The Columbus Blue Jackets will head into Buffalo on Tuesday night to face the Sabres at KeyBank Center. Both clubs are near the .500 mark early in the season and will look for an important win early in the season. Columbus is off to a strong start on the road and the Sabres are off to a strong start at home. But only one of them can get the win here. Before the puck drops in Buffalo, continue reading to get my Blue Jackets vs Sabres prediction.
Our Blue Jackets vs Sabres Pick
- Pick: Sabres Moneyline
- Confidence: ★★★☆☆
Game Snapshot
- Matchup: Columbus Blue Jackets vs Buffalo Sabres
- Date & Time: Tuesday, October 28, 2025, 6:45 PM ET
- Venue: KeyBank Center, Buffalo, NY
- Broadcast: ESPN+
Key Storylines
Recent form
Both of these teams are averaging three goals per game to start the season. The Sabres’ production from the top two lines has carried them in their games so far. Buffalo is slightly better defensively going into this contest, but the differences between these teams are negligible and that sets up a game that could go in either direction on Tuesday.
Goaltending
Columbus has split its goaltending duties evenly between Jet Greaves and Elvis Merzlikins. Both have GAAs under 3.00 to start the season and it will be interesting to see which gets the start in this contest against the Sabres. Buffalo has gone with Alex Lyon in most of their games. He has a 2.61 GAA this season but has a losing record due to a lack of consistent support offensively.
Key skaters
- Columbus: Dimitri Voronkov is the top scorer for the Jackets this season. He has nine points and five goals to lead the team.
- Buffalo: The Sabres rely on Tage Thompson to do the bulk of their scoring. He has four goals and four assists, leading his team with eight total points.
Best Player Props
| Player | Prop |
|---|---|
| Tage Thompson | Anytime Goal Scorer |
| Kirill Marchenko | Anytime Goal Scorer |
| Dmitri Voronkov | Anytime Goal Scorer |
Betting Trends & H2H
- This is the first of three games scheduled between these teams this season.
- Buffalo is 5-4 on the puckline to start this season.
- Columbus is 5-3 on the puckline through their first eight games.
- Buffalo is 3-4-2 on the over/under market to begin the season.
- Columbus is 2-6 on over/unders in their games so far.
Blue Jackets vs Sabres Model Projection
Score Projection: Buffalo 4 – Columbus 3
Win Probability: Buffalo 55%, Columbus 45%
Final Thoughts
I give Buffalo a slight edge on home ice in this game. The Sabres are slightly better on defense than the Blue Jackets and that should help them to get a win in this spot. I’ll take Buffalo to improve to 5-0 on home ice and for them to halt the recent momentum of the Blue Jackets.
