Have the Buffalo Sabres played their best hockey over the first three games of the new season? No. Are they still 2-1-0 after a thrilling comeback victory against the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday? Yes.
Yet, Bleacher Report rated the Sabres at No. 23 out of the league's 32 teams in its NHL power rankings released Wednesday. The Wild checked in at No. 2.
The underlying numbers suggest Rasmus Dahlin, Tage Thompson and Co. are probably playing better than the eye test may suggest, too.
Buffalo leads the NHL in all-situations expected goal share (65.4 xGF%), according to Natural Stat Trick. Although the sample size is incredibly small, it's worth noting the reigning Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes are second in that category (63.2%).
Filing this in our "perfect photos" category. 📸 pic.twitter.com/sErHcYidgV
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) October 7, 2026
The Sabres have built those promising metrics despite being one of five teams yet to score a goal on the power play (0 for 10) and some uncharacteristic struggles on the penalty kill (66.7%) after ranking among the league's best in that crucial area last season.
Although you could make an argument the Blue and Gold looked suspect in their season-opening loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets and raise questions about the impact of the special teams issues, suggesting they reside in the NHL's bottom 10 doesn't seem to have much merit.
It'd be one thing if Buffalo didn't complete a remarkable turnaround last season and were still mired in an extended playoff drought, but you'd think a club that finished with 109 points in 2025-26 would have earned a little more leeway before plummeting in the power rankings.
In addition, since B/R's hockey staff clearly believes the Wild are one of the league's best teams, which is a totally reasonable take, a club that outplayed them on Tuesday night shouldn't be 21 spots behind them in this week's rankings.
The Sabres are back in action Thursday night when they welcome the Dallas Stars, a Western Conference contender, to the KeyBank Center.
A key schedule stretch awaits the Buffalo Sabres
The Sabres, the defending Atlantic Division champions, have yet to face a divisional opponent in the early going, but that'll change quickly next week.
Starting Monday afternoon, when Buffalo faces off with the Florida Panthers, it'll play four straight games against Atlantic opponents. The Cats are followed by the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs and then a second matchup with the Habs.
Those battles with Montreal will take on a little extra meaning since the Canadiens knocked the Sabres out of last season's playoffs in the second round.
The Atlantic is projected to become a heated battle in 2026-27. Pretty much every team in the division has legitimate postseason aspirations, including the Leafs as they attempt to make a quick return to contention. The Detroit Red Wings are probably the only exception.
So, even though it's only October, those head-to-head meetings could have a lasting impact on the standings when late March and early April arrive.
HockeyStats.com currently predicts the Panthers (107-point projection) and Tampa Bay Lightning (105) to finish comfortably atop the division, but is forecasting a super tight race between the Sabres (97), Ottawa Senators (95), Maple Leafs (92), Habs (91) and Boston Bruins (90).
It'll illustrates the importance of any head-to-head victory, which is essentially a four-point swing, if the season ends up playing out anything close to those projections.
So, the Sabres have a few more games to continue searching for top form before that first foray into the divisional rivalries gets underway.
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