Seattle Kraken @ Buffalo Sabres Game Thread — March 28, 2026

🔥 GAME DAY THREAD 🔥

📅 Date: Tonight, Saturday, March 28, 2026
🕠 Puck Drop: 5:30 PM ET
📍 Location: KeyBank Center

🏒 Matchup: Buffalo Sabres vs. Seattle Kraken

👀 Storylines to Watch

Buffalo is right back at it less than 24 hours after a frustrating loss, and this one has all the makings of a bounce-back spot.

Despite the 5-2 loss to Detroit, the Sabres have still been one of the best teams in hockey for months. Since early December, they rank first in the NHL in wins and points, and they’ve picked up at least a point in 21 of their last 25 games.

Tonight is about response. Good teams don’t let one loss turn into two — and Buffalo hasn’t dropped back-to-back regulation games since early December.

Seattle comes in off an overtime win and is trying to hang around in the playoff race, but they’ve been inconsistent, going 3-6-1 in their last 10.

🥅 Expected Goalie Matchup

Sabres: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
Kraken: Philipp Grubauer (expected)

Luukkonen has been outstanding in recent weeks, posting a .923 save percentage since mid-January and continuing to be a backbone for this team.

⭐ Key Players
🔵 Sabres to Watch
Tage Thompson — 75 points on the season and red-hot since December
Rasmus Dahlin — 37 points in his last 30 games
Alex Tuch — Strong history vs Seattle (9 points in 7 games)
🔴 Kraken to Watch
Jordan Eberle — Team leader in points
Matty Beniers — Young centerpiece with scoring ability
Chandler Stephenson — Playmaker who drives offense
🚑 Injuries
🔵 Buffalo
Jordan Greenway — IR
Justin Danforth — IR
Jiri Kulich — IR
Noah Östlund — Day-to-day
🔴 Seattle
Max McCormick – IR

Jaden Schwartz – IR

Ryan Winterton – Out

Jared McCann – Day-to-day

🔑 What to Watch Tonight

🔄 Response Game
Buffalo hasn’t dropped back-to-back regulation games in months. This is a big test of that trend.

⚡ Offense vs Defense
Buffalo averages 3.45 goals per game (top 10 in NHL), while Seattle struggles defensively with a bottom-tier penalty kill.

🏠 Home Ice Advantage
The Sabres have been strong at KeyBank Center (22-10-4) and should come out with energy.

🎯 Special Teams Opportunity
Seattle’s penalty kill sits near the bottom of the league — Buffalo’s power play could be a difference maker.

🧾 Bottom Line

This is exactly the kind of game good teams respond in.

Buffalo has the edge — better form, better offense, and home ice — but they need to clean up the details from last night, especially defensively and on special teams.

If they play their game, they should get back in the win column.

Let’s go Buffalo. 🔵🦬

 

1st Period:

20:00 – The opening faceoff is won by Buffalo and the game is underway.

17:26 – Seattle’s Adam Larsson has been penalized 2 minutes for hooking. We will get our first look of the night at the Buffalo Power Play.

15:26 – Seattle successfully kills the penalty. Through the opening 5 minutes Buffalo has played with some fire, dominating possession.

14:17 – Buffalo’s Alex Tuch has been penalized 2 minutes for tripping. We will get our first look of the night at the Buffalo Penalty Kill.

12:17 – Buffalo successfully kills the penalty.

10:46 – Buffalo’s Rasmus Dahlin has been penalized 2 minutes for interference. We will get our second look of the night at the Buffalo Penalty Kill.

8:46 – Buffalo successfully kills the penalty.

7:18 – Chandler Stephenson scores for Seattle. Seattle leads 1-0

6:46 – After a beautiful feed from Josh Doan, Josh Norris couldn’t score on a wide open breakaway and crashed into Grubauer in net.

3:30 – The passing has broke down here for Buffalo, looking like they did early in last nights game.

1:38 – Logan Stanley absolutely cleaned Shane Wright’s clock on a hit between the blue lines. It leads leads to a small scuffle.

0:00 – McLeod gets a good look right before the horn but can’t convert. After one period Seattle leads 1-0. 1st period breakdown coming up.

1st Period Breakdown:

Early in the period Buffalo looked the part of the better team, playing with a fire and keeping good possession in Seattle’s zone finding high danger shots on net. However, around halfway through the period that fire was put out and Buffalo got very sloppy on their passes. Stephenson scored a solid one timer for Seattle. Buffalo found a few more high danger looks but just couldn’t find the back of the net. Compared to last night, Buffalo has played a much better first period. If they can clean up the passing a bit and get some puck luck they shouldn’t be too worried about the 1-0 hole they are in. Still, this is a team that would love to play with a lead for the first time in four games.

2nd Period:

20:00 – The opening faceoff of the period is won by Seattle and the second period is underway.

17:36 – Buffalo is putting a lot of pressure on Seattle, Grubauer barely saved a shot from Thompson.

17:31 – Logan Stanley and Jamie Oleksiak drop the gloves, a rather boring fight that Oleksiak won.

14:20 – Buffalo’s Rasmus Dahlin has been penalized two minutes for hooking.  We will get our third look of the night at the Buffalo Penalty Kill.

12:20 – Buffalo successfully kills the penalty.

11:02 – Buffalo has had absolutely no puck luck the last two days, they have generated a lot of dangerous attempts but just cannot convert.

7:10 – Sam Carrick did not score for Buffalo, the puck was about a quarter of an inch from being a goal.

6:42 – Bobby McMann turns around and scores on the other end for Seattle. Seattle leads 2-0

5:00 – UPL with a pair of miraculous saves for Buffalo.

4:16 – Seattle’s Adam Larsson has been penalized 2 minutes for slashing. We will get our second look of the night at the Buffalo Power Play.

4:05 – The Captain Rasmus Dahlin scores on a deep slapshot 11 seconds into the Power Play, the 100th goal of Dahlin’s career. Seattle leads 2-1

1:55 – Stanley had a wide open net and his stick broke, unreal luck.

0:00 – At the end of the second period Seattle leads 2-1. Second period breakdown coming up.

2nd Period Breakdown:

Buffalo turned up the heat a bit in the second, dominating possession throughout the period. I’ll be curious to see how many high danger shots they put on net, it felt like at least ten. A lack of puck luck was unfortunate throughout the period. The sequence of Carrick’s goal not counting and Seattle instantly going down and scoring on what was maybe their lone dangerous possession of the period sums up Buffalo’s luck. The good news is Buffalo found a way to score on the Power Play and will enter the third period only down by one goal. I have a lot of confidence that if Buffalo plays like they did in the second period, they will at minimum force overtime in this game.

3rd Period:

20:00 – The opening faceoff of the period is won by Buffalo and the third period is underway.

15:00 –  5 minutes into the period and neither team has had too dangerous of a look.

14:50 – Just as I say that Carrick misses on a dangerous look.

12:00 – Buffalo’s Logan Stanley has been penalized 2 minutes for goaltender interference. We will get our fourth look of the night at Buffalo’s Penalty Kill.

10:00 – Buffalo successfully kills the penalty.

8:21 – Peyton Krebs scores for Buffalo. The game is tied 2-2

6:40 – Seattle’s Oscar Fisker Molgaard has been penalized two minutes for holding. We will get our third look of the night at the Buffalo Power Play.

4:40 – Seattle successfully kills the penalty.

0:00 – For the third time in the last four games, the Buffalo Sabres are going to overtime. Let’s see if they can end their three game losing streak,