Columbus, OH (WGR Sports Radio 550) - The much-anticipated 2026-27 season-opener for the Buffalo Sabres is finally here. After taking the league by storm this spring, the blue and gold are out to prove last season was no fluke as they open on the road against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Sabres opened the scoring with 7:21 gone in the first period of play. After a career-year in '25-26, Mattias Samuelsson picked up right where he left off. With the teams skating four-on-four, Noah Ostlund left a pass for Samuelsson to step in to at the blue line. His snap shot beat Columbus goalie Jet Greaves to get Buffalo off and running.
Our first goal of the 2026-27 season belongs to Mattias Samuelsson! 🚨#LetsGoBuffalo pic.twitter.com/QMY2akiDVM
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) October 1, 2026
Five-and-a-half minutes later, the Blue Jackets responded. Both Sabres blue-liners got sucked into defending the same attacker, which left Columbus' Cole Sillinger all alone. He wired the game-tying goal past Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to make it 1-1.
With just over two-minutes left in the first, Columbus grabbed its first lead of the game. With Samuelsson in the penalty box, Blue Jackets forward Matthew Knies netted his first goal with his new team. Knies was acquired from Toronto on September 28, and wasted no time endearing himself in Columbus as he made it 2-1 Blue Jackets.
The home side wasn't done in the first period, unfortunately. Less than a minute after Knies scored, fellow forward Adam Fantilli upped the pressure. His re-direction of a point shot was the third goal against Luukkonen before the horn of the first intermission.
It took just 85-seconds for the blue and gold to cook up a response to start the middle stanza. Ostlund kept a possession alive by leaping up to catch-and-drop a Columbus clearing attempt. Then, Ostlund settled the puck on the ice and dished off to Jack Quinn, who hesitated a second before wiring home his first goal of the season.
The hesitation from Quinner. 😮💨#LetsGoBuffalo pic.twitter.com/fvXvbWK5G8
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) October 2, 2026
Columbus grabbed some momentum, though, and turned it into another goal against Luukkonen. The Blue Jackets were faced with a full, two-minute 5-on-3 penalty kill, and weathered the storm against the Sabres' powerplay. Then, down the other end of the ice, Knies struck for the second time in the game. His deflection re-established Columbus' two-goal lead, at 4-2.
The Sabres weren't going away quietly, though. Konsta Helenius, who made a great impression in the playoffs against Montreal last spring, made his presence felt with the first goal of his season. It came off to the right of Greaves, deflecting high off the netminder's padding.
HELLY YEAH❗️#LetsGoBuffalo pic.twitter.com/xsnR7LgfQI
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) October 2, 2026
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SCORING RECAP
First Period:
BUF: 7:21 - Mattias Samuelsson (1) (Noah Ostlund, Owen Power)
CBJ: 12:51 - Cole Sillinger (1) (Charlie Coyle, Denton Mateychuk); 17:58 - Matthew Knies (1) PPG (Charlie Coyle, Zach Werenski); 18:44 - Adam Fantilli (1) (Zach Wereski, Matthew Knies)
Second Period:
BUF: 1:25 - Jack Quinn (1) (Zach Benson, Noah Ostlund); 13:14 - Konsta Helenius (1) (Ryan McLeod, Owen Power)
CBJ: 7:45 - Matthew Knies (2) (Emil Andrae, Kent Johnson)
Third Period:
BUF:
CBJ:
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Bluestar Home Services Three Stars of the Game:
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What's Next:
It's the home opener for the blue and gold on Saturday night, October 3. Buffalo welcomes Chicago to town for a 7 p.m. puck drop. It will be the first visit to KeyBank Center for Bowen Byram and Jordan Greenway, who were dealt to the Blackhawks ahead of the NHL Draft this summer. Hear all the action courtesy of Dan Dunleavy and Rob Ray right here on WGR Sports Radio 550.
