The Buffalo Sabres will play three home-and-home sets over the next two weeks as their preseason preparations for the 2025-26 NHL season. Their group of opponents includes the Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins.
All of the Sabres' exhibition games will be available to watch locally in the Buffalo market either on television or streaming.
It all leads up to the team's Opening Night regular-season game against the New York Rangers on Oct. 9 at the KeyBank Center.
Buffalo Sabres 2025 preseason schedule and viewing information
Monday, Sept. 22 at Columbus Blue Jackets (7 p.m. ET)
Watch: MSG Network
Listen: WGR 550 Radio
Tuesday, Sept. 23 vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (7 p.m. ET)
Watch: Sabres.com (No TV; Streaming only)
Listen: WGR 550 Radio
Thursday, Sept. 25 at Detroit Red Wings (7 p.m. ET)
Watch: Sabres.com (No TV; Streaming only)
Listen: WGR 550 Radio
Saturday, Sept. 27 vs. Detroit Red Wings (3 p.m. ET)
Watch: Sabres.com (No TV; Streaming only)
Listen: WGR 550 Radio
Wednesday, Oct. 1 vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (7 p.m. ET)
Watch: MSG Network
Listen: WGR 550 Radio
Friday, Oct. 3 at Pittsburgh Penguins (7 p.m. ET)
Watch: MSG Network
Listen: WGR 550 Radio
What to watch for during Sabres preseason games
Injury concerns
Buffalo opened training camp a little undermanned as Alex Tuch, Jordan Greenway and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen were all sidelined from practice by injuries. It left the team short in two key areas: forwards with defensive acumen and goaltending.
The Sabres did well over the summer to create a more well-rounded lineup, led by the acquistions of Josh Doan and Michael Kesselring in the JJ Peterka trade with the Utah Mammoth, but the organization remains severely short on impact depth.
Staying healthy throughout the preseason will be crucial as the team faces an important stretch of the schedule right out of the gate in the new campaign.
Special teams performance
The Sabres struggled mightily on special teams last season. They finished 24th on the power play (18.8%) and 23rd on the penalty kill (76.3%). Those failures were one of the main reason the franchise missed the playoffs for the 14th straight year.
There's no way the power play should be that bad given the talent on Buffalo's roster — it ranked eighth in the NHL with 269 goals score in 2024-25 — and that's particularly true for a first unit that features Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin.
The Sabres need to push toward the top 10 in both categories if they're going to make a serious postseason push, and signs of schematic change in the preseason would be a promising step.
Any standout performers?
Buffalo's lineup was pretty much set on paper before the start of camp, but injuries and underperformance always opens up opportunities during the season. The question is whether any prospects can take a step forward to prove they're ready for the NHL call.
Isak Rosen, Noah Ostlund and Konsta Helenius are among the Sabres' next wave of young players who are getting close to a role with the big club. The one who performs the best over the next couple weeks could put themselves in position for an early call up.
Of course, there's always an opportunity for some under-the-radar players to stand out and climb the organizational depth chart, too. So, the preseason games should carry plenty of intrigue.