Buffalo Sabres vs Columbus Blue Jackets Prediction, 10/1/2026 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Buffalo Sabres vs Columbus Blue Jackets

Date: Thursday, October 1, 2026

Location: Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: Sabres (-105) Blue Jackets (-110)

The Buffalo Sabres (50-23-9 last season) are en route to Nationwide Arena on Thursday where they will attempt to defeat the Columbus Blue Jackets (40-30-12 last year). The line on this contest has Buffalo at -105 and Columbus is sitting at -110. The over/under has been set at 6.5.

The Buffalo Sabres had a rough game after their 3-2 loss to the Canadiens in the last game they played. Buffalo garnered 2 mins in the box in this contest. In addition, they had 1 power play chance but didn't get a goal. The Sabres could have played much better offensively in this loss. For the game, they scored on 2 out of the 39 shots they launched.

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While at even strength, the Sabres conceded 198 goals while notching 235. Buffalo Sabres opponents had 232 power play opportunities (19th in hockey) and scored 42 goals in those attempts. Concerning their goal scoring prowess, the Buffalo Sabres notched 283 goals (5th in hockey) last year surrendered 240. Buffalo tried 2,307 shots and were the owners of a shooting percentage of 12.3%. For last season, they racked up 109 points and their points percentage finished at .665. The Sabres had 2,381 shots taken against them and were the owners of a save percentage of .899. Buffalo accounted for 246 power play chances and tallied 48 goals out of those tries, giving them a rate of 19.51%.

The man in goal for this game is Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. The opposition has been able to score 538 goals against Luukkonen in his NHL career and his goals against rate is 2.91. Luukkonen has played in 190 games throughout his hockey career. His save percentage currently sits at .900 for his 8,299 minutes between the pipes. He has accumulated an overall mark of 93-74-18 and got the start in 185 games. During his career on the ice, Luukkonen has accumulated 102 quality starts and his quality starts percentage is .551. Luukkonen has had 5,368 shot attempts against him and has garnered 4,830 saves.

When they took the ice last, Columbus went up against the Capitals in a game where the Blue Jackets were on the wrong end of the score by a score of 2-1. They had 1 power play chance in this game but weren't able to put one in the back of the net. The Blue Jackets recorded 1 goal out of the 28 shots on goal they tried.

Columbus put up 2,410 shots (6th in the league) and earned a shot percentage of 10.21%, while allowing their opponent 2,362 shots. They recorded a penalty kill percentage of 76.02% on the other team's 221 chances on the power play, and their save percentage came in at 89.4%. They recorded 201 chances on the power play and they have earned a power play percentage of 18.91%. The Blue Jackets finished with 208 goals at even strength and 38 goals (28th in pro hockey) while having more men on the ice. They allowed 251 goals to be scored by of a combination of 198 goals at even strength and 53 goals while they were shorthanded. Last year, the Columbus Blue Jackets accumulated 246 goals, 92 points, in addition to a points percentage of .561.

Across the rink you are likely to see Jet Greaves between the pipes. Opponents are averaging 2.68 goals per contest and he has surrendered 196 goals overall. Greaves' quality start rate comes out to 67.1% and he has qualified for 49 quality starts in his professional career. He has started in 73 contests and his ice time sits at 1,250 mins. Greaves has accumulated a career record of 36-28-11 and has been in goal for 76 games. He has tallied 2,055 saves out of the 2,251 shots taken against him, which gives him a save percentage of .913.

Who will win tonight's NHL game against the spread or moneyline?

Tony's Pick: Take Buffalo (-105)

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