Early look The full preview opens on Monday 1 March, three days before puck drop, with the expected goalies, the latest team news and game-day prices. Until then this page shows the matchup as it stands.
Early look · NHL 2026-27

St. Louis Blues at Buffalo Sabres: game preview

Puck drop4 Mar · 7:00 PM ET
VenueKeyBank Center
All-time meetings137 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Twenty-three points apart last season

St. Louis finished last season 22nd 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.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 138

Across 137 completed games, St. Louis lead the head-to-head 74-56-7.

All-time record74-56-7St. Louis's record in the series
Meetings played137This is number 138
2025-26 series—
Last 53-2Buffalo
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
29 Dec 2025BUF 4 – STL 2——BUF
6 Nov 2025STL 3 – BUF 0——STL
29 Dec 2024BUF 4 – STL 2——BUF
14 Nov 2024STL 3 – BUF 4 OT——BUF
10 Feb 2024STL 3 – BUF 1——STL
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateSt. LouisBuffalo
6 Nov 20255-8-2 · 12 pts31st5-5-4 · 14 pts26th
29 Dec 202515-17-8 · 38 pts29th20-14-4 · 44 pts14th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 6 Nov 2025, St. Louis were 31st in the league and Buffalo 26th. By 29 Dec 2025 it was 29th and 14th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Buffalo out-attempted St. Louis 130 to 77

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

St. Louis Blues

77 att · 35 on goal · 5 G · 14.3%
Crease6 att · 1 G
Slot28 att · 2 G
Wing27 att · 1 G
Point10 att · 0 G
Neutral zone6 att · 1 G

Buffalo Sabres

130 att · 62 on goal · 4 G · 6.5%
Crease10 att · 1 G
Slot39 att · 1 G
Wing55 att · 1 G
Point24 att · 0 G
Neutral zone2 att · 1 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

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.

St. LouisBuffalo
2.69xG for per game3.53
3.33xG against per game2.17
44.7%xG share62.0%
−1.1FinishingGoals minus expected goals−0.6
−0.0GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−4.5

This season: 3 games for St. Louis, 3 for Buffalo. 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

St. Louis

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2712.5%
Power play · 2025-2617.6% · 26th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2790.0%
Penalty kill · 2025-2676.7% · 25th
Faceoffs · 2026-2744.6% · 83/186
Drawn · 2026-278 (2.67/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2710 (3.33/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

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

Skaters

Skaters to watch

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
83Mason McTavish32020.67
15Dalibor Dvorsky32020.67
72Tage Thompson32241.33
86Noah Ostlund31231.00
22Jack Quinn32020.67
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
55Colton Parayko30110.33
25Owen Power31451.67
26Rasmus Dahlin31120.67
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 →

Expected starter after their game on 28 Feb: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 2 Mar: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

St. Louis crease

STL · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 1 Mar

Joel Hofer.9552 GP · 1-1-0 · GSAx +2.8
Jordan Binnington.8331 GP · 0-1-0 · GSAx −2.5

No appearances against Buffalo in the last meetings.

Buffalo crease

BUF · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 1 Mar

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.7842 GP · 1-1-0 · GSAx −3.7
Colten Ellis.9001 GP · 1-0-0 · GSAx −0.2

No appearances against St. Louis in the last meetings.


Totals

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

29 Dec 20256 · BUF 4–2 STL
6 Nov 20253 · STL 3–0 BUF
29 Dec 20246 · BUF 4–2 STL
14 Nov 20247 · STL 3–4 BUF
10 Feb 20244 · STL 3–1 BUF

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
St. Louis2.333.332.823.15
Buffalo3.333.673.512.94

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 suggest6.2Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings5.2Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

10 on the injury lists

St. Louis · injuries

Alexey ToropchenkoUpper BodyIRReturn14 Nov
Felix TrudeauUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct
Logan MaillouxHandIRReturn25 Nov
Tyler TuckerKneeIRReturn12 Nov

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
5 Oct · STL

Placed LW Alexey Toropchenko on injured reserve.

27 Sep · STL

Placed G Georgii Romanov and D Calle Rosen on waivers. Claimed RD Justin Barron off waivers.

19 Sep · STL

Placed D Marc Andre Gaudet was placed on waivers.

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.

Injury report
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#16Maddox DagenaisRound 1 · QuebecC
#75Luke SchairerRound 3 · Usa U-18D
#107Landon NyczRound 4 · UmassD
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#4Daxon RudolphRound 1 · Prince AlbertD
#20Ilia MorozovRound 1 · MiamiC
#124Olivers MurnieksRound 4 · Saint JohnC
#156Doman SzongothRound 5 · Kookoo Jr.C
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Updated after every final