The Buffalo Sabres have reached the quarter mark of their 2025-26 NHL season, having played 22 games. The team has faced a series of challenges, including injuries to key players, fluctuating special teams performance, and inconsistent results at home and on the road.
Ten regular players have missed significant time due to injuries or personal reasons. Josh Norris, who was injured on opening night, has been practicing fully and may return soon. “Every day you just try to push it a little bit more, and I’m getting to that point where I’m getting really close, so it’s exciting,” Norris said. Jason Zucker and Zach Benson recently returned from injury, while Justin Danforth, Jiri Kulich, and Michael Kesselring remain out with no clear timeline for their returns.
Goaltending duties have been shared among Alex Lyon, Colten Ellis, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. Each goalie has recorded three wins so far this season. The trio has improved Buffalo’s overall save percentage compared to last year; this season they rank 19th in the league with an .892 save percentage after finishing 31st last year at .880. Their performance on high-danger chances has also improved.
Buffalo leads the NHL in penalty kill efficiency at 87.7 percent and has not allowed multiple power-play goals in any game this season. Conor Timmins leads the league with 17 shorthanded shot blocks while Mattias Samuelsson is eighth with 11 blocks; Samuelsson also leads the league in shorthanded hits. Forwards Ryan McLeod, Alex Tuch, and Beck Malenstyn have contributed significantly as well. The Sabres have scored three shorthanded goals so far.
At home in KeyBank Center, Buffalo holds an 8-4-2 record with strong offensive production (3.43 goals per game) and solid defense (2.79 goals against per game). However, they have struggled on the road with a 1-5-2 record and are allowing an average of 4.50 goals against per away game.
Coach Lindy Ruff addressed these issues: “We’re right there in a lot of the road games, but we haven’t finished the deal,” Ruff said. “We’ve got to be a better team, whether you get into the third period and you’re tied or go you ahead, at preserving that win.”
Despite setbacks throughout the first quarter of the season, Buffalo remains four points behind Boston for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Luukkonen is expected to start Wednesday’s game against Pittsburgh after winning his previous two starts: “I would say he’s looked good in the two starts, and he’s won two games,” Ruff said. “I think it’s going to take him a few more – he’s getting comfortable with playing again – but I’ve liked his game.
“I think he’s been able to pick up some stuff through traffic, and that’s probably the hardest part… He looks refreshed back there…”
The Sabres will face Pittsburgh next as they look to build momentum during a stretch heavy with road games.
