Early look The full preview opens on Saturday 28 November, 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

Buffalo Sabres at Edmonton Oilers: game preview

Puck drop1 Dec · 8:00 PM ET
VenueRogers Place
All-time meetings90 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Sixteen points apart last season

Buffalo finished last season 4th in the league on 109 points. Edmonton finished 14th on 93.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 91

Across 90 completed games, Edmonton lead the head-to-head 53-27-10.

All-time record53-27-10Edmonton's record in the series
Meetings played90This is number 91
2025-26 series—
Last 53-2Buffalo
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
9 Dec 2025BUF 4 – EDM 3 OT——BUF
17 Nov 2025EDM 1 – BUF 5——BUF
10 Mar 2025EDM 2 – BUF 3——BUF
25 Jan 2025BUF 2 – EDM 3——EDM
21 Mar 2024BUF 3 – EDM 8——EDM
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateBuffaloEdmonton
17 Nov 20257-8-4 · 18 pts29th9-8-4 · 22 pts21st
9 Dec 202512-14-4 · 28 pts29th13-11-6 · 32 pts19th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 17 Nov 2025, Buffalo were 29th in the league and Edmonton 21st. By 9 Dec 2025 it was 29th and 19th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Edmonton out-attempted Buffalo 123 to 117

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

Buffalo Sabres

117 att · 56 on goal · 9 G · 16.1%
Crease8 att · 2 G
Slot45 att · 4 G
Wing43 att · 2 G
Point18 att · 0 G
Neutral zone3 att · 1 G

Edmonton Oilers

123 att · 63 on goal · 4 G · 6.3%
Crease12 att · 2 G
Slot30 att · 0 G
Wing48 att · 2 G
Point29 att · 0 G
Neutral zone4 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Buffalo and Edmonton are level on 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.

BuffaloEdmonton
3.53xG for per game3.31
2.17xG against per game2.10
62.0%xG share61.2%
−0.6FinishingGoals minus expected goals+7.1
−4.5GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−7.7

This season: 3 games for Buffalo, 3 for Edmonton. 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

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

Edmonton

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2725.0%
Power play · 2025-2630.6% · 1st
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2757.1%
Penalty kill · 2025-2677.8% · 20th
Faceoffs · 2026-2751.7% · 91/176
Drawn · 2026-2712 (4.00/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-277 (2.33/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
72Tage Thompson32241.33
86Noah Ostlund31231.00
22Jack Quinn32020.67
97Connor McDavid32793.00
29Leon Draisaitl33251.67
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
25Owen Power31451.67
26Rasmus Dahlin31120.67
2Evan Bouchard34482.67
6Ryan Shea31231.00
14Mattias Ekholm30000.00
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 27 Nov: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

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

Buffalo crease

BUF · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 28 Nov

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

No appearances against Edmonton in the last meetings.

Edmonton crease

EDM · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 28 Nov

Devon Levi.8102 GP · 2-0-0 · GSAx −3.6
Tristan Jarry.7391 GP · 0-0-1 · GSAx −4.1

No appearances against Buffalo in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.9 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

9 Dec 20257 · BUF 4–3 EDM
17 Nov 20256 · EDM 1–5 BUF
10 Mar 20255 · EDM 2–3 BUF
25 Jan 20255 · BUF 2–3 EDM
21 Mar 202411 · BUF 3–8 EDM

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Buffalo3.333.673.512.94
Edmonton5.674.673.443.28

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 suggest6.9Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings6.8Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

15 on the injury lists

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

Edmonton · injuries

Alec RegulaUndisclosedIRReturn24 Oct
Atro LeppanenUndisclosedIRReturn17 Oct
Frederik AndersenKneeIRReturn30 Dec
James StefanUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct
Jason DickinsonFootIRReturn7 Oct
Matt SavoieLower BodyIRReturn24 Nov
Mattias JanmarkUndisclosedIRReturn15 Oct
Ryan Nugent-HopkinsLower BodyIRReturn13 Oct
Zach HymanUndisclosedOutReturn17 Oct
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.

1 Oct · EDM

Placed F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on injured reserve. Placed D Alec Regula on long-term injured reserve. Recalled F Josh Samanski under emergency conditions.

27 Sep · EDM

Placed G Matt Tomkins on waivers for the purpose of assignment to Bakersfield (AHL).

25 Sep · EDM

Loaned D Tomas Cibulka, Fs Connor Clattenburg, Quinn Hutson, Viljami Marjala, William Nicholl and Aku Raty and G Connor Ungar to Bakersfield (AHL). Waived for the purpose of assignment to Bakersfield Ds Josh Brown and Riley Stillman and F Eduards Tralmaks.

Injury report
#4Daxon RudolphRound 1 · Prince AlbertD
#20Ilia MorozovRound 1 · MiamiC
#124Olivers MurnieksRound 4 · Saint JohnC
#156Doman SzongothRound 5 · Kookoo Jr.C
Full draft
#58Rudolfs BerzkalnsRound 2 · MuskegonC
#84Malcom GastrinRound 3 · Modo Jr.LW
#133Andrew RobinsonRound 5 · WindsorD
#180Caden HarveyRound 6 · WindsorC
Full draft

Updated after every final