Buffalo Sabres at Tampa Bay Lightning: game preview
BuffaloSabres2026-27: 2-1-0 · 4 pts · 2025-26: 50-23-9 · 109 pts · 4that
Tampa BayLightning2026-27: 2-1-0 · 4 pts · 2025-26: 50-26-6 · 106 pts · 5thThree points apart last season
Buffalo finished last season 4th in the league on 109 points. Tampa Bay finished 5th on 106, and the 2025-26 season series went BUF 3-0-1.
Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.
Meeting number 129
Across 128 completed games, Buffalo lead the head-to-head 70-49-9.
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 3 Feb 2026, Buffalo were 7th in the league and Tampa Bay 2nd. By 6 Apr 2026 it was 5th and 3rd.
Tampa Bay out-attempted Buffalo 239 to 218
Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.
Buffalo Sabres
Tampa Bay Lightning
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 Tampa Bay. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.
Last 10 games: 10 games for Buffalo, 10 for Tampa Bay.
2025-26: 82 games for Buffalo, 82 for Tampa Bay.
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 sampleTampa Bay
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.
Buffalo crease
BUF · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 19 Nov
No appearances against Tampa Bay in the last meetings.
Tampa Bay crease
TBL · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 19 Nov
No appearances against Buffalo in the last meetings.
Scoring 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
Tampa Bay2.672.333.542.82Goals 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
Tampa Bay · 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.
Placed C Jansen Harkins on waivers.
Placed D Michael Callahan on waivers.
Placed D Michael Callahan, G Mads Sogaard Nielsenon, LD Maxim Groshev, LW Jakob Pelletier and C Nicholas Abruzzese on waivers.
Buffalo · 2026 draft
See all: Buffalo · 2026 draft →Tampa Bay · 2026 draft
See all: Tampa Bay · 2026 draft →
Updated after every final