Columbus Blue Jackets at Buffalo Sabres Picks and Prediction for Tuesday, October 28, 2025
We have an Eastern Conference NHL showdown as the Columbus Blue Jackets, standing in seventh place of the Metropolitan Division with a 4-4-0 record, clash with the Atlantic Division’s fourth-place Buffalo Sabres, who bring a 4-4-1 record to center ice for our Blue Jackets vs. Sabres prediction. Set inside the KeyBank Center on October 28th at 6:45 PM ET, fans can catch the action live on ESPN+. This will be the first of three meetings between these teams this year as they will not play again until the New Year. Stay out of the box: NHL predictions for Columbus Blue Jackets at Buffalo Sabres, crisp and clear.
Blue Jackets Looking to Stay Strong on the Road
The Columbus Blue Jackets, playing at a good level up to this point as they are in seventh place in the Metropolitan Division with a 4-4-0 record early on, face a team that is playing at a good level so far. Their recent game on the road against the Penguins, a 5-4 shootout win, reflects a team that needs to continue stepping up on the offensive side of the ice. Left winger Dmitri Voronkov is leading the franchise with nine points (five goals, four assists). The Blue Jackets are healthy as they are only dealing with one injury, as Miles Wood is ruled out for this game.
Columbus’s offensive output has been mediocre thus far, with the team sitting tied for 16th place in the league for goals scored, averaging 3.00 goals per game. The Blue Jackets’ power play, operating at a 15.0% success rate, and their penalty kill at 60.7%, highlight areas of the game that need to improve to be more successful going forward.
Goaltending is a place where they need to see some improvement, with Jet Greaves looking to continue improving as he struggled with a 1-3-0 record, as he has 2.80 goals allowed per game and a .903 save percentage. This team needs to improve defensively to step up and win more games. Lukas Dostal is expected to get the start. He's 2-3-1 with a 3.02 GAA and .899 save percentage.
Injury Report for Columbus
- Left winger Miles Wood: Upper Body (OUT)
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Sabres Stepping Up At Home
The Buffalo Sabres, positioned in fourth place in the Atlantic Division with a 4-4-1 record, head into this game looking to continue building off their early-season success. The latest game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on the road 4-3 was an overtime loss as they attempted 26 shots on goal.
| # | Handicapper | Profit |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Pro Sports Picks | +850.00 |
| 2 |  Bruce Marshall | +566.00 |
| 3 |  Terry Edelmann | +385.00 |
| 4 |  Sean Higgs | +300.00 |
| 5 |  Rocky Atkinson | +247.00 |
Offensively, Buffalo has been doing a middling job at finding the back of the net, averaging 3.00 goals per game, which is also tied for 16th in the sport. The Sabres’ power play has been at a respectable level, converting at a 23.3% clip, showcasing their ability to take advantage of their opponent’s mistakes. Their defensive game shows they are going to need to improve throughout the season to continue stepping up after a bunch of seasons missing the postseason in a row.
On the goaltending front, goaltender Alex Lyon is going to need to continue improving in the net for this game as he is 3-4-0 with a .922 save percentage and 2.61 goals allowed per game.
Injury Report for Buffalo
- Goalie Colten Ellis: Back (Questionable)
- Defenseman Jacob Bryson: Concussion (Questionable)
- Center Tyson Kozak: Lower Body (OUT)
- Defenseman Michael Kesselring: Lower Body (OUT)
- Left winger Jordan Greenway: Lower Body (OUT)
- Right winger Justin Danforth: Lower Body (OUT)
- Center Joshua Norris: Upper Body (OUT)
- Right winger Carson Meyer: Knee (OUT)
Columbus Blue Jackets at Buffalo Sabres Pick
Spread Pick for Columbus Blue Jackets at Buffalo Sabres
- Columbus Blue Jackets -105 (4 units)
Winning faceoffs throughout the season put these teams at significantly different levels as Columbus is 10th in the league with a 51.5 faceoff win percentage, while Buffalo is dead last in hockey with a 41.7 faceoff win percentage entering this game. Buffalo is dealing with a massive number of injuries, so they are going to be in a compromised position for this matchup. Even with the Sabres playing well at home, the Blue Jackets are stepping up at home. Jet Greaves and Alex Lyon are very similar goaltenders statistically, thus far as well. All in all, go with the Columbus Blue Jackets to record a win in this game.
| # | Handicapper | Profit |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Rob Vincilleti | +1,502.00 |
| 2 | Pro Sports Picks | +1,421.00 |
| 3 |  Brick Haus Sports | +634.00 |
| 4 |  David Delano | +492.00 |
| 5 |  Michael Briggs | +355.00 |
Over/Under Pick for Columbus Blue Jackets at Buffalo Sabres
- Under 6.5 (4 units)
Asking for seven total goals is a lot, and these teams are going to be struggling to hit that number. Jet Greaves and Alex Lyon do an amazing job of leaving the puck in front of them and keeping things going well to keep games low-scoring. Both defenses as of late, are doing well at limiting goals, as the Blue Jackets are allowing 3.0 goals in their previous four games, while the Sabres are giving up 2.6 goals in their last five games. The under has hit in four of the last five games against one another so take under 6.5 total goals to hit here.
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