Early look The full preview opens on Friday 1 January, 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

Winnipeg Jets at Buffalo Sabres: game preview

Puck drop4 Jan · 7:30 PM ET
VenueKeyBank Center
All-time meetings31 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Twenty-seven points apart last season

Winnipeg finished last season 26th in the league on 82 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 32

Across 31 completed games, Winnipeg lead the head-to-head 19-10-2.

All-time record19-10-2Winnipeg's record in the series
Meetings played31This is number 32
2025-26 series—
Last 53-2Winnipeg
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
5 Dec 2025BUF 1 – WPG 4——WPG
1 Dec 2025WPG 1 – BUF 5——BUF
23 Mar 2025BUF 5 – WPG 3——BUF
5 Dec 2024WPG 3 – BUF 2 OT——WPG
3 Mar 2024WPG 5 – BUF 2——WPG
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateWinnipegBuffalo
1 Dec 202513-12-0 · 26 pts25th11-11-4 · 26 pts26th
5 Dec 202514-12-1 · 29 pts22nd11-13-4 · 26 pts28th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 1 Dec 2025, Winnipeg were 25th in the league and Buffalo 26th. By 5 Dec 2025 it was 22nd and 28th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Buffalo out-attempted Winnipeg 125 to 88

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

Winnipeg Jets

88 att · 47 on goal · 5 G · 10.6%
Crease2 att · 0 G
Slot38 att · 4 G
Wing24 att · 1 G
Point20 att · 0 G
Neutral zone4 att · 0 G

Buffalo Sabres

125 att · 66 on goal · 6 G · 9.1%
Crease15 att · 2 G
Slot38 att · 3 G
Wing54 att · 1 G
Point18 att · 0 G
Neutral zone0 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.

WinnipegBuffalo
3.37xG for per game3.53
3.37xG against per game2.17
50.0%xG share62.0%
−1.1FinishingGoals minus expected goals−0.6
+2.1GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−4.5

This season: 3 games for Winnipeg, 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

Winnipeg

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2750.0%
Power play · 2025-2618.5% · 24th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2788.9%
Penalty kill · 2025-2677.6% · 21st
Faceoffs · 2026-2744.6% · 79/177
Drawn · 2026-278 (2.67/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-279 (3.00/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
81Kyle Connor33251.67
91Cole Perfetti32351.67
17Adam Lowry31231.00
72Tage Thompson32241.33
86Noah Ostlund31231.00
22Jack Quinn32020.67
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
44Josh Morrissey30331.00
2Dylan DeMelo31120.67
38Mario Ferraro31010.33
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 2 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

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

Winnipeg crease

WPG · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 1 Jan

Stuart Skinner.9092 GP · 1-0-1 · GSAx +1.1
Clay Stevenson.9381 GP · 1-0-0 · GSAx +1.0

No appearances against Buffalo in the last meetings.

Buffalo crease

BUF · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 1 Jan

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

No appearances against Winnipeg 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

5 Dec 20255 · BUF 1–4 WPG
1 Dec 20256 · WPG 1–5 BUF
23 Mar 20258 · BUF 5–3 WPG
5 Dec 20245 · WPG 3–2 BUF
3 Mar 20247 · WPG 5–2 BUF

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Winnipeg3.002.672.823.17
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 meetings6.2Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

10 on the injury lists

Winnipeg · injuries

Connor HellebuyckSuspensionIRReturn17 Oct
Elias SalomonssonShoulderIRReturn15 Oct
Garrett BrownLower BodyIRReturn9 Oct
Walker DuehrLower BodyIRReturn17 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
10 Aug 2026 · WPG

Signed F Tyrel Bauer to a two-year contract.

15 Jul 2026 · WPG

Signed F Cole Perfetti to a five-year contract.

13 Jul 2026 · WPG

Signed F Viggo Björck to a three-year contract.

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
#8Viggo BjorckRound 1 · DjurgardenC
#71Samuel HrenakRound 3 · FargoG
#116Zach WootenRound 4 · Green BayLW
#135Alexandre TailleferRound 5 · QuebecD
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