lorenz to Iowa.
Signed G Filip Ruzicka to a three-year, entry-level contract.
Signed D Filip Ruzicka to a three-year contract.
Buffalo · 2026 draft
See all: Buffalo · 2026 draft →Minnesota · 2026 draft
See all: Minnesota · 2026 draft →
Updated after every final