The Buffalo Sabres are five games into the 2026-27 season, and the early warning lights are already flashing. A 4-1 loss to the Utah Mammoth on Saturday night dropped Buffalo to 2-3, and the bigger issue is how those five games have looked: the Sabres have been down by multiple goals in every one, and they’re sitting at a minus-8 goal differential despite playing four of their first five at home.
It’s still a small sample in a long season. But the same problems keep showing up, and that’s what makes this start hard to ignore.
One of the biggest frustrations has been the lack of finish. Buffalo is creating chances - in fact, the Sabres rank fifth in the NHL in 5-on-5 scoring chances per 60 minutes at 31.46 - but the puck isn’t going in. Through Sunday morning, they were averaging just 2.20 goals per game, the sixth-lowest mark in the league.
That’s already a full goal below last season’s pace of 3.45 goals per game, and the loss of Alex Tuch this offseason is part of the story. But it’s not the whole story.
Through five games, Peyton Krebs, Konsta Helenius, Zach Benson, Josh Norris, Ryan McLeod, and Josh Doan have combined for one goal. Helenius scored it in the season opener, and that’s been it.
That kind of production isn’t going to carry a team, no matter how many looks it gets. The chances are there. The Sabres simply haven’t cashed in.
The penalty kill has been just as rough. Buffalo is 30th in the league at 62.5%, and it has allowed at least one power-play goal in four of its first five games. That’s a steep drop from last season, when the Sabres finished fourth in the NHL at 81.9%.
The turnover on the roster explains part of the dip. Tuch and Bowen Byram were two of Buffalo’s top six players in penalty-kill minutes last season, and neither is with the team now.
That means the coaching staff is in trial-and-error mode, but the learning curve can’t drag on much longer. The PK has been too much of a problem already.
Then there’s the goaltending. Last season, even with a 2-3 record at this stage, Alex Lyon helped keep the Sabres afloat. This year, Lyon started the season on injured reserve, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has taken three of the five starts.
The results haven’t been good. Luukkonen is 1-2 with a 4.02 goals-against average and a .782 save percentage. That’s especially concerning because Buffalo has done a decent job limiting shots; Sabres goalies are tied for the fewest shots faced in the NHL at 106.
MoneyPuck has Luukkonen third-worst in the league in goals saved above expected at minus-5.1, while Colten Ellis sits at plus-0.4 through two starts. That gap makes the next stretch worth watching closely, especially with the possibility of Lyon coming back. Buffalo will have to sort out the rotation, and Luukkonen’s runway to prove he’s the starter may already be shrinking.
It’s early, and there’s no reason to hit the panic button yet. But the Sabres have already given themselves three clear problems to solve, and they’re the kind that can sink a slow start if they stick around.
In Other News...
Sabres Just Added A New Concern To Their Blue Line Depth
The Sabres quietly shuffled their blue line depth on Sunday, striking a trade with the Penguins that sends Ryan Johnson to Pittsburgh and brings Caleb Jones and Daniel Laatsch into Buffalos organization. All three defensemen are currently assigned to minor league teams, so this is more of an organizational move than a move that changes the NHL roster right away, but it does mark the end of Johnsons time with the Sabres.
Even so, it lands in a part of the roster that has become worth watching. Buffalo has been managing its defense group carefully, and any move that thins out one option while adding two new names naturally draws attention in the system. Jones and Laatsch give the Sabres fresh depth to work with, but the timing adds another layer to a blue line picture that already needed close monitoring. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Still Searching For Answers As Danforth Rejoins The Mix
Justin Danforth is back in the Sabres mix after working his way through a long recovery, and his recent return has given Buffalo at least one welcome piece of stability as it keeps sorting through the early-season picture. He has played in the teams last three games and is already seeing time as a penalty killer, a role that fits the kind of dependable minutes the Sabres have been searching for while juggling their lineup.
Lindy Ruff has been upbeat about what Danforth has brought since rejoining the group, and Buffalo still has a few moving parts to sort out as it looks ahead to the next stretch of games. The Sabres are continuing to adjust both their lines and their goalie usage, which leaves plenty of room for more change even as Danforth settles back into the rotation. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers-Sabres Took A Sudden Turn When Dahlin Left
The Sabres' afternoon against Florida took an abrupt turn when captain Rasmus Dahlin was forced out with an upper-body injury, a tough break for a blue line that has leaned heavily on him since opening night. Dahlin had started this season with three points in four games, and he came into it fresh off a standout campaign in which he helped push Buffalo back toward the playoffs and finished third in Norris Trophy voting.
For a team sitting at 2-3-0 and seventh in the Atlantic Division, losing its top defenseman in the middle of a game is the kind of development that can ripple well beyond one result. Buffalo did not have much margin for error already, and Dahlin's absence leaves another question hanging over a roster still trying to find its footing early in the season. [Read more 🡒]