Venue & Game Details
Location: KeyBank Center, 1 Seymour H. Knox III Plaza, Buffalo, NY 14203
Time: 12:30 p.m. ET
Broadcast: MSG-B (Buffalo), Altitude (Colorado), ESPN+
Team Records & Recent Form
Colorado Avalanche (2-0-1): Coming off a strong start, including wins over Chicago and St. Louis, plus an overtime loss to Dallas. Colorado finished last season 49-29-4, ranking 6th in goals scored (273) and 11th in goals allowed (231).
Buffalo Sabres (0-2-0): Dropped their first two games to the Rangers and Hurricanes, scoring just 3 goals combined. Last season Buffalo went 36-39-7, ranking 10th in goals scored (265) but 29th in goals allowed (287).
Recent Form (last 5 games, including preseason):
Avalanche: L–W–W–L–L
Sabres: L–L–L–L–W
Injury Report
Avalanche:
Mackenzie Blackwood (lower body) – out
Logan O’Connor (hip surgery) – out
Samuel Girard (upper body) – out
Sabres:
Josh Norris (upper body) – out
Zach Benson (upper body) – out
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (lower body) – out
Michael Kesselring (undisclosed) – out
Jordan Greenway (middle body) – out
Key Player Matchups
Nathan MacKinnon (COL) vs. Tage Thompson (BUF): MacKinnon leads Colorado’s attack with elite speed and playmaking, while Thompson is Buffalo’s top scoring threat.
Cale Makar (COL) vs. Rasmus Dahlin (BUF): Two of the NHL’s premier defensemen, both capable of driving offense from the blue line.
Goaltending: Scott Wedgewood (COL) expected to start, while Alex Lyon (BUF) likely gets the nod with Luukkonen sidelined.
Series History
2024–25 season series: Avalanche swept both meetings, outscoring Buffalo 9–3.
All-time: Colorado leads the series 51-28-4-3.
Betting Trends
Avalanche games went Over 6.5 goals in 40 of 89 contests last season.
Sabres games went Over in 45 of 82 contests.
Colorado has won 6 of its last 7 against Buffalo.
Buffalo is 1-5 in its last 6 home games dating back to last season.
Score Projection: Avalanche 4 – Sabres 2
Game Odds
Colorado Avalanche – 175
Buffalo Sabres 6.5
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Sunday, October 12, 2025
