The Blue Jackets are 14-8-1 at Nationwide Arena and 29-17-1 overall vs. Buffalo.
The Columbus Blue Jackets are back at home to kick off the 2026-27 season tonight at Nationwide Arena against the Buffalo Sabres.
The CBJ have lost four straight season openers. They last won at home against the Arizona Coyotes in 2021. The Sabres have lost three straight.
Their all-time record is 9-14-2 in season openers and 3-6-2 in home season openers.
Buffalo Sabres - 2025-26 - 50-23-9 - 109 Points - Won the Atlantic Division
Columbus Blue Jackets - 2025-26 - 40-30-12 - 92 Points - Finished 5th in the Metro
Team Notes Per CBJ PR
- Columbus has won three-straight games vs. Bualo at Nationwide Arena.
- CBJ and Buffalo have combined for 60 shots or more in eight of the last 10 games of the series.
- The Blue Jackets have not surrendered a power play goal in the past eight games of the series (18-of-18, penalty killing).
Player Notes Per CBJ PR
- Adam Fantilli, who signed a six-year contract with Columbus on Sept. 24, was second on the club in goals scored (24) during the 2025-26 season.
- Zach Werenski captured the 2025-26 James Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman and was named to the First All-Star Team after notching 22-59-81 in 75 contests. He ranked second in the NHL in TOI (26:37) and second among league defensemen in scoring and third in goals.
Blue Jackets Stats - 2025-26
- Power Play - 19.0% - 22nd in the NHL
- Penalty Kill - 76.1% - 27th in the NHL
- Goals For - 245 - 17th in the NHL
- Goals Against - 249 - 22nd in the NHL
Sabres Stats - 2025-26
- Power Play - 19.5% - 21st in the NHL
- Penalty Kill - 81.9% - 4th in the NHL
- Goals For - 283 - 5th in the NHL
- Goals Against - 240 - 10th in the NHL
Series History vs. The Sabres
- The Blue Jackets are 14-8-1 at Nationwide Arena and 29-17-1 overall vs. Buffalo.
- Columbus has won three-straight games vs. Buffalo at Nationwide Arena.
- The Jackets went 2-1-0 in 2025-26 against the Sabres.
- The Blue Jackets have picked up four wins against the Sabres over the past two seasons (4-2-0).
Who To Watch For The Sabres
- Tage Thompson had 40 goals and 81 points last season.
- Rasmus Dahlin had 55 assists and 74 points.
- Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen went 22-9-0 with a SV% of .909 last season.
CBJ Player Notes vs Sabres
- Jet Greaves has a 3-1-0 record with a .926 save percentage and 2.49 goals-against average in four career games vs. Buffalo.
- Sean Monahan has 9-15-24 in 26 career games vs. the Sabres.
- Matthew Knies posted 1-6-7 in 11 career games vs. Buffalo with points in three-straight.
Injured Reserve & Other Injuries
- Dante Fabbro - Broken Hand
- Damon Severson - Shoulder Surgery
- Isac Lundestrom - Achilles Surgery - LTIR
- Mikael Pyyhtia - Lower Body Injury
TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 0
How to Watch & Listen: Tonight's game will be simulcast on The Blue Jackets Hockey Network and 97.1 The Fan, with Steve Mears behind the mic doing the play-by-play.
Next Up For Columbus: The CBJ take on the Buffalo Sabres tonight at 7 PM.
Stay updated with the most interesting Blue Jackets stories, analysis, breaking news, and more!
Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News and never miss a story.
Let us know what you think below.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive, and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. Share your thoughts by commenting on the article below on THN.com or by creating your own post in our community forum.
