Early look The full preview opens on Saturday 12 December, 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

Calgary Flames at Buffalo Sabres: game preview

Puck drop15 Dec · 7:00 PM ET
VenueKeyBank Center
All-time meetings87 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Thirty-two points apart last season

Calgary finished last season 29th in the league on 77 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 88

Across 87 completed games, Buffalo lead the head-to-head 47-35-5.

All-time record47-35-5Buffalo's record in the series
Meetings played87This is number 88
2025-26 series—
Last 53-2Calgary
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
8 Dec 2025BUF 4 – CGY 7——CGY
19 Nov 2025CGY 6 – BUF 2——CGY
23 Jan 2025BUF 2 – CGY 5——CGY
9 Nov 2024CGY 2 – BUF 3 SO——BUF
24 Mar 2024BUF 4 – CGY 1——BUF
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateCalgaryBuffalo
19 Nov 20256-13-3 · 15 pts32nd7-9-4 · 18 pts29th
8 Dec 202512-15-4 · 28 pts29th11-14-4 · 26 pts30th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 19 Nov 2025, Calgary were 32nd in the league and Buffalo 29th. By 8 Dec 2025 it was 29th and 30th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Buffalo out-attempted Calgary 126 to 120

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

Calgary Flames

120 att · 63 on goal · 13 G · 20.6%
Crease13 att · 6 G
Slot31 att · 4 G
Wing52 att · 2 G
Point20 att · 0 G
Neutral zone4 att · 1 G

Buffalo Sabres

126 att · 59 on goal · 6 G · 10.2%
Crease9 att · 1 G
Slot45 att · 3 G
Wing57 att · 1 G
Point14 att · 1 G
Neutral zone1 att · 0 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.

CalgaryBuffalo
2.54xG for per game3.53
3.38xG against per game2.17
42.9%xG share62.0%
−4.6FinishingGoals minus expected goals−0.6
−5.9GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−4.5

This season: 3 games for Calgary, 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

Calgary

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2740.0%
Power play · 2025-2616.2% · 31st
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2790.0%
Penalty kill · 2025-2680.4% · 12th
Faceoffs · 2026-2750.3% · 90/179
Drawn · 2026-275 (1.67/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
86Joel Farabee30220.67
22Ryan Strome31010.33
16Morgan Frost31010.33
72Tage Thompson32241.33
86Noah Ostlund31231.00
22Jack Quinn32020.67
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
19Zayne Parekh30110.33
44Joel Hanley10000.00
55Jake Middleton30000.00
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 11 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 14 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Calgary crease

CGY · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 12 Dec

Dustin Wolf.7972 GP · 0-2-0 · GSAx −5.5
Devin Cooley.8801 GP · 0-1-0 · GSAx −0.1

No appearances against Buffalo in the last meetings.

Buffalo crease

BUF · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 12 Dec

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

No appearances against Calgary 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

8 Dec 202511 · BUF 4–7 CGY
19 Nov 20258 · CGY 6–2 BUF
23 Jan 20257 · BUF 2–5 CGY
9 Nov 20245 · CGY 2–3 BUF
24 Mar 20245 · BUF 4–1 CGY

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Calgary1.005.332.593.16
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 meetings7.2Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

7 on the injury lists

Calgary · injuries

Jonathan HuberdeauHipIRReturn10 Oct

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 · CGY

Placed D Brayden Pachal and C Connor Zary on waivers.

26 Sep · CGY

Waived F Alex Nylander.

25 Sep · CGY

Assigned Fs Andrew Basha, Will Dineen and Tyson Gross, Ds Hunter Brzustewicz and Axel Hurtig and G Arsenii Sergeev to Calgary (AHL). Waived for the purpose of assignment to Calgary Fs Dryden Hunt, Ben Jones, Rory Kerins, Sam Morton and William Stromgren and Ds Michael Benning, Andreas Englund and Jake Livingstone.

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
#6Carson CarelsRound 1 · Prince GeorgeD
#30Jack HextallRound 1 · YoungstownC
#36Chase HarringtonRound 2 · SpokaneLW
#42Tobias TrejbalRound 2 · YoungstownG
Full draft
#4Daxon RudolphRound 1 · Prince AlbertD
#20Ilia MorozovRound 1 · MiamiC
#124Olivers MurnieksRound 4 · Saint JohnC
#156Doman SzongothRound 5 · Kookoo Jr.C
Full draft

Updated after every final