Columbus Blue Jackets vs Buffalo Sabres Prediction & Picks - NHL
USA - NHL
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by Taavi Pailk | in NHL Picks
After a strong finish in 2025-26, the Columbus Blue Jackets hope to make a winning start to the new season against the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday at Nationwide Arena. The hosts look attractive to back given Buffalo’s injuries.
The Sabres had a rough preseason, losing two important defensemen from the lineup. The loss of Mattias Samuelsson is particularly painful. He plays a huge role for the team, recording 41 points (13 goals, 28 assists), 154 blocks, and 132 hits last season.
Samuelsson has played alongside Rasmus Dahlin, allowing the Swedish star to operate more freely in the offensive zone. Without Samuelsson, Dahlin could struggle to reach his usual standards.
Buffalo will also start the season without winger Jason Zucker, who ranked fourth on the team in goals last season.
The Blue Jackets are also battling injuries at the back, as Damon Severson and Dante Fabbro won’t be ready to play on Thursday. Still, the team will have the home crowd's backing and will ice an exciting new-look attack.
Matthews Knies, Conor Garland, and Valeri Nichushkin are all proven scorers in the NHL and will hope to make a positive first impression on their new team.
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Columbus Blue Jackets vs Buffalo Sabres Form
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Columbus Blue Jackets and Buffalo Sabres Latest Matches
2/6 (33%)
4/6 (67%)
Apr 14, 2026 - NHL
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0/6 (0%)
6/6 (100%)
Apr 14, 2026 - NHL
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3/6 (50%)
3/6 (50%)
Apr 11, 2026 - NHL
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2/6 (33%)
4/6 (67%)
May 18, 2026 - NHL
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1/6 (17%)
5/6 (83%)
May 18, 2026 - NHL
May 14, 2026 - NHL
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Apr 28, 2026 - NHL
Apr 21, 2026 - NHL
5/6 (83%)
1/6 (17%)
May 16, 2026 - NHL
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Columbus Blue Jackets against Buffalo Sabres : Head to Head (H2H)
50 %
50 %
Apr 9, 2026 - NHL
Jan 3, 2026 - NHL
Oct 28, 2025 - NHL
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Oct 17, 2024 - NHL
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Players list
E. Merzlikins
J. Greaves
E. Gudbranson
I. Provorov
Z. Werenski
D. Fabbro
D. Mateychuk
J. Christiansen
A. Fantilli
M. Wood
C. Garland
S. Monahan
C. Coyle
B. Jenner
D. Heinen
C. Sillinger
K. Johnson
K. Marchenko
M. Marchment
I. Lundestrom
U. Luukkonen
A. Lyon
C. Timmins
R. Dahlin
O. Power
B. Byram
M. Samuelsson
Z. Metsa
J. Greenway
B. Malenstyn
T. Thompson
A. Tuch
J. Norris
R. McLeod
Z. Benson
K. Helenius
J. Doan
J. Quinn
P. Krebs
J. Zucker
Columbus Blue Jackets - Buffalo Sabres Key Points
- Columbus’ point percentage improved to .635 after Rick Bowness took over as the head coach in January.
- After their coaching change in January, the Blue Jackets allowed 2.68 goals per game, the fourth-fewest in the league.
- Columbus has won three of the last four head-to-head clashes against Buffalo.
- Buffalo has lost its season opener in three straight years, scoring only three goals.
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Our Columbus Blue Jackets vs Buffalo Sabres Prediction
On paper, these teams are quite evenly matched. But Columbus is healthier and will have home-ice advantage. They played some exciting stuff under Rick Bowness last season and will be eager to start off on the right foot after missing the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs because of a poor first half of the season.
The Sabres made big strides last term, but one thing still didn’t change - they struggled against the Blue Jackets away from home. A 5-1 defeat in January marked their third consecutive road loss in this matchup.
Our prediction for Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Buffalo Sabres: Blue Jackets to win.
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