Saturday, January 3, 2026 – 3:00 PM ET
Nationwide Arena – Columbus, Ohio
TV: FDSNOH; Radio: 97.1 FM
Buffalo Sabres (21-14-4, 46 points, 4th Atlantic, 8th East)
at
Columbus Blue Jackets (17-16-6, 40 points, 8th Metro, 16th East)
Previously
On New Year’s Eve, the Blue Jackets played a solid game….but lost due to three goals given up in short order in the third period. Sound familiar? An especially frustrating way to snap a win streak.
Notes
Extremely good news today as Zach Werenski has been activated from injured reserve and is expected to return to the lineup tonight. Werenski also gets to celebrate being named to the USA Olympic Team yesterday morning.
Miles Wood is out week-to-week with a lower body injury, and will be replaced in the lineup by Danton Heinen, a longtime NHL veteran who was acquired as part of the Yegor Chinakhov trade.
Our arch-rival Buffalo Sabres enter this game having won 10 games in a row, including 7 since former CBJ GM Jarmo Kekalainen assumed that role, replacing OG CBJ player Kevyn Adams.
Stats
| Buffalo | Columbus | |
| 3.10 (15) | GPG | 2.92 (20) |
| 3.10 (16) | GAPG | 3.33 (26) |
| 18.8 (18) | PP% | 18.6 (19) |
| 85.0 (2) | PK% | 75.0 (29) |
| 49.4 (18) | 5v5 Shot Attempt % | 50.4 (14) |
| 49.5 (17) | 5v5 Unblocked Shot Attempt % | 49.4 (19) |
| 9.6 (11) | 5v5 Shooting % | 9.0 (19) |
| 90.4 (17) | 5v5 Save % | 90.8 (12) |
| Tage Thompson (20) | G Leader | Z. Werenski, K. Marchenko (14) |
| Rasmus Dahlin (24) | A Leader | Zach Werenski (26) |
| Tage Thompson (37) | P Leader | Zach Werenski (40) |
| Alex Tuch (43) | PIM Leader | Mathieu Olivier (49) |
| 9-9-2 | Home/Road | 8-7-3 |
| 10-0-0 | Last 10 | 4-6-0 |
Projected Lineups
Columbus Blue Jackets
| Mason Marchment | Adam Fantilli | Kirill Marchenko |
| Dmitri Voronkov | Cole Sillinger | Danton Heinen |
| Boone Jenner | Charlie Coyle | Mathieu Olivier |
| Zach Aston-Reese | Brendan Gaunce | Kent Johnson |
| Zach Werenski | Denton Mateychuk |
| Ivan Provorov | Damon Severson |
| Jake Christiansen | Dante Fabbro |
| Jet Greaves |
| Elvis Merzlikins |
Buffalo Sabres
| Peyton Krebs | Tage Thompson | Josh Doan |
| Noah Ostlund | Josh Norris | Alex Tuch |
| Zach Benson | Ryan McLeod | Jack Quinn |
| Jordan Greenway | Josh Dunne | Beck Malenstyn |
| Mattias Samuelsson | Rasmus Dahlin |
| Bowen Byram | Owen Power |
| Jacob Bryson | Zach Metsa |
| Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen |
| Colten Ellis |