Our Chicago Blackhawks vs Buffalo Sabres preview covers the odds, puck line, total, start time, TV channel and where to watch on Saturday, October 3, 2026. The Chicago Blackhawks (0-2-0 this season; 29-39-14 in 2025-26) visit the Buffalo Sabres (0-1-0 this season; 50-23-9 in 2025-26) at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, N.Y. Puck drop is 7:00 PM ET (7:00 PM local). TV: MSG-B / CHSN (U.S. regional).
Home-opener storyline: The Sabres host their first home game of the season at KeyBank Center after a 6-3 loss at Columbus on Thursday, Oct. 1. Chicago continues its season-opening road trip at 0-2-0 after losses at Vegas (5-2) and Utah (6-0), and it is still without Connor Bedard, who is expected to be out until about November after shoulder surgery (NHL.com). The teams are also linked by last summer’s trade that sent Bowen Byram and Jordan Greenway from Buffalo to Chicago. DraftKings lists Buffalo at -230 and Chicago at +190 on the moneyline, with the total at 6.5.
Chicago Blackhawks vs Buffalo Sabres Odds, Puck Line & Game Info
| Matchup | Chicago Blackhawks @ Buffalo Sabres |
|---|---|
| 2026-27 Records | Chicago Blackhawks 0-2-0 | Buffalo Sabres 0-1-0 |
| 2025-26 Records | Chicago Blackhawks 29-39-14 | Buffalo Sabres 50-23-9 |
| Head Coaches | CHI: Jeff Blashill (2nd season) | BUF: Lindy Ruff (3rd season) |
| Puck Line | CHI +1.5 (-130) | BUF -1.5 (+110) |
| Moneyline | Chicago Blackhawks: +190 | Buffalo Sabres: -230 |
| Total | O/U 6.5 (o+105 / u-125) |
| Venue | KeyBank Center (Buffalo, N.Y.) |
| Date / Time | Saturday, October 3, 2026 — 7:00 PM ET |
| TV / How to Watch | MSG-B / CHSN (U.S. regional) |
| Probable Starting Goalies | CHI: TBD (Spencer Knight / Arvid Soderblom) | BUF: TBD (Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen / Colten Ellis; Alex Lyon on injured reserve) |
Odds via DraftKings (through ESPN), cross-checked on Action Network, as of Friday, Oct. 2, 2026, ~10:22 PM ET. Totals ranged from 6 to 6.5 across books at research time. Lines move, so check your sportsbook before puck drop. Starting goalies had not been confirmed at research time.
Chicago Blackhawks Preview: Last Season, Offseason & Goalies
2025-26 recap: Chicago went 29-39-14 (72 points) and finished last in the Central Division. The Blackhawks scored 2.56 goals per game (30th in the NHL) and allowed 3.29 (27th) (NHL.com). Bedard led the team for the third straight season with 75 points (30 goals, 45 assists) in 69 games, and Tyler Bertuzzi scored 32 goals.
Offseason moves: Chicago acquired defenseman Bowen Byram and forward Jordan Greenway from Buffalo for the No. 4 and No. 45 selections in the 2026 draft and defenseman Louis Crevier, and signed Byram to a six-year, $75 million contract that begins in 2027-28. Patrick Kane returned on a two-year, $16 million contract, and the Blackhawks signed defenseman Ian Cole and brought over forward Roman Kantserov (36 goals in the KHL last season). Andre Burakovsky was traded to Ottawa and Ilya Mikheyev signed with Tampa Bay.
Key players & coach: With Bedard out, Frank Nazar, 19-year-old Anton Frondell and Oliver Moore are the key centers, with Bertuzzi, Kane, Kantserov and Teuvo Teravainen on the wings. Alex Vlasic, Byram and Artyom Levshunov lead the defense. Jeff Blashill is in his second season as coach.
Goalies: Spencer Knight went 19-25-11 with a 2.82 GAA, .902 save percentage and three shutouts in 55 games last season, and he made 32 saves on 36 shots in the opener at Vegas. Arvid Soderblom started Thursday at Utah and made 26 saves on 32 shots. Chicago had not confirmed a starter at research time.
Season so far: Vegas beat Chicago 5-2 on Sept. 29, when Greenway and Kane scored and Jack Eichel had a goal and two assists for the Golden Knights. On Oct. 1, Utah beat the Blackhawks 6-0 at Delta Center. Dylan Guenther scored two power-play goals, Karel Vejmelka made 15 saves for the shutout and the Mammoth outshot Chicago 32-15 (NHL.com).
Injuries: Bedard (shoulder) is on injured reserve. Forward Andrew Mangiapane (lower body) left the opener after one shift in the second period, and Blashill said Sept. 30 that he would miss the rest of this road trip (NHL.com Status Report, ESPN).
Buffalo Sabres Preview: Home Opener After a Loss in Columbus
2025-26 recap: Buffalo went 50-23-9 (109 points), won the Atlantic Division, ended an NHL-record 14-season playoff drought and ranked fifth in the NHL in scoring at 3.45 goals per game (NHL.com). The Sabres beat Boston in six games in the first round before losing to Montreal in seven in the second round. Tage Thompson led the team with 40 goals and 81 points, and Rasmus Dahlin had 74 points.
Offseason moves: Byram (career-high 42 points) went to Chicago with Greenway for the No. 4 and No. 45 selections in the 2026 draft and defenseman Louis Crevier, and forward Alex Tuch (33 goals) was sent to Washington in a sign-and-trade. GM Jarmo Kekalainen acquired defenseman Olen Zellweger from Anaheim and signed him to a three-year deal, traded goalie Devon Levi to Edmonton and sent defenseman Michael Kesselring to San Jose.
Key players & coach: Thompson, Josh Doan (25 goals), Ryan McLeod (54 points), Jack Quinn and Josh Norris lead the forwards, and Jiri Kulich is back after a blood clot limited him to 12 games last season. Dahlin and Owen Power anchor the defense. Lindy Ruff is in the third season of his second stint as coach.
Goalies: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (22-9-3, 2.52 GAA, .910 save percentage last season) started the opener at Columbus and made 17 saves on 22 shots. Alex Lyon (20-10-4, 2.77 GAA, three shutouts last season) is on injured reserve with an upper-body injury, so Colten Ellis (8-4-2, 2.90 GAA, .903 save percentage in 16 games) is the other goalie available (ESPN). Buffalo had not confirmed a starter at research time.
Season opener recap: Columbus beat Buffalo 6-3 at Nationwide Arena on Oct. 1. Defenseman Mattias Samuelsson, who had been questionable with a lower-body injury, scored for the Sabres, along with Quinn and Konsta Helenius. Power and Noah Ostlund each had two assists. Matthew Knies scored twice in his Columbus debut (NHL.com).
Injuries: Lyon (upper body), Zellweger, who has been in concussion protocol since Sept. 22, defenseman Conor Timmins (lower body), Topias Leinonen (lower body) and defenseman Jack Rathbone (undisclosed) are on injured reserve (NHL.com, ESPN).
Key Matchup Notes: Blackhawks vs Sabres
- Schedule spot: It is Buffalo’s home opener and second game. Both teams played Thursday and had Friday off, and Saturday is Chicago’s third game in five days.
- Last season: Buffalo won both meetings, 9-3 at KeyBank Center on Nov. 21, 2025, and 5-1 in Chicago on April 13 (NHL.com).
- Scoring: Chicago has two goals in two games and was shut out Thursday. Buffalo scored three goals in its opener after ranking fifth in the NHL in scoring last season.
- In goal: Luukkonen posted a .910 save percentage last season and Knight a .902. Buffalo is without Lyon.
- Trade ties: Byram and Greenway face the team that traded them last summer. Greenway scored in Chicago’s opener.
- Odds snapshot: Buffalo -230 / Chicago +190 on the moneyline, Sabres -1.5 (+110) on the puck line, total 6.5 (DraftKings).
How to Watch Chicago Blackhawks vs Buffalo Sabres
Date: Saturday, October 3, 2026
Puck drop: 7:00 PM ET (7:00 PM local)
Venue: KeyBank Center, Buffalo, N.Y.
TV: In the U.S., MSG-B carries the game in the Sabres’ market and CHSN in the Blackhawks’ market (NHL.com). ESPN also lists ESPN+ streaming. No national TV broadcast is listed in the U.S. or Canada at research time.
Check the puck line, moneyline and total above against your sportsbook before the October 3, 2026 puck drop, and look for confirmed starting goalies closer to game time.