Nashville Predators at Buffalo Sabres
NHL game between the Nashville Predators and the Buffalo Sabres on Mar 07, 2026. Final score: Nashville Predators 2, Buffalo Sabres 3.
| Status | Final |
|---|---|
| Date | Mar 07, 2026 |
| Venue | KeyBank Center |
| Nashville Predators score | 2 |
| Buffalo Sabres score | 3 |
Shot charts, expected goals (xG), Game Score and advanced box scores for this game are available on Hockey Alchemy.
Three Stars by Game Score
Ranked by Game Score, which rolls goals, assists, shot quality, play-driving and penalties into one number — so the best player is chosen by the box score, not by a vote.
| Player | Pos | G | A | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Rasmus Dahlin | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 24:36 | 0.02 | 1.82 |
| 2nd | Alex Tuch | R | 0 | 1 | 0 | 21:19 | 0.08 | 1.36 |
| 3rd | Tage Thompson | C | 1 | 0 | 4 | 18:53 | 0.47 | 1.30 |
Scoring Summary
| Time | Team | Goal | Assists | Strength | Score (Nashville Predators–Buffalo Sabres) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd 01:17 | NSH | Zachary L'Heureux | Jonathan Marchessault, Ryan O'Reilly | 5v5 | 1–0 |
| 2nd 12:39 | BUF | Tage Thompson | Alex Tuch | 5v5 | 1–1 |
| 2nd 14:17 | BUF | Jason Zucker | Jack Quinn, Rasmus Dahlin | 5v5 | 1–2 |
| 3rd 00:16 | BUF | Josh Doan | Josh Norris, Noah Ostlund | 5v5 | 1–3 |
| 3rd 16:08 | NSH | Matthew Wood | Roman Josi, Steven Stamkos | 4v6 | 2–3 |
Team Comparison
| Nashville Predators | Buffalo Sabres | |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 2 | 3 |
| Shots on goal | 25 | 24 |
| Expected goals (xG) | 3.16 | 3.13 |
| High-danger shots | 15 | 10 |
| Corsi % | 52.2% | 47.8% |
| Power play | 1/3 | 0/2 |
| Faceoff % | 61.3% | 38.7% |
| Hits | 15 | 20 |
| Blocks | 11 | 17 |
| Giveaways | 13 | 14 |
| Takeaways | 8 | 5 |
Nashville Predators Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zachary L'Heureux | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 13:26 | 0.64 | 1.09 |
| Matthew Wood | R | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 15:57 | 0.37 | 1.03 |
| Ryan O'Reilly | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 21:20 | 0.41 | 0.97 |
| Nicolas Hague | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 20:59 | 0.12 | 0.77 |
| Jonathan Marchessault | R | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 17:03 | 0.01 | 0.66 |
| Steven Stamkos | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 17:53 | 0.12 | 0.62 |
| Luke Evangelista | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 15:48 | 0.44 | 0.40 |
| Joakim Kemell | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15:00 | 0.00 | 0.23 |
| Nick Perbix | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 18:41 | 0.09 | 0.20 |
| Roman Josi | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 25:56 | 0.05 | 0.13 |
| Erik Haula | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 16:12 | 0.16 | 0.05 |
| Filip Forsberg | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 18:48 | 0.45 | -0.01 |
| Brady Skjei | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21:35 | 0.00 | -0.10 |
| Justin Barron | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12:49 | 0.00 | -0.18 |
| Fedor Svechkov | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9:49 | 0.00 | -0.34 |
| Ozzy Wiesblatt | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9:21 | 0.00 | -0.45 |
| Tyson Jost | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10:47 | 0.00 | -0.64 |
| Ryan Ufko | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13:44 | 0.00 | -0.68 |
Buffalo Sabres Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rasmus Dahlin | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 24:36 | 0.02 | 1.82 |
| Alex Tuch | R | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 21:19 | 0.08 | 1.36 |
| Tage Thompson | C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 18:53 | 0.47 | 1.30 |
| Jason Zucker | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 14:42 | 0.84 | 0.87 |
| Josh Norris | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 16:37 | 0.00 | 0.82 |
| Jack Quinn | R | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 14:10 | 0.41 | 0.80 |
| Josh Doan | R | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 16:11 | 0.42 | 0.78 |
| Michael Kesselring | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10:28 | 0.03 | 0.70 |
| Mattias Samuelsson | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 24:36 | 0.48 | 0.60 |
| Noah Ostlund | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 14:46 | 0.06 | 0.45 |
| Peyton Krebs | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14:27 | 0.07 | 0.32 |
| Beck Malenstyn | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9:12 | 0.00 | 0.29 |
| Zach Benson | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9:32 | 0.16 | 0.07 |
| Sam Carrick | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8:55 | 0.02 | -0.00 |
| Ryan McLeod | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17:32 | 0.00 | -0.00 |
| Zach Metsa | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11:38 | 0.01 | -0.22 |
| Bowen Byram | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 23:11 | 0.14 | -0.39 |
| Owen Power | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 23:02 | 0.06 | -0.83 |
Goaltending
| Goalie | Team | SV | SA | SV% | GSAx | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Juuse Saros | Nashville Predators | 21 | 24 | 87.5% | -0.25 | L |
| Alex Lyon | Buffalo Sabres | 23 | 25 | 92.0% | 1.55 | W |
Analysis
The Buffalo Sabres defeated the Nashville Predators 3–2 on Mar 07, 2026, a one-goal game.
Buffalo Sabres generated 3.13 expected goals to Nashville Predators's 3.16 — Nashville Predators owned the better of the chances but Buffalo Sabres took the game, the kind of split that usually means finishing or goaltending decided it; by expected goals it was close to a coin flip.
Rasmus Dahlin led all skaters with a Game Score of 1.82 on 1 assist, 1 shots on goal.
Alex Lyon stopped 23 of 25, worth 1.55 goals saved above expected.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the Nashville Predators vs Buffalo Sabres game?
The Buffalo Sabres beat the Nashville Predators 3–2 on Mar 07, 2026.
What was the final score?
The final score was Buffalo Sabres 3, Nashville Predators 2.
Who was the best player in this game?
By Game Score — a single-number summary of everything a skater did — Rasmus Dahlin led all skaters at 1.82, on 0G, 1A and 1 shots on goal.
Which team deserved to win by expected goals?
Buffalo Sabres generated 3.13 expected goals and Nashville Predators generated 3.16, so Nashville Predators created the better chances. The scoreboard went the other way, which points to finishing or goaltending.
What were the shot totals?
Nashville Predators put 25 shots on goal and Buffalo Sabres put 24. High-danger chances went 15 to 10.
How did the goaltenders play?
Juuse Saros stopped 21 of 24 (-0.25 goals saved above expected); Alex Lyon stopped 23 of 25 (1.55 goals saved above expected).