Our Minnesota Wild vs Buffalo Sabres preview covers the odds, puck line, total, start time, TV channel and where to watch on Tuesday, October 6, 2026. The Minnesota Wild (2-0-0 this season; 46-24-12 in 2025-26) visit the Buffalo Sabres (1-1-0 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: MINNHL / Wild+ / MSG-B (U.S. regional).
Storyline: Minnesota is 2-0-0 and has allowed two goals, with Jesper Wallstedt stopping 45 of 47 shots and Kirill Kaprizov scoring three times. Buffalo, last season’s Atlantic Division champion, is 1-1-0 after Jiri Kulich scored the winner midway through the third period of a 4-3 comeback win over Chicago on Saturday. Both meetings last season went past regulation (NHL.com). DraftKings lists Minnesota at -112 and Buffalo at -108 on the moneyline, with the total at 6.5.
Minnesota Wild vs Buffalo Sabres Odds, Puck Line & Game Info
| Matchup | Minnesota Wild @ Buffalo Sabres |
|---|---|
| 2026-27 Records | Minnesota Wild 2-0-0 | Buffalo Sabres 1-1-0 |
| 2025-26 Records | Minnesota Wild 46-24-12 | Buffalo Sabres 50-23-9 |
| Head Coaches | MIN: John Hynes (4th season) | BUF: Lindy Ruff (3rd season) |
| Puck Line | MIN -1.5 (+220) | BUF +1.5 (-270) |
| Moneyline | Minnesota Wild: -112 | Buffalo Sabres: -108 |
| Total | O/U 6.5 (o+102 / u-122) |
| Venue | KeyBank Center (Buffalo, N.Y.) |
| Date / Time | Tuesday, October 6, 2026 — 7:00 PM ET |
| TV / How to Watch | MINNHL / Wild+ / MSG-B (U.S. regional) |
| Probable Starting Goalies | MIN: TBD (Jesper Wallstedt / Calvin Pickard) | BUF: TBD (Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen / Colten Ellis) |
Odds via DraftKings (through ESPN), cross-checked on Action Network, as of Monday, Oct. 5, 2026, ~10:23 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.
Minnesota Wild Preview: Last Season, Offseason & Goalies
2025-26 recap: Minnesota went 46-24-12 (104 points), finished third in the Central Division, beat Dallas in six games in the first round and lost to Colorado in five games in the second round. Kirill Kaprizov led the team with 89 points (45 goals, 44 assists, 19 power-play goals), Matt Boldy had 42 goals and 85 points, and Quinn Hughes had 53 points in 48 games after Minnesota acquired him from Vancouver (NHL.com).
Offseason moves: Minnesota added forward Blake Coleman (20 goals for Calgary last season), forward Maxim Shabanov from the Islanders, defenseman Olli Maatta and goalie Calvin Pickard from Edmonton. Mats Zuccarello, who had 54 points, now plays for Los Angeles, and defenseman Jake Middleton for Calgary (NHL.com).
Key players & coach: Kaprizov, Boldy, Joel Eriksson Ek, Ryan Hartman, Coleman, Marcus Foligno, Nick Foligno, Bobby Brink and Danila Yurov lead the forwards. Hughes, Jared Spurgeon, Jonas Brodin, Zach Bogosian and Maatta are on defense. John Hynes is in his fourth season as coach.
Goalies: Jesper Wallstedt went 18-9-6 with a 2.61 GAA, .916 save percentage and four shutouts in 35 games last season. He has started both games this season, making 19 saves on 20 shots at Nashville and 26 saves on 27 shots against Boston. Pickard went 5-6-2 in 16 games for Edmonton last season. Filip Gustavsson, who went 28-15-6 last season, is on injured reserve after hip surgery. Minnesota had not confirmed a starter at research time.
Season so far: Nick Foligno, Coleman (power play) and Kaprizov scored in a 3-1 win at Nashville on Oct. 1. Against Boston on Saturday, Tanner Jeannot scored 1:53 into the game before Kaprizov (power play), Hughes (power play), Spurgeon and Kaprizov (empty net) scored in a 4-1 win (NHL.com).
Injuries: Defenseman Brock Faber had surgery to repair a fractured skull and has no timetable to return, per The Athletic. Gustavsson (hip surgery) is on injured reserve, and Yurov (upper body) is day to day (ESPN).
Buffalo Sabres Preview: Division Champions Look for Consistency
2025-26 recap: Buffalo went 50-23-9 (109 points), won the Atlantic Division, beat Boston in six games in the first round and lost to Montreal in seven games in the second round. Tage Thompson led the team with 81 points (40 goals, 41 assists), Rasmus Dahlin had 74 points, Alex Tuch scored 33 goals and Ryan McLeod had 54 points (NHL.com).
Offseason moves: Buffalo added defensemen Matt Grzelcyk and Louis Crevier from Chicago and Olen Zellweger from Anaheim. Tuch now plays for Washington, and he scored twice against Carolina on Oct. 2. Defenseman Bowen Byram (42 points) now plays for Chicago (NHL.com).
Key players & coach: Thompson, Jack Quinn, Josh Doan, McLeod, Josh Norris, Zach Benson, Kulich, Noah Ostlund and Konsta Helenius lead the forwards. Dahlin, Owen Power, Mattias Samuelsson, Crevier, Grzelcyk and Zellweger are on defense. Lindy Ruff is in his third season as coach.
Goalies: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen went 22-9-3 with a 2.52 GAA and .910 save percentage in 35 games last season. He has started both games this season, making 17 saves on 22 shots at Columbus and 12 saves on 15 shots against Chicago. Alex Lyon, who went 20-10-4 with three shutouts last season, is on injured reserve, and Colten Ellis went 8-4-2 in 16 games. Buffalo had not confirmed a starter at research time.
Season so far: Columbus scored three goals in the final 7:09 of the first period, and Matthew Knies scored twice in a 6-3 win over Buffalo on Oct. 1. Samuelsson, Quinn and Helenius scored for the Sabres. On Saturday, Chicago led 2-0 and 3-2, Dahlin tied it at 6:10 of the third period and Kulich won it at 13:20. Buffalo outshot the Blackhawks 28-15 (NHL.com).
Injuries: Lyon (upper body) is on injured reserve, forward Jason Zucker is on injured reserve after abdominal surgery, and defenseman Conor Timmins (lower body) has no timeline to return, per NHL.com. Defenseman Jack Rathbone and goalie Topias Leinonen are on the injured non-roster list (ESPN).
Key Matchup Notes: Wild vs Sabres
- Schedule spot: Both teams last played Saturday. Minnesota starts a three-game trip that continues at Tampa Bay and Florida. Buffalo plays its second home game.
- Last season: Buffalo won 3-2 in a shootout in Minnesota on Nov. 29, 2025, and Minnesota won 5-4 in overtime in Buffalo on Jan. 17 (NHL.com).
- Special teams: Minnesota has three power-play goals on seven chances and has not allowed one. Buffalo has not scored on the power play and has allowed two power-play goals.
- Goals against: Minnesota has allowed two goals in two games. Buffalo has allowed nine.
- In goal: Wallstedt has a .957 save percentage in two starts. Luukkonen has a .784 save percentage in two starts.
- Odds snapshot: Minnesota -112 / Buffalo -108 on the moneyline, Wild -1.5 (+220) on the puck line, total 6.5 (DraftKings).
How to Watch Minnesota Wild vs Buffalo Sabres
Date: Tuesday, October 6, 2026
Puck drop: 7:00 PM ET (7:00 PM local)
Venue: KeyBank Center, Buffalo, N.Y.
TV: MSG-B carries the game in the Sabres’ market, and MINNHL and Wild+ carry it in the Wild’s market (NHL.com). ESPN also lists ESPN+ streaming. No U.S. national TV or Canadian broadcast is listed at research time.
Check the puck line, moneyline and total above against your sportsbook before the October 6, 2026 puck drop, and look for confirmed starting goalies closer to game time.