Our Dallas Stars vs Buffalo Sabres preview covers the odds, puck line, total, start time, TV channel and where to watch on Thursday, October 8, 2026. The Dallas Stars (1-2-0 this season; 50-20-12 in 2025-26) visit the Buffalo Sabres (2-1-0 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: Prime Video / MSG-B.
Storyline: Dallas opens a two-game road trip at 1-2-0 after its first win of the season, a 5-0 home win over San Jose on Monday in which Jake Oettinger made 13 saves. Buffalo is 2-1-0 after Owen Power scored at 4:22 of overtime in a 3-2 win over Minnesota on Tuesday, its second straight one-goal home win. The teams split two meetings last season (NHL.com). DraftKings lists Dallas at -112 and Buffalo at -108 on the moneyline, with the total at 6.5.
Dallas Stars vs Buffalo Sabres Odds, Puck Line & Game Info
| Matchup | Dallas Stars @ Buffalo Sabres |
|---|---|
| 2026-27 Records | Dallas Stars 1-2-0 | Buffalo Sabres 2-1-0 |
| 2025-26 Records | Dallas Stars 50-20-12 | Buffalo Sabres 50-23-9 |
| Head Coaches | DAL: Glen Gulutzan (2nd season) | BUF: Lindy Ruff (3rd season) |
| Puck Line | DAL +1.5 (-258) | BUF -1.5 (+210) |
| Moneyline | Dallas Stars: -112 | Buffalo Sabres: -108 |
| Total | O/U 6.5 (o+110 / u-130) |
| Venue | KeyBank Center (Buffalo, N.Y.) |
| Date / Time | Thursday, October 8, 2026 — 7:00 PM ET |
| TV / How to Watch | Prime Video / MSG-B |
| Probable Starting Goalies | DAL: TBD (Jake Oettinger / Casey DeSmith) | BUF: TBD (Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen / Colten Ellis) |
Odds via DraftKings (through ESPN), cross-checked on Action Network, as of Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, ~6:19 PM ET. Totals ranged from 5.5 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.
Dallas Stars Preview: First Win Comes With a Shutout
2025-26 recap: Dallas went 50-20-12 (112 points), finished second in the Central Division and lost to Minnesota in six games in the first round after reaching the Western Conference Final in each of the previous three seasons. The Stars ranked second in goals against per game (2.71) and second on the power play (28.6 percent) (NHL.com). Jason Robertson led the team with 96 points (45 goals, 51 assists), and Wyatt Johnston scored 45 goals, including an NHL-high 27 on the power play.
Offseason moves: Robertson signed a one-year, $12 million contract on July 21. Dallas brought back forward Joel Kiviranta on a one-year contract, traded forward Mavrik Bourque (20 goals) and defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin to Nashville, and lost defenseman Alexander Petrovic to Florida (NHL.com).
Key players & coach: Robertson, Johnston, Mikko Rantanen (77 points last season), Roope Hintz, Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn, Sam Steel and Radek Faksa lead the forwards. Miro Heiskanen (63 points), Thomas Harley, Esa Lindell, Lian Bichsel, Tyler Myers and Nils Lundkvist are on defense. Glen Gulutzan is in his second season as coach.
Goalies: Oettinger went 35-12-6 with a 2.59 GAA, .899 save percentage and four shutouts in 54 games last season. He made 20 saves on 22 shots against St. Louis and 13 saves in Monday’s shutout of San Jose. Casey DeSmith went 15-8-6 with a 2.43 GAA and .907 save percentage in 30 games and made 24 saves on 26 shots at Nashville. Dallas had not confirmed a starter at research time.
Season so far: St. Louis won 4-0 in the Stars’ home opener on Oct. 2, and Nashville won 2-1 on Oct. 3 after Heiskanen scored 47 seconds into the game. On Monday, Heiskanen, Kiviranta, Benn, Robertson and Rantanen scored in a 5-0 win over San Jose, which managed 13 shots. Dallas has not scored on the power play this season (NHL.com).
Injuries: Kiviranta (lower body) is listed as out. Forward Matt Duchene (lower body) is on long-term injured reserve after a setback in his recovery, and forward Cameron Hughes (upper body) is on injured reserve (ESPN).
Buffalo Sabres Preview: Division Champions Win Two Straight at Home
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 defenseman Bowen Byram (42 points) now plays for Chicago (NHL.com).
Key players & coach: Thompson, Jack Quinn, Josh Doan, McLeod, Josh Norris, Zach Benson, Jiri 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 made 17 saves on 22 shots at Columbus and 12 saves on 15 shots against Chicago. Colten Ellis, who went 8-4-2 in 16 games last season, made 18 saves on 20 shots against Minnesota on Tuesday. Alex Lyon, who went 20-10-4 with three shutouts last season, is on injured reserve and took part in Tuesday’s optional morning skate, per The Athletic. 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 of a 6-3 win over Buffalo on Oct. 1. On Oct. 3, Dahlin tied it in the third period and Kulich won it at 13:20 in a 4-3 win over Chicago. On Tuesday, Minnesota led 2-0 before Ostlund and Thompson scored in the third period and Power won it in overtime. Power has five points in three games (NHL.com).
Injuries: Doan (lower body) is day to day. Lyon (upper body) and forward Jason Zucker (abdominal surgery) are on injured reserve, and Zucker is still a few weeks from returning, per The Athletic. Defenseman Conor Timmins (lower body) has no timeline to return, and defenseman Jack Rathbone and goalie Topias Leinonen are on the injured non-roster list (ESPN).
Key Matchup Notes: Stars vs Sabres
- Schedule spot: Dallas last played Monday and visits Pittsburgh on Saturday. Buffalo last played Tuesday and hosts Utah on Saturday.
- Last season: The teams split two meetings. Buffalo won 4-1 at Dallas on Dec. 31, 2025, and Dallas won 4-3 in a shootout at Buffalo on April 15 (NHL.com).
- Special teams: Neither team has scored a power-play goal this season. Dallas has killed 77.8 percent of penalties and Buffalo 66.7 percent.
- Scoring: Dallas has six goals in three games, five of them on Monday. Buffalo has 10 goals in three games, and Thompson and Quinn have two each.
- In goal: Oettinger has a .943 save percentage in two starts. Luukkonen has a .784 save percentage in two starts, and Ellis stopped 18 of 20 shots on Tuesday.
- Odds snapshot: Dallas -112 / Buffalo -108 on the moneyline, Sabres -1.5 (+210) on the puck line, total 6.5 (DraftKings).
How to Watch Dallas Stars vs Buffalo Sabres
Date: Thursday, October 8, 2026
Puck drop: 7:00 PM ET (7:00 PM local)
Venue: KeyBank Center, Buffalo, N.Y.
TV: Prime Video carries the game in the Stars’ market and MSG-B carries it in the Sabres’ 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 8, 2026 puck drop, and look for confirmed starting goalies closer to game time.