San Jose Sharks at Buffalo Sabres: game preview
San JoseSharks2026-27: 2-1-0 · 4 pts · 2025-26: 39-35-8 · 86 pts · 24that
BuffaloSabres2026-27: 2-1-0 · 4 pts · 2025-26: 50-23-9 · 109 pts · 4thTwenty-three points apart last season
San Jose finished last season 24th 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 56
Across 55 completed games, Buffalo lead the head-to-head 39-14-2.
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 10 Mar 2026, San Jose were 23rd in the league and Buffalo 5th. By 19 Mar 2026 it was 25th and 4th.
San Jose out-attempted Buffalo 102 to 98
Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.
San Jose Sharks
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 San Jose, 3 for Buffalo. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.
Last 10 games: 10 games for San Jose, 10 for Buffalo.
2025-26: 82 games for San Jose, 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
San Jose
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.
San Jose crease
SJS · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 12 Mar
No appearances against Buffalo in the last meetings.
Buffalo crease
BUF · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 12 Mar
No appearances against San Jose in the last meetings.
Scoring rates point to about 6.6 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
San Jose3.004.003.063.56
Buffalo3.333.673.512.94Goals 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.
12 on the injury lists
San Jose · injuries
Buffalo · injuries
Latest moves
See all: Latest moves →Placed C Patrick Giles on waivers.
Placed G Ilya Samsonov on waivers.
Placed RW Ethan Cardwell, D Libor Hajek and LW Tye Felhaber on waivers.
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.
San Jose · 2026 draft
See all: San Jose · 2026 draft →Buffalo · 2026 draft
See all: Buffalo · 2026 draft →
Updated after every final