5 numbers that define Sabres through October

The Sabres are already one-sixth of the way through the 2026-27 regular season.

It was an up-and-down month en route to a 7-4-3 record, but Buffalo enters November riding its first three-game winning streak and trending in the right direction. Seventeen points have the Sabres right in the thick of the Atlantic Division race.

Here are five numbers that defined the Sabres’ October.

• Injury updates from Monday’s practice: Benson, Lyon, Kulich, Helenius, more

4

Multi-goal comeback wins

No other team has more than two, and for the first few weeks of the season, the Sabres leaned heavily on their comeback ability. Three of their first four wins – and eight of their first 10 points – came from two-goal deficits. And they’ve collected nine of their 17 points after trailing in the third period.

“I think we believe in this room and the guys that are in here, so when we find ourselves in situations like that, it’s not time for us to fold the tent,” Tage Thompson said Oct. 17 in Montreal.

Buffalo has been one of the NHL’s best teams in the third period (+8 goal differential) but one of the worst in the second period (-8). It was encouraging that the Sabres finally started to play from ahead during this recent road trip, holding multi-goal leads in all four games and going 3-0-1.

8

Goals from Jack Quinn

Quinn’s October goal totals by year: one in 2022, injured in 2023, one in 2024, three in 2025, and now eight in 2026.

Teammates rave about the offseason work Quinn put in, and it’s helped him become an offensive force – winning more puck battles, creating better shooting lanes, hitting the net more. He’s averaging 19:16 of ice time as a fixture on the second line and top power play, and his current 48-goal pace would shatter his previous career high (20 last season).

The Sabres needed forwards to step up after losing Alex Tuch, their second-leading goal scorer from last season. Quinn, who’s scheduled to hit restricted free agency next summer, is breaking out at the right time.

65.2%

Expected goal share with Zach Benson on at 5-on-5 (Natural Stat Trick)

That’s the NHL’s 11th-best expected goal share (150+ minutes), and the actual results back it up: Buffalo has outscored opponents 15-5 during Benson’s 5-on-5 minutes.

Benson’s nine primary assists have him tied with Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar – solid company – for sixth most in the NHL, with that playmaking sparking whichever line he’s on. When Benson played with Noah Östlund and Quinn, that was by far the Sabres’ best line. In two games since he’s joined Thompson and Peyton Krebs, that line been the driver for Buffalo’s offense.

“I wouldn’t say I’m impressed, because it’s what I expect from him," Thompson said. "… He’s a high-energy guy, buzzsaw on the ice, does such a good job stripping guys of pucks and creating turnovers, and when he has the puck on his stick, he’s got the skill and the IQ to make plays.”

Defensively, Benson is still a pest in his own zone. Check out his work to deny a backdoor Corey Perry chance and start a rush late in Saturday’s win:

Benson missed Monday’s practice for maintenance, but coach Lindy Ruff doesn’t expect it to be anything major.

26:39

Owen Power’s TOI/G

That ranks fifth in the NHL, placing Power among the league’s top defensemen – a few seconds per game behind Matthew Schaefer and Jackson LaCombe. And with how Power has become an all situations-weapon for the Sabres, he belongs in that territory.

Power ranks fourth on the Sabres with 11 points (2+9), both goals being overtime winners. He’s found quick chemistry with second-pair partner Olen Zellweger and has been dangerous on both the cycle and the rush. And on defense, Power has been excellent at breaking plays up, escaping forecheck pressure behind the net and kickstarting Buffalo’s transition game.

Rasmus Dahlin and Mattias Samuelsson are a known commodity on the top pair. And with Power taking these strides in his fifth full season, the Sabres’ blue line remains one of the NHL’s best – their 40 points from defensemen are tied for third most in the league.

68.6%

On the penalty kill

Last season’s Sabres had the NHL’s fourth-ranked penalty kill at 81.9 percent; this season’s rank fourth worst. They’ve allowed multiple power-play goals in four games and zero PPGs in just three games.

Ruff has been sorting through his PK personnel after the offseason departures of Tuch, Jordan Greenway and Bowen Byram. Here are the shorthanded ice time leaders from the last four games:

F: Beck Malenstyn (12:02), Ryan McLeod (11:50), Benson (8:58), Josh Norris (7:11)

D: Power (16:54), Samuelsson (14:41), Zellweger (7:23), Louis Crevier (4:25)

“We’re going to continue to work on it,” said Ruff, who admitted on opening night that incorporating new guys into the PK might involve some growing pains. “It’s something that we’re going over every morning and seeing a little bit of traction.”

The group should get a nice boost from defenseman Conor Timmins, who’s missed the season to this point with a lower-body injury but returned to practice Monday. Last season, Timmins led the Sabres in shorthanded ice time per game (3:02) and ranked among the NHL leaders in shorthanded shot blocks (24), despite playing just 39 games.

Up next

The Sabres begin a four-game homestand Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. against the Ottawa Senators, the on-ice debut of the Hometown Remix uniform.

Get your tickets today.