Photo: Joe Hrycych / Getty Images Sport / Getty Images
The Dallas Stars (1-2) visit the Buffalo Sabres (2-1) at KeyBank Center on Thursday, Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+, with each team heading into the game following a win. The Stars are coming off a 5-0 victory over the San Jose Sharks, while the Sabres knocked off the Minnesota Wild 3-2 in overtime in their most recent outing.
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Prepare for this matchup by checking out our pick for who will win the game in Thursday's hockey action.
Stars vs. Sabres Predictions for Thursday
Our computer projection model for this game calls for a final tally of Sabres 4, Stars 1.
- Moneyline Pick: Sabres (-101)
- Total Pick: Under 6 (computer predicts 5.5 goals on average)
- Spread Pick: Sabres (+1.5)
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Stars Splits and Trends
- The Stars had a 50-20-12 record overall, with a 13-13-26 record in games that went to overtime, last season.
- Dallas picked up 55 points (23-6-9) in the 38 games it played that were decided by one goal.
- The 13 times last season the Stars ended a game with just one goal, they went 2-8-3 (seven points).
- Dallas finished 4-5-4 in the 13 games last season when it scored exactly two goals (registering 12 points).
- The Stars scored at least three goals 59 times, and went 46-7-6 in those games (to register 98 points).
- In the 36 games when Dallas scored a lone power-play goal, it went 26-8-2 to register 54 points.
- In the 38 games when it outshot its opponent, Dallas was 26-9-3 (55 points).
- The Stars were outshot by their opponent 46 times, and went 24-12-10 (58 points).
Sabres Splits and Trends
- The Sabres had a record of 50-23-9 last season and were 8-11-19 in overtime games.
- In the 25 games Buffalo played that were decided by one goal, it picked up 34 points.
- Last season the Sabres scored only one goal in 10 games, and they picked up two points (0-8-2).
- Buffalo picked up 13 points (6-11-1 record) last season when scoring two goals .
- The Sabres picked up 110 points in their 64 games when they scored three or more goals.
- Buffalo scored a lone power-play goal in 29 games last season and recorded 41 points.
- When outshooting its opponent last season, Buffalo was 25-14-3 (53 points).
- The Sabres were outshot by their opponents 52 times last season, and took 70 points from those games.
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Team Stats Comparison (2025-26)
| Stars Rank | Stars AVG | Sabres AVG | Sabres Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9th | 3.33 | Goals Scored | 3.45 | 5th |
| 2nd | 2.71 | Goals Allowed | 2.93 | 10th |
| 30th | 25.2 | Shots | 28.1 | 11th |
| 5th | 26.1 | Shots Allowed | 28.9 | 23rd |
| 2nd | 28.63% | Power Play % | 19.51% | 20th |
| 13th | 80.32% | Penalty Kill % | 81.90% | 4th |
Stars vs. Sabres Game Time and TV Channel
- When: Thursday, October 8, 2026 at 7 p.m. ET
- TV Channel: ESPN+
- Live Stream: Watch this game on ESPN+
- Where: KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York
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