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Buffalo Sabres vs Tampa Bay Lightning prediction, odds, win probability, and matchup analysis for February 3, 2026

NHL matchup

Buffalo Sabres at Tampa Bay Lightning

View the PlayerWON Model V2 prediction, fair odds, market comparison, team performance, and recent head-to-head history for February 3, 2026.

February 3, 2026 · 6:00 PM CST
Model V2 prediction is not available yet for this game. View final boxscore
Recent usage

Forward trios & defense pairs

Most-used five-on-five trio and defense pair from each team's last 10 completed regular-season games before Feb 3. Historical usage, not confirmed lines for this matchup.

Buffalo Sabres

10 / 10 games covered · Minimum 5 shared minutes

Forward trio

102:32 together · 10 games

xG share49.4%
Corsi for / against
92 / 97
Fenwick for / against
71 / 84
Corsi share
48.7%
Fenwick share
45.8%
xG for / against
6.72 / 6.90
Defense pair

91:23 together · 10 games

xG share47.4%
Corsi for / against
73 / 77
Fenwick for / against
57 / 62
Corsi share
48.7%
Fenwick share
47.9%
xG for / against
4.05 / 4.49
All observed combinations

Tampa Bay Lightning

10 / 10 games covered · Minimum 5 shared minutes

Defense pair

148:06 together · 10 games

xG share52.9%
Corsi for / against
173 / 108
Fenwick for / against
128 / 81
Corsi share
61.6%
Fenwick share
61.2%
xG for / against
7.33 / 6.53
All observed combinations

Ambiguous events and unreliable intervals are excluded. xG requires complete current scoring for each contributing game. These summaries do not change the model prediction.

Goalie context

Recent starting goalies

Each team's last recorded starter before this matchup. These are not confirmed or projected starters for this game. Results cover their last 5 appearances before the matchup.

Alex Lyon

Buffalo Sabres · Last start: Feb 2

5 / 5 appearances covered

Shots faced
170
Save %
94.1
Goals allowed
10
Close-range shots %
27.6

Andrei Vasilevskiy

Tampa Bay Lightning · Last start: Feb 1

5 / 5 appearances covered

Shots faced
128
Save %
93.8
Goals allowed
8
Close-range shots %
27.3
Pregame context · xG V1

Recent expected goals

Last 10 completed regular-season games before Feb 3, 2026. This game and later dates are excluded.

Buffalo Sabres

xG for / game
2.89
xG against / game
3.42
xG differential / game
-0.53

10 / 10 selected games fully scored. Historical chance quality, not a forecast of this game's goals.

Tampa Bay Lightning

xG for / game
3.63
xG against / game
2.76
xG differential / game
0.88

10 / 10 selected games fully scored. Historical chance quality, not a forecast of this game's goals.

Recent play-by-play

Team tendencies before this game

Last 10 completed regular-season games before Feb 3, 2026. This game and later dates are excluded.

Buffalo Sabres

10 / 10 games covered

Attempts / game
51.5
Corsi share (%)
45.3
Fenwick share (%)
45.3
Faceoff win %
41.5
Penalties / game
4.0

Shots / game: 26.1 · Shooting: 16.1% · Avg distance: 33.2 ft

Tampa Bay Lightning

10 / 10 games covered

Attempts / game
64.6
Corsi share (%)
56.9
Fenwick share (%)
57.6
Faceoff win %
49.5
Penalties / game
4.5

Shots / game: 31.2 · Shooting: 10.6% · Avg distance: 32.8 ft

Team comparison

Season and recent form

Season overview
Buffalo Sabres BUF
Metric
Tampa Bay Lightning TBL
13Points15
0.542Points %0.682
33Goals for38
41Goals against34
-8Goal differential4
W1Current streakOT1
Road versus home
Buffalo Sabres BUF road
Metric
Tampa Bay Lightning TBL home
6Games5
2Wins5
7Points10
-3Goal differential9
Last 10 games
Buffalo Sabres BUF
Metric
Tampa Bay Lightning TBL
4-3-3Record7-2-1
11Points15
26Goals for37
32Goals against29
-6Goal differential8
History

Last 10 head-to-head games

Buffalo Sabres BUF 6 wins
10 games reviewed
Tampa Bay Lightning TBL 4 wins
Total goals39 – 38
Goal differential +1 / -1
Goals per game3.9 / 3.8
Shots per game30.5 / 28.0
Date Matchup Score Shots Details
Apr 13, 2025
Buffalo Sabres Buffalo Sabres at Tampa Bay Lightning Tampa Bay Lightning
4 - 7 25 - 31 View
Apr 5, 2025
Tampa Bay Lightning Tampa Bay Lightning at Buffalo Sabres Buffalo Sabres
2 - 3 24 - 38 View
Mar 6, 2025
Buffalo Sabres Buffalo Sabres at Tampa Bay Lightning Tampa Bay Lightning
5 - 6 33 - 26 View
Apr 15, 2024
Buffalo Sabres Buffalo Sabres at Tampa Bay Lightning Tampa Bay Lightning
4 - 2 34 - 33 View
Feb 29, 2024
Buffalo Sabres Buffalo Sabres at Tampa Bay Lightning Tampa Bay Lightning
3 - 2 23 - 23 View
Jan 20, 2024
Tampa Bay Lightning Tampa Bay Lightning at Buffalo Sabres Buffalo Sabres
3 - 1 16 - 27 View
Oct 17, 2023
Tampa Bay Lightning Tampa Bay Lightning at Buffalo Sabres Buffalo Sabres
2 - 3 25 - 31 View
Mar 4, 2023
Tampa Bay Lightning Tampa Bay Lightning at Buffalo Sabres Buffalo Sabres
3 - 5 36 - 34 View
Feb 23, 2023
Buffalo Sabres Buffalo Sabres at Tampa Bay Lightning Tampa Bay Lightning
6 - 5 23 - 41 View
Nov 28, 2022
Tampa Bay Lightning Tampa Bay Lightning at Buffalo Sabres Buffalo Sabres
6 - 5 25 - 37 View
This matchup prediction is generated using playerWON’s Model V2, incorporating team performance, recent form, and home/away effects. View full model performance to compare results across games.