Faceoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM EDT
Venue: KeyBank Center, Buffalo, NY
TV/Streaming: TNT, truTV, HBO Max, MORE27, Victory+ (regional)
This late-regular-season matchup pits two strong contenders against each other. The Stars sit 2nd in the Central Division and Western Conference, while the Sabres top the Atlantic Division and rank 2nd in the Eastern Conference. Both teams have clinched playoff spots and are jockeying for seeding with just days left in the 2025-26 schedule.
Injury Report
Dallas Stars (significant absences on the blue line and up front):
Roope Hintz (C): OUT (lower body, expected return ~Apr 18)
Miro Heiskanen (D): OUT (lower body; ruled out for Dallas’ final regular-season games)
Nathan Bastian (RW): OUT (hand)
Tyler Seguin (C): OUT for season (ACL)
Sam Steel (C): Day-to-Day (hip; questionable)
Nils Lundkvist (D): Day-to-Day (illness)
The Stars will lean heavily on their depth forwards (Wyatt Johnston, Mavrik Bourque) and a makeshift defense without Heiskanen and potentially Lundkvist.
Buffalo Sabres (depth and goaltending concerns):
Jiri Kulich: OUT for season (ear)
Sam Carrick (C): OUT (arm; week-to-week, unlikely for this game and possibly early playoffs)
Alex Lyon (G): OUT (lower body)
Noah Ostlund (C): OUT (upper body, expected ~Apr 18)
Justin Danforth: OUT (lower body, per earlier reports)
Buffalo will rely on Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (or backup Colin Ellis) in net and call on depth forwards.
Recent Team Forms
Dallas Stars: 6-3-1 in their last 10 games (entering this contest). They enter on a 4-game win streak, including a 6-5 road win over Toronto (Apr 13), a 2-0 shutout of the Rangers (Apr 11), a 5-4 win vs Minnesota (Apr 9), and a 4-3 OT victory vs Calgary (Apr 7). The Stars have been excellent defensively and opportunistic offensively despite injuries.
Buffalo Sabres: Also 6-3-1 in their last 10. They are riding momentum with recent wins over Chicago (5-1 on Apr 13), Columbus (5-0), the Rangers (5-3), and Tampa Bay (4-2). Buffalo’s offense has been explosive, but they have shown occasional defensive lapses.
Both clubs are playing meaningful hockey with playoff positioning on the line.
Series History
The all-time series is nearly even (Stars hold a slight edge historically around 57-57-20). In 2025-26, the teams have met once: Buffalo won 4-1 at American Airlines Center on Dec 31, 2025/Jan 1, 2026. Dallas is 14-6 SU in the last 20 meetings overall and 5-2 SU in its last 7 road games against Buffalo.
Key
Player Matchups to Watch
Stars’ Top Line (Jason Robertson – Wyatt Johnston – Mavrik Bourque) vs. Sabres’ Top Defense (Rasmus Dahlin pairing): Robertson leads Dallas with ~45 goals and 51 assists (96 points). Johnston has added ~45 goals. Dahlin has been hot lately (7 points in his last 5 games). This will be a marquee matchup.
Sabres’ Top Line (Tage Thompson – others) vs. Stars’ Defense: Thompson has 38 goals and 41 assists (79 points) and remains a constant scoring threat. Dallas’ depleted blue line (no Heiskanen) must contain him and Buffalo’s speed.
Goaltending: Jake Oettinger (Stars, ~2.59 GAA, .900 SV%) has been stellar. Buffalo’s Luukkonen will be tested by a Stars team that generates quality chances even without key pieces.
Betting Trends
Dallas is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games overall and 8-4 SU in its last 12 road games.
Dallas is 14-6 SU in the last 20 head-to-head meetings and 5-2 SU in its last 7 road games vs Buffalo.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Dallas’ last 7 Wednesday games and 4 of Buffalo’s last 6 games.
Stars are strong as road favorites/under dogs in recent history; Buffalo is 9-3 after scoring 5+ goals previously.
Game Odds
Dallas Stars 6.5
Buffalo Sabres – 115
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Tuesday, April 14, 2026
