Columbus Blue Jackets vs Buffalo Sabres preview
The Columbus Blue Jackets host the Buffalo Sabres on October 1, 2026, at 23:00 UTC in the USA NHL season opener at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The Blue Jackets enter the campaign without a designated team captain. Columbus finished the previous season with a 40-30-12 overall record, including a 20-13-8 mark in home games, and recorded 38 power-play goals on 200 opportunities. The Buffalo Sabres arrive following a 50-23-9 season, during which they maintained a 29-14-4 record in road games and converted 48 of 246 power-play chances.
Several players are unavailable for this opening contest. The Blue Jackets report Dante Fabbro is out with an upper-body injury, Mikael Pyyhtia is sidelined with a lower-body injury, and Isac Lundestrom is out with an Achilles injury. The Sabres' roster is impacted by lower-body injuries to Mattias Samuelsson, Conor Timmins, and Topias Leinonen, while Jason Zucker is out with an abdominal injury, Justin Danforth is out for the season with a kneecap injury, and Olen Zellweger is listed as day-to-day with a concussion. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is expected in goal for Buffalo, carrying a career save percentage of .900 and a 93-74-18 record.