The Buffalo Sabres opened the 2026-27 season with a 6-3 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night at Nationwide Arena.
ORANGE GAME WEEK: Syracuse football returns from bye week for road matchup against UConn (preview) Buffalo grabbed an early advantage when Mattias Samuelsson found the back of the net, but Columbus responded with three goals in less than six minutes late in the opening period to take control.
The Sabres continued to battle over the final two periods, cutting the deficit to one goal on two occasions but never finding the equalizer.
Buffalo had several opportunities to pull even on the power play, including a lengthy five-on-three advantage after Zach Metsa and Mathieu Olivier dropped the gloves. The Sabres also received a late power play, but Jack Quinn’s backhand attempt hit the far post.
Buffalo went scoreless on all five of its power-play opportunities. Konsta Helenius did find the net just seconds after one of those advantages expired, scoring from a difficult angle to bring the Sabres within one.
Columbus converted twice with the extra skater, with its second power-play goal coming with 5:39 remaining in regulation to push the Blue Jackets’ lead to 5-3.
Matthew Knies, acquired by Columbus from the Toronto Maple Leafs earlier in the week, led the Blue Jackets with two goals and an assist.
Quinn joined Samuelsson and Helenius as Buffalo’s goal scorers, while Noah Ostlund and Owen Power each recorded two assists. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 16 shots.
The Sabres will return home Saturday for their home opener against the Chicago Blackhawks at KeyBank Center. The game is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to kyle@fingerlakes1.com.