Puck drop 10:30 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. PT)
Venue: SAP Center at San Jose, San Jose, California
TV: ESPN / SN360
The Sabres continue a California road trip after a 4-3 overtime loss at Washington. The Sharks open a four-game homestand following a 3-2-1 road trip capped by a 6-4 loss at Boston. Buffalo sits near the bottom of the Atlantic; San Jose is in the Pacific mix and a Western Conference wild-card contender.
Current Rosters & Projected Lineups
Sabres (key active forwards/defensemen): Zach Benson, Tage Thompson, Jack Quinn, Noah Östlund, Josh Norris, Ryan McLeod, Jason Zucker, Peyton Krebs, Beck Malenstyn, Josh Doan, Konsta Helenius, Tyson Kozak; Rasmus Dahlin, Mattias Samuelsson, Owen Power, Olen Zellweger. Goalies: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (primary early), Colten Ellis (projected starter in some reports for this game).
Projected Sabres lines (NHL.com/morning skate reports):
Benson – Thompson – Helenius
Doan – Östlund – Quinn
McLeod – Norris – Zucker
Krebs – Kozak – Malenstyn
Dahlin – Samuelsson
Zellweger – Power Sharks (key active): Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, Ivar Stenberg, Collin Graf, Mason Marchment, Michael Misa, Tyler Toffoli, Kiefer Sherwood, Ty Dellandrea, Barclay Goodrow, Zack Ostapchuk, Adam Gaudette; Darnell Nurse, Jacob Trouba, Sam Dickinson, Michael Kesselring, Dmitry Orlov. Goalies: Yaroslav Askarov / Alex Nedeljkovic (rotation; Askarov confirmed or favored in some updates).
Projected Sharks lines:
Stenberg – Celebrini – Graf/Smith
Marchment – Misa – Smith/Graf
Sherwood – Dellandrea – Toffoli
Goodrow – Ostapchuk – Gaudette
Nurse – Trouba
Dickinson – Kesselring
Orlov – (Cagnoni/Allan)
Injury Reports
Sabres:
Jiri Kulich (C) – Out (concussion protocol; expected ~Nov. 4)
Justin Danforth (RW) – Day-to-day (upper body)
Sam Carrick (C), Matt Grzelcyk (D), Alex Lyon (G) – IR (upper/lower body; targeted returns around Oct. 31)
Conor Timmins (D) – IR (lower body; ~Nov. 6)
Jack Rathbone (D) – IR (undisclosed; ~Nov. 8)
Sharks:
Alexander Wennberg (C) – Out (upper body; week-to-week, ~Nov. 9)
Igor Chernyshov (F) – Out (upper body; week-to-week, ~Nov. 14)
Kyle Keyser (G), Quentin Musty (F) – IR (upper body)
Luca Cagnoni has been a healthy scratch in recent games.
Key Player vs. Player Matchups
Macklin Celebrini (Sharks) vs. Tage Thompson / Jack Quinn (Sabres): Celebrini leads San Jose with 15 points (5G-10A) in 10 games and heavy ice time (~22:40). Quinn is Buffalo’s hottest scorer (11 points, 6G-5A in 11 GP) with a four-game point streak and strong career numbers vs. San Jose. Thompson provides secondary scoring and size down the middle.
Rasmus Dahlin / Owen Power (Sabres D) vs. Sharks power play: San Jose’s PP ranks elite (~26.8%, 6th). Buffalo’s PK is among the league’s worst (~69.2%). Dahlin’s mobility and Power’s reach will be tested.
Zach Benson / Noah Östlund (Sabres) vs. Sharks top-six defensive structure: Benson’s playmaking and Östlund’s two-way game face Nurse-Trouba and the home club’s structured approach.
Special teams contrast is decisive: Sharks PP efficiency vs. Sabres league-worst PP (~10.5%) and poor PK.
Recent Team Forms
Sabres (last 10: roughly 4-3-3): Multiple overtime/shootout decisions (1-1-3 on the road overall). Scoring is modest (2.82 GF/GP, 23rd); goals against are high (3.64, 29th). They generate decent expected goals but finish poorly. Road trip has been taxing.
Sharks (last 10: 4-5-1): Finished road trip 3-2-1 with high-event games (several 7+ goal totals). Offense sits at 3.00 GF/GP; GA 3.50. Strong special teams and Celebrini’s production drive results. Returning home after six road games offers rest advantage.
Series History
Buffalo has owned recent meetings. The Sabres have won four straight in San Jose since February 2023. They swept the 2025-26 season series 2-0 (including a 5-0 road win on March 19, 2026, and 6-3 home win March 10). Historical edge heavily favors Buffalo overall (roughly 2:1 in modern era meetings). High-scoring tilt potential (recent H2H averages near or above 6 goals).
Betting Trends
Sabres strong ATS/H2H vs. Sharks recently; both clubs have seen overs hit frequently in recent games due to defensive lapses and special-teams disparity. Sharks have been competitive at home early and thrive in OT/shootouts this season.
Game Odds
Buffalo Sabres – 145
San Jose Sharks 6.5
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Monday, October 26, 2026
