The Buffalo Sabres are 7-5-3 with 17 points from 15 games in 2026-27, 17th of 32 in the NHL by points percentage. At five on five they have taken 50.2% of the expected goals in their games (19th of 32) and 52.0% of the shot attempts (10th of 32); counting every situation, our BlueLine xG model gives them 49.3% (19th of 32).
Their strongest numbers so far: Distance / GP (mi) (1st), Rush Chances Allowed / 60 (6th) and D-Zone Escape % (8th).
Where they trail the league: Faceoff % (31st), Power Play % (27th), Penalty Kill % (27th) and PK xGA / 60 (27th).
On special teams the power play is converting 16.3% (27th of 32) and the penalty kill is stopping 69.8% (27th of 32). Their five-on-five save percentage is .898 (20th of 32), and PDO, shooting plus save percentage, sits at 0.992.
| Stat | Value | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Points % | 56.7% | 17th of 32 |
| Goal Diff / GP | -0.40 | 25th of 32 |
| Goals For / GP | 2.93 | 23rd of 32 |
| Goals Against / GP (lower is better) | 3.33 | 20th of 32 |
| xG% | 50.2% | 19th of 32 |
| Corsi % | 52.0% | 10th of 32 |
| High-Danger Chance % | 52.5% | 16th of 32 |
| Save % | .898 | 20th of 32 |
| PDO | 0.992 | 20th of 32 |
| Power Play % | 16.3% | 27th of 32 |
| Penalty Kill % | 69.8% | 27th of 32 |
| BlueLine xG% | 49.3% | 19th of 32 |
| Talent-Adjusted xGA / GP (lower is better) | 3.28 | 23rd of 32 |
| Rush Chances / 60 | 5.10 | 20th of 32 |
| Rush Chances Allowed / 60 (lower is better) | 4.60 | 6th of 32 |
| D-Zone Escape % | 45.6% | 8th of 32 |
| O-Zone Time % | 41.1% | 17th of 32 |
| Faceoff % | 45.2% | 31st of 32 |
| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tage Thompson | C | 15 | 10 | 8 | 18 |
| Jack Quinn | R | 15 | 8 | 6 | 14 |
| Zach Benson | L | 15 | 2 | 12 | 14 |
| Owen Power | D | 15 | 2 | 9 | 11 |
| Noah Ostlund | C | 15 | 4 | 5 | 9 |
In goal: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (10 GP, .874 save percentage, -3.5 goals saved above expected) and Colten Ellis (6 GP, .891 save percentage, +0.7 goals saved above expected).
In 2025-26 the Buffalo Sabres went 50-23-9 (109 points, 4th of 32 by points percentage) with a 50.9% five-on-five expected-goals share (13th of 32). That share has fallen 6 places in the league since. Their highest-rated regulars last season were Rasmus Dahlin (97.1), Josh Doan (93.6), Tage Thompson (93.3), Josh Norris (88.7) and Bowen Byram (87.1), on our 0-100 player rating.
The Buffalo Sabres carry $101.6M in cap hits against a $104M ceiling, leaving $2.43M in space. Their biggest contracts: Rasmus Dahlin ($11M, rated underpaid), Owen Power ($8.35M, rated underpaid), Josh Norris ($7.95M, rated overpaid), Zach Benson ($7.5M, rated underpaid) and Tage Thompson ($7.14M, rated underpaid). The full sheet, with each contract's value verdict, is on the Buffalo Sabres cap page.
Expected goals (xG) weigh every unblocked shot by how often a shot like it, from that spot and in that situation, goes in. The five-on-five xG% is our shot model before any adjustment; BlueLine xG counts every situation, including the power play and empty nets, and adjusts for score, venue and the home rink's scorekeeping. Ranks run 1 (best) to 32 and update nightly. Compare every club on any of these stats on the team rankings, see Buffalo Sabres franchise history, or read advanced stats explained.
