The Buffalo Sabres 2025-26 schedule is out and ready to rock. And fans who are paying close attention to detail might notice something. Yep, they're playing their home opener against the New York Rangers, a team who'll be celebrating its centennial season alongside the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks.
For the Rangers, this will be their road opener, since they're opening the year at home vs. the Pittsburgh Penguins. While the Pens have a chance to upend their division rivals in that first game of the season, the Sabres can make sure the Rangers stumble into their road schedule.
And while things don't look great for the Blue and Gold on paper, there should be some added motivation here. The Rangers are an in-state rival from a market that historically overshadows Buffalo, and the two teams almost always seem to go at it when they're playing in one another's barns.
Still, if the Sabres season goes down the drain early and they end up entering the Gavin McKenna sweepstakes, at least they'll have an early-season highlight to look back on should they get the best of the Blueshirts.
Buffalo Sabres season schedule has more than a few lowlights attached
Of course, I'm calling these 'lowlights,' since there are some tough stretches on this schedule. Buffalo will have an early-season home-and-home on October 24th and 25th against the Toronto Maple Leafs, who might just be the best regular-season team in hockey. Well, best regular-season team in terms of consistency since Auston Matthews came to town.
The Blue and Gold will also face a gauntlet between December 3rd and December 14th, when they go on a near two-week road trip that will take them through to the West Coast.
Should the Blue and Gold get out of it with a little over half of the possible points they can earn, then maybe they'll end up with a better points total than we all expect.
They'll also meet the Florida Panthers during the fifth game of the season, giving them an opportunity to beat the defending champions early. But with the same team coming back for more this season, the Panthers won't be easy to beat by any stretch.
So now, the burning question remains: Will the Sabres upend the Rangers in their season opener and the Blueshirts' road opener? If they do, they'll get some early-season bragging rights, and maybe a little momentum with that October 18th matinee looming.
