The Buffalo Sabres have started the 2026-27 season in uneven fashion, but the recent surge on offense hasn’t been the main issue. Buffalo has found some rhythm with the puck, yet the bigger problem is staring them right in the face: the work in their own end has to improve, and it has to improve now.
The scoring has shown up in a hurry. Over their last three games, the Sabres have piled up 14 goals and won two of those three to move to 4-3-1.
That’s the kind of production that should get a team moving in the right direction. The trouble is that Buffalo has also allowed 11 goals in that same stretch, which is why the wins have come with a lot of baggage attached.
That defensive leakage shows up in the season numbers, too. Buffalo currently sits with the NHL’s seventh-worst goals-against average at 3.63 per game.
That’s not the company a team wants to keep, and most of the clubs ranked around the Sabres in that category are struggling badly as well, including the Calgary Flames at 5.00, the Vancouver Canucks at 4.56, the Columbus Blue Jackets at 4.20, the Los Angeles Kings at 4.20 and the Chicago Blackhawks at 4.00. The message is simple: if you don’t sort out the back end, the offense can only carry you so far.
Rasmus Dahlin’s return should help. Buffalo’s captain has missed the past two games, along with Saturday’s tilt against the Montreal Canadiens, and the Sabres’ goals-against average has spiked in his absence. Dahlin’s sky-high panic threshold gives the team a defensive tone, and the source material makes clear he’s Buffalo’s least-replaceable player.
Still, the Sabres can’t pin everything on one missing defenseman. The responsibility also falls on the goalies, and that’s where the picture gets even messier.
With Alex Lyon sidelined by injury, Buffalo has been forced to lean on Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Colten Ellis. The results have been mixed at best.
Luukkonen has at least shown a little better form lately, with a save percentage of .921 or higher in two of his last three appearances. But the larger body of work is hard to ignore: in six games this season, he owns an .854 save percentage and a 3.52 goals-against average. The Sabres haven’t helped him, but those numbers still belong to him.
Ellis has had his own rough run. He opened with a .900 save percentage in an overtime win over the Minnesota Wild, but things unraveled quickly after that. He followed with an .867 mark in a 4-1 loss to the Utah Mammoth, then was pulled after giving up two goals on nine shots in a 5-3 loss to the Florida Panthers.
That leaves Buffalo in a bind unless Luukkonen can give them at least average play and Ellis can become a dependable alternative. The source material even floats the idea that Sabres GM Jarmo Kekalainen could change everything with a blockbuster trade for suspended Winnipeg Jets superstar goalie Connor Hellebuyck, though that clearly sits in the realm of possibility rather than certainty.
For now, the task is much more immediate. Buffalo has to clean up its defense, and fast.
The Sabres finished last season with the NHL’s 10th-best goals-against average at 2.93, and with largely the same roster in place, there’s little room for excuses. Lindy Ruff knows the issue.
Now it’s on him to get his team to defend like it should.
In Other News...
Sabres Escape Road Trip With A Point But One Issue Still Hurts
The Sabres left Montreal with a point after their third straight road game, and there was enough in the performance to suggest the trip was not a total loss. Buffalo managed to rally in the third period to force overtime, and the lineup tinkering along the way gave the coaching staff a few things to sort through, including an early look at Ryan McLeod on the top line with Tage Thompson shifted to the wing. Jack Quinn continued his strong start with a goal and a notable defensive play, while the teams special teams again made life harder than it needed to be.
Still, the bigger concern from the road swing remains the same one that has followed this group for stretches of the season. Buffalo found a way to earn four of six possible points away from home without Rasmus Dahlin, but the power play and penalty kill did not give the club the kind of cushion it needed in a tight game. The late adjustments helped unlock the comeback, yet the Sabres are left knowing there is more work to do if they want those close road nights to turn into wins. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Suddenly Have A Goalie Market Twist Worth Watching
A few goaltending ripples around the league suddenly matter to the Sabres, even if the biggest names involved are wearing other sweaters. Connor Hellebuyck is set to become eligible to rejoin Winnipeg after his suspension ends on Oct. 23, and the situation around his return is drawing plenty of attention because the reception has not been universally smooth. For Buffalo, it is the kind of development that can shift the market quickly, especially when clubs are trying to sort out their crease early in the season.
There is also movement elsewhere that could change the way the Sabres shop for help. Dylan Larkin has reportedly asked the Red Wings for a trade, with a deal said to be close, while the Maple Leafs are looking hard for a major defense upgrade and appear willing to pay premium assets to get one. When teams at different points on the contention ladder start making aggressive moves, it tends to create dominoes, and Buffalo has to keep an eye on whether the goalie market becomes more crowded or more expensive in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Suddenly Face A Narrow Window In Connor Hellebuyck Pursuit
Trade talks around Connor Hellebuyck have moved back onto the radar in Buffalo, and the timing makes this one worth watching. The Sabres have re-engaged the Winnipeg Jets on the veteran goalie, with the kind of late-offseason tension that usually comes when a team is trying to solve a long-term problem in net and another club is weighing whether to move a high-end player at all.
The wrinkle is that the market is anything but simple. Hellebuycks no-movement clause gives him a say in where this goes, draft-pick negotiations have already been a sticking point, and there are other teams watching the situation too. Buffalo is clearly still in the conversation, but for now the window remains narrow and the path to a deal is still far from clear. [Read more 🡒]