Buffalo Sabres Week in Review (Oct. 20 – Oct. 26, 2025)

Breanna McNeill
Oct 27
6 min read

Photo Credit: Buffalo Sabres Multimedia Photo Galleries

The Buffalo Sabres faced a demanding schedule this week, playing four games against key Atlantic Division rivals – the Montreal Canadiens, Detroit Red Wings, and a home-and-home series with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Out of a possible eight points, the Sabres collected five, earning wins over Detroit and Toronto before falling in overtime to close out the week.

Their first win over the Maple Leafs marked the Sabres’ 124th all-time victory against Toronto, the third-most against any opponent in franchise history. Only Boston (131) and Montreal (136) have been defeated more by Buffalo.

This week also featured appearances from three goaltenders: Alex Lyon, Colten Ellis, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who rejoined the team following a brief conditioning stint in Rochester. Once again, the Sabres’ special teams stood out: they rank second in the NHL with a 93.3% penalty kill, one of just four teams to allow two or fewer power-play goals this season. Their 23.0% power play sits just outside the top ten league-wide.

After a shaky 0–3 start, Buffalo has quietly climbed the standings and now sits fourth in the Atlantic Division with a 4–4–1 record, holding a game in hand over both Montreal and Florida.

Notable Player Performances:

Colten Ellis – First NHL Start & Win
- His .931 save percentage is the sixth-highest of any goaltender making their NHL debut with Buffalo in franchise history.
Mattias Samuelsson – 4GP, 2G, 2A
- First multi-point game of his career (Oct. 24 vs. TOR)
Zach Benson – 4GP, 2A
Rasmus Dahlin – 4GP, 3A, 1PPP
Tage Thompson – 4GP, 3G, 1A, 1PPP
Alex Tuch – 4G, 1SHG, 1A, 17 PIM
Tyson Kozak – 3GP, 2G
- It is the first time he has registered a goal in back-to-back games in his career.
Jack Quinn – 4GP, 1G, 3A, 1PPP
Jiri Kulich – 4GP, 2G, 2A

The Sabres will enjoy a lighter schedule next week, playing just two games: Tuesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets (4–4–0) and Thursday versus the Boston Bruins (4–6–0) as they aim to stay above .500 and continue their upward climb in the standings.

Here is a more detailed breakdown of the four games:

Buffalo Sabres vs. Montreal Canadians – Oct. 20th, 2025

Final: 4 (MTL) – 2 (BUF)

The Buffalo Sabres looked to extend their winning streak to three games but came up short in a 4–2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens to open their busy week.

Oliver Kapanen opened the scoring for Montreal midway through the first period, slipping a backhand shot between Alex Lyon’s pads from the top of the crease.

Jiri Kulich evened things up in the second period after stripping Canadiens forward Joe Veleno inside the blue line. Kulich drove to the net, took a return feed from Zach Benson, and tucked a backhand shot under goaltender Jakub Dobeš’s left pad to make it 1–1.

Juraj Slafkovský restored the lead for the Canadiens early in the third, and Lane Hutson extended it shortly after.

Tyson Kozak pulled the Sabres within one late in regulation, but Jake Evans sealed the win for Montreal with an empty-net goal in the final minute.

Three Stars:

#1. Juraj Slafkovský (MTL) – 1G

#2. Jake Evans (MTL) – 1G

#3. Jakub Dobes (MTL) – .938 SV%

Buffalo Sabres vs. Detroit Red Wings – Oct. 22nd, 2025

Final: 4 (BUF) – 2 (DET)

Returning home to KeyBank Center, the Buffalo Sabres snapped the Atlantic Division-leading Detroit Red Wings’ five-game winning streak with a 4–2 victory on Wednesday night.

Goaltender Colten Ellis impressed in his NHL debut, turning aside 29 shots to backstop Buffalo to its third win in four games. His .931 save percentage ranks as the sixth-highest mark by a goaltender making their debut in the Sabres franchise history.

Ellis, originally drafted by St. Louis in the third round of the 2019 NHL Draft, was claimed off waivers from the Blues on October 6.

The Sabres came out strong, outshooting Detroit 8–0 through the first half of the opening period before the Red Wings registered their first shot on goal. Despite controlling play, the game remained scoreless after 20 minutes.

J.T. Compher opened the scoring early in the second, but Jason Zucker responded quickly, finishing off a 2-on-1 rush by burying a feed from Jack Quinn at the doorstep.

Tyson Kozak, with goals in back-to-back games, gave Buffalo a 2–1 lead after converting a short pass from Quinn in tight, sliding the puck through John Gibson’s pads. Emmitt Finnie answered less than two minutes later for Detroit, tapping in a backhand feed below the right circle to tie things up 2–2 heading into the intermission.

Early in the third, Quinn – recording his third point of the night – restored the lead on the power play, wiring a one-timer from the high slot off a pass from Ryan McLeod.

Ellis preserved the advantage midway through the frame, flashing the arm to deny Alex DeBrincat from the low left circle. Just over a minute later, Alex Tuch redirected Josh Doan’s point shot to make it 4–2, sealing a memorable night for the Sabres and their rookie netminder.

Three Stars:

#1. Colton Ellis (BUF) – First NHL Start & Win

#2. Jack Quinn (BUF) – 1G, 2A

#3. Tyson Kozak (BUF) – 1G

Buffalo Sabres vs. Toronto Maple Leafs – Oct. 24th, 2025

Final: 5 (BUF) – 3 (TOR)

Kicking off their home-and-home series against their long-time rivals, the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Buffalo Sabres held on for a 5–3 victory at KeyBank Center, powered by an unexpected hero in Mattias Samuelsson.

Samuelsson opened the scoring early in the first period, giving Buffalo a 1–0 lead, but it was short-lived as William Nylander tied the game just 23 seconds later on a breakaway.

Jiri Kulich restored the Sabres’ lead soon after, finishing off a crisp tic-tac-toe passing play with Zach Benson and Tage Thompson.

The back-and-forth continued when Auston Matthews evened the score again for Toronto, blasting a one-timer from the right circle on the power play to make it 2–2.

Before the midway point of the second, Tage Thompson put Buffalo ahead once more, taking a feed from Bowen Byram in the slot and slipping a shot under goaltender Anthony Stolarz’s right arm.

Samuelsson added his second of the night later in the frame, capitalizing on a defensive breakdown and firing home a shot from the circle to double the Sabres’ lead.

Dakota Joshua cut the deficit to one less than two minutes into the third, leaving the Sabres to defend a narrow advantage for nearly the entire period.

With Toronto pressing on a late power play, Owen Power found Alex Tuch breaking free the other way, and Tuch converted on the backhand to seal Buffalo’s 5–3 win.

Alex Lyon made 31 saves for the Sabres, who outshot the Maple Leafs 34–31.

Three Stars:

#1. Mattias Samuelsson (BUF) – 2G

#2. Alex Tuch (BUF) – 1G, 1A

#3. Alex Lyon (BUF) – .912 SV%

Buffalo Sabres vs. Toronto Maple Leafs – Oct. 25th, 2025

Final: 3 (TOR) – 2 (BUF) (OT)

Looking to extend their win streak and complete the sweep in their home-and-home series, the Buffalo Sabres travelled down the QEW to Scotiabank Arena, where they ultimately fell 3–2 in overtime to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made his first start of the season for Buffalo after Colten Ellis, originally slated to start, was ruled out due to soreness.

For the third straight game, the Sabres opened the scoring, this time courtesy of Tage Thompson, who took a cross-ice feed from Jiri Kulich and wired a shot over Cayden Primeau’s right shoulder from the left faceoff dot.

Toronto answered late in the first when Nick Robertson, returning to the lineup after being a healthy scratch the night before, took a feed from Easton Cowan behind the net and snapped a shot blocker side from the slot to make it 1–1.

Early in the second, Matias Maccelli gave the Maple Leafs their first lead of the night, redirecting a pass from John Tavares past Luukkonen’s outstretched left pad.

Jiri Kulich appeared to tie the game shortly after, but the goal was overturned following a goaltender interference review. The Sabres officially drew even moments later, however, when Bowen Byram’s shot from the point found its way through traffic to make it 2–2.

In the third, Thompson netted his second of the night on the power play to put Buffalo back in front, but Dakota Joshua responded for Toronto, firing a low shot from the faceoff dot that slipped through Luukkonen to level the score once again.

With no further scoring in regulation, the game went to 3-on-3 overtime – Buffalo’s first of the season. The Sabres controlled much of the extra frame, but a blocked 2-on-1 chance and a misplayed puck led to Matthew Knies springing Tavares on a breakaway. The Leafs’ captain lifted a blocker-side shot past Luukkonen to secure the 3–2 victory and score his 499th NHL goal.

Three Stars:

#1. John Tavares (TOR) – 1G, 1A

#2. Tage Thompson (BUF) – 2G

#3. Jake McCabe (TOR) – 1A