The Buffalo Sabres drew a heavyweight in the Tampa Bay Lightning, and this season’s meetings could tell a lot about where Buffalo stands in the Atlantic.
The Sabres are coming off a rewarding 2025-26 campaign that ended with a first-place finish in the ultra-competitive Atlantic Division. They then got through the Boston Bruins in Round 1 of their Stanley Cup playoff series before falling to the Montreal Canadiens in Round 2. Now the focus shifts to another top-tier division rival, one that finished just behind them.
Tampa Bay was second in the Atlantic last season, only three standings points back of Buffalo, and the two teams matched each other in wins. That alone makes the Lightning one of the Sabres’ toughest tests on the schedule. The matchup only got trickier after Tampa Bay’s offseason additions.
The Lightning now have a healthy Victor Hedman back in the fold, along with free-agent signing Carlson, the longtime Washington Capitals defenseman. Carlson steps in for departed defenseman Darren Raddysh, and that could end up being a meaningful upgrade for the Bolts.
Julien BriseBois also added winger Mikheyev, and Tampa Bay made a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs to bring in goaltender Dennis Hildeby. The Lightning have long needed a better backup for Andrei Vasilevsky, and Hildeby may have a chance to settle in with a club that can offer him a cleaner path than Toronto could. If he can handle 25-30 games, Vasilevskiy should be fresher for another playoff push.
That’s the big reason Buffalo can beat this team, but also why it may not happen easily. There’s even a path where the Sabres get swept. The Lightning have enough firepower to make life miserable, with Jake Guentzel, Nikita Kucherov, Hedman, Brayden Point, and Carlson all capable of tilting a game.
The schedule does Buffalo no favors, either. The Sabres and Lightning will meet on November 11 in Buffalo, then again on November 22 in Tampa Bay, before another matchup at Tampa Bay on January 2. The regular-season series closes on April 5 in Buffalo.
That April game could matter in the Atlantic standings for one team or both, and it might also help set up a first-round playoff series between the Sabres and the Bolts. If that happens, Sabres fans may not love the draw.
Still, Buffalo had Tampa Bay’s number last season, winning three of four and never losing in regulation in those games. That’s not something many teams can say about a club this dangerous.
But the Lightning look every bit as talented as Buffalo, maybe more. And over four regular-season games, the one thing that seems certain is this: the hockey should be excellent.
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Zellweger suffered the injury in Tuesday nights preseason game against Columbus, but his recent skate went well enough to keep his timeline moving in the right direction. Buffalo is hoping to have him back in the mix next week, which would be a welcome development as the club tries to get through the final stretch of camp without any more setbacks. [Read more 🡒]