The Buffalo Sabres and Anaheim Ducks open their season series Thursday night at Honda Center, with puck drop set for 10 p.m. ET. Buffalo enters at 5-4-3 after a 2-0 win over the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday, while Anaheim sits at 5-6-1 following a 6-5 overtime loss to the Vancouver Canucks the same night. Both clubs are trying to climb out of the bottom tier of their respective divisions, with the Sabres seventh in the Atlantic at 13 points and the Ducks fifth in the Pacific at 11.
Sabres Vs Ducks Preview: Game Information
- Date: Thursday, Oct. 29
- Time: 10 p.m. ET
- Venue: Honda Center, Anaheim, California
- TV/Streaming: Disney+, ESPN+, Hulu
- Series: First meeting of the 2026-27 season
Sabres Outlook
Buffalo has won two of its last three games, including Wednesday’s 2-0 shutout of San Jose, a result detailed in Total Apex Sports’ recap of the Sharks win. The Sabres have an identical .876 save percentage to Anaheim but a better goals-against average at 3.33, and they lead the season series matchup in shots on goal with 330 to the Ducks’ 282. Jack Quinn paces the offense with six goals and 11 points, while defenseman Owen Power has set up a team-high nine assists.
Buffalo’s power play has produced just four goals this season, the lowest total between the two clubs, and that unit will need to find traction against a Ducks penalty kill that has allowed nine power-play goals of its own. Center Jiri Kulich remains out with a concussion and is not projected to return until Nov. 4. Forward Justin Danforth is day-to-day with an upper-body injury, and defenseman Matt Grzelcyk, center Sam Carrick and goaltender Alex Lyon are all on injured reserve. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is projected to start in goal for Buffalo.
Ducks Outlook
Anaheim has dropped four of its last five games, with the lone win a 5-4 decision over Philadelphia on Oct. 24. The Ducks have scored 37 goals this season against 33 for Buffalo, and their 13.1% shooting percentage outpaces the Sabres’ 10.0%, but their defense has allowed 43 goals against a 3.58 average, the weaker mark in this matchup. Leo Carlsson leads Anaheim with 11 assists and 15 points, while Beckett Sennecke tops the team with seven goals.
The Ducks are shorthanded on the back end and up front. Defensemen Pavel Mintyukov and Ian Moore are both on injured reserve with lower-body injuries, with Mintyukov projected to return around Thursday’s game and Moore not expected back until Nov. 8. Center Ryan Poehling is out with a lower-body injury through a projected Nov. 25 return, and right wing Troy Terry remains on injured reserve recovering from hip surgery, with a projected return around Nov. 21. Lukas Dostal is projected to start in net for Anaheim.
Key Matchup
Buffalo’s edge in puck volume against Anaheim’s finishing ability is the central tension of this game. The Sabres have outshot opponents by generating 330 total shots to the Ducks’ 282, but Anaheim’s 13.1% shooting percentage has let it convert chances at a higher clip than Buffalo’s 10.0% mark. With Anaheim already missing four regulars up front and on defense, including Terry and Poehling, the Ducks will lean on secondary scorers like Sennecke and Carlsson to keep pace if Buffalo controls territory the way it did in its 2-0 win over San Jose.
Special teams could also decide the margin. Anaheim has converted nine power-play goals compared to Buffalo’s four, giving the Ducks a real advantage if the Sabres take penalties. Buffalo has committed fewer penalty minutes overall, 118 to Anaheim’s 144, which suggests the Sabres can limit how often that Ducks power play gets on the ice.
What To Watch
Both teams are looking to pull away from the bottom of their divisions early in the season. Buffalo sits two points ahead of Detroit for seventh in the Atlantic, while Anaheim is five points behind Pacific-leading Vegas and must navigate a thin injury-depleted lineup to stay ahead of Calgary, Los Angeles and Vancouver. A Sabres win would give them their first three-game winning streak of the season, while Anaheim will be trying to snap a stretch in which it has lost four of five.
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