Opening night in Columbus brings a game the market cannot separate. The Blue Jackets host the Buffalo Sabres at Nationwide Arena on Thursday, with Columbus at -112 and Buffalo at -108. Both teams enter at 0-0-0. Both traded away a 25-plus-goal scorer over the summer. Both are likely to start a goaltender who finished last season within one point of the other in save percentage. The total, meanwhile, has already climbed half a goal since it opened. Below we work through the goaltending, the special teams and the injuries, then land on where the value sits.
Last Updated: October 1, 2026
Buffalo Sabres vs. Columbus Blue Jackets — Game Info
| Where | Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio |
| When | October 1 – 7:00 PM ET |
| TV | MSG (Buffalo) and Blue Jackets Hockey Network (Columbus) |
Buffalo Sabres vs. Columbus Blue Jackets Betting Preview
Start in the crease, because that is where this price comes from. Columbus is expected to go with Jet Greaves, who played 55 games last season and posted a .908 save percentage with a 2.60 goals-against average. Buffalo is expected to counter with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who went 22-9-3 over 35 appearances with a .909 save percentage and a 2.52 goals-against average. Neither start is confirmed yet. Treat everything below as provisional until both teams post their lineups, because a change in either net moves this entire read. On the numbers, though, one point of save percentage is not an edge for anybody.
The separation shows up on special teams instead. Buffalo killed 81.9 percent of its penalties last season, fourth best in the league. Columbus killed only 76.0 percent of its penalties. Their power plays were nearly identical, Buffalo at 19.5 percent and Columbus at 18.9 percent. In other words, similar man-advantage ability runs into very different resistance.
Health matters more than usual here, and it matters most to the home team. Columbus is without Damon Severson and Dante Fabbro, while Ivan Provorov is day to day. That leaves Zach Werenski and Denton Mateychuk in front of a bottom four of Jake Christiansen, Erik Gudbranson, Carson Soucy and Emil Andrae. Buffalo is short too, with Mattias Samuelsson and Conor Timmins on injured reserve. Still, the Sabres keep a genuine top pair, while the Blue Jackets are down two regulars with a third day to day.
The summer churn cuts both ways. Buffalo traded Alex Tuch to the Washington Capitals, removing 33 goals from its forward group without a like-for-like replacement. Columbus moved Kirill Marchenko and his 27 goals in the trade that brought Matthew Knies from Toronto. It then acquired Valeri Nichushkin from the Colorado Avalanche. Last season’s 109-point Buffalo club and 92-point Columbus club are not quite the teams taking the ice tonight.
Buffalo Sabres vs. Columbus Blue Jackets Odds
| Puck Line | Moneyline | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sabres | +1.5 (-280) | -108 | O 6.0 (-112) |
| Blue Jackets | -1.5 (+230) | -112 | U 6.0 (-108) |
Odds accurate as of October 1, 2026 via TheSpread.com. Odds change, get the latest NHL Odds – Futures – Props
Buffalo Sabres vs. Columbus Blue Jackets — Who Is the Public Betting?
| Sabres | 67% | 33% | Blue Jackets |
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That split is worth sitting with. Two thirds of puck-line tickets are on Buffalo, and the number has drifted toward Buffalo as well, from -105 at the open to -108 now. Movement in the same direction as the public is expected and tells us very little. The total is the more interesting move. It opened at 5.5 with the over at -135. It now sits at 6.0 with the over still priced at -112. That is a real half-goal climb rather than a juice adjustment. The market is saying this game got easier to score in, and the injury list on the Columbus blue line explains why. For the rest of the week’s card, see our three best bets for Tuesday’s NHL slate.
Sabres vs. Blue Jackets Prediction — Who Replaces Marchenko’s 27 Goals?
Columbus answered that question with the winger who came the other way in the same transaction. Matthew Knies produced 66 points in 79 games last season, split between 23 goals and 43 assists. That works out to 0.84 points per game. In Columbus he does not simply slot in. He moves up, opening on the first line with Adam Fantilli and Kent Johnson. Fantilli posted 59 points in 82 games.
The matchup suits him. Buffalo is missing Samuelsson and Timmins, which pushes Zach Metsa up alongside Owen Power and leaves Olen Zellweger with Matt Grzelcyk on the third pair. Rasmus Dahlin put up 74 points of his own last season. Behind him, though, there is not much on that blue line to worry a first line. The market is asking close to even money on him doing something he managed at better than four fifths of a point per game. It is asking it against the weaker half of Buffalo’s defense.
The case against is honest and it is not small. This is his first competitive night in a new system with new linemates, and chemistry seldom arrives on opening night. Luukkonen is a .909 goaltender who is perfectly capable of holding a top line to nothing. Buffalo’s fourth-ranked penalty kill also squeezes the man-advantage minutes where production comes cheapest. A single game turns on one deflection, so this is a lean rather than a conviction play.
The Pick: Matthew Knies 1+ Points (-105)
Sabres vs. Blue Jackets Prediction — Does a 17-Point Gap Still Mean Anything?
Buffalo finished last season with 109 points and the Atlantic Division title. Columbus finished with 92 and placed fifth in the Metropolitan. Not all of that gap survives a summer, but the parts built on structure do travel. The Sabres owned the fourth-best penalty kill in hockey. They still run a legitimate top pair. Columbus, by contrast, is missing two regular defensemen with a third day to day. It also leans on a penalty kill that failed almost a quarter of the time. Those are the conditions in which a better team quietly wins a game it is not favored in.
Two things argue the other way, and they deserve weight. Buffalo is weaker than its record suggests after sending 33 goals to Washington, while Columbus added two useful forwards of its own. Columbus also took two of three from these Sabres last season. The Blue Jackets won 4-3 in overtime in Buffalo and 5-1 at home before losing the April finale. Add an opening-night building and a line that has drifted this way on heavy public money, and the edge is modest rather than decisive. It is still an edge, and after working through every market this board offers, the cleanest version of it is also the simplest one.
The Pick: Buffalo Sabres Full-Game Moneyline (-108)
Our Final Word on Sabres vs. Blue Jackets
Everything here points toward a close game with a bit of traffic in it. Two goaltenders in the same form band keep the margin tight. Two thinned-out blue lines and one leaky penalty kill keep the scoreboard ticking. That is precisely why the market settled on a near pick’em with a total that has already moved up. The value here sits in smaller, more specific places than the headline numbers. Our Kings vs. Avalanche prediction from Wednesday covers another early-season price worth a look.
Matthew Knies at 1 or more points at -105 leads the card, because a 66-point winger on a new first line is underpriced. The Buffalo Sabres full-game moneyline at -108 follows, on the strength of a fourth-ranked penalty kill against a depleted Columbus blue line.
NHL Sabres vs. Blue Jackets FAQ: October 1, 2026
What time does the Sabres vs. Blue Jackets game start?
Buffalo at Columbus is scheduled for 7:00 PM ET on Thursday, October 1, 2026, at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. This is the season opener for both teams, so puck drop follows Columbus’s pregame ceremonies. Both clubs enter the night at 0-0-0.
What channel is the Sabres vs. Blue Jackets game on?
This game is carried on regional networks. Viewers in Western New York can watch on MSG, while the Columbus broadcast is carried by the Blue Jackets Hockey Network. The feed you receive therefore depends on your market, so check local listings for the channel number.
Where are the Sabres and Blue Jackets playing?
The game is at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, the Blue Jackets’ home arena. Buffalo is the visiting team and opens its season on the road, while Columbus opens at home. The two clubs share the Eastern Conference but sit in different divisions.
What is the season series record between the Sabres and Blue Jackets?
Columbus took two of the three meetings in 2025-26. The Blue Jackets won 4-3 in overtime in Buffalo on October 28, then followed it with a 5-1 home win on January 3. Buffalo closed the series with a 5-0 victory at home on April 9.
What were the Sabres’ and Blue Jackets’ records last season?
Buffalo finished 50-23-9 for 109 points and won the Atlantic Division. Columbus finished 40-30-12 for 92 points and placed fifth in the Metropolitan Division. Both teams start this season at 0-0-0, because this game is the opener for each of them.