Buffalo Sabres vs Anaheim Ducks Picks and Predictions for Thursday October 29 2026
If I’m Anaheim, I’m still wondering how I lost Tuesday night. The Ducks were beating Vancouver 5-2 with less than eight minutes left. They gave up three goals, went to overtime, and lost 6-5. That’s one you don’t forget overnight. And now Buffalo comes to town after shutting out San Jose. Two teams coming off very different nights.
The Sabres visit the Ducks at Honda Center in Anaheim, California, Thursday at 10:00 PM ET. The game is on ESPN+, Hulu and Disney+. Buffalo has been collecting points without winning enough games, while Anaheim has lost six of its last seven. I’m taking Buffalo on the moneyline, and I like Over 5.5 goals as a target. Get ready for all the action with our free NHL picks.
Buffalo Sabres Have Been Hanging Around
Buffalo is 5-4-3, with 13 points through twelve games. The Sabres haven’t been putting together long winning streaks, but they’ve been competitive. They lost 4-3 in overtime to Washington Saturday, then went into San Jose Tuesday and won 2-0. That’s a pretty good response. Buffalo needed a game where it didn’t have to score four or five just to have a chance.
The Sabres have scored 33 goals and allowed 40, so the defense hasn’t been great overall. That’s 2.75 goals scored and 3.33 allowed per game. Those numbers aren’t going to impress anybody. But Buffalo has been playing a lot of close games, and the shutout against San Jose showed the Sabres can tighten things up when they need to. Anaheim just gave up six goals to the worst team in the Pacific Division. Buffalo should be able to create some chances.
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The Sabres need to keep doing what worked Tuesday. Don’t give away the puck in dangerous spots, don’t take unnecessary penalties, and make Anaheim earn its chances. Buffalo has enough offense to win this game if the defense holds up. The Sabres don’t need to score five. Three or four should give them a pretty good shot against a Ducks team that’s been struggling to protect leads.
Anaheim Ducks Just Blew a Three-Goal Lead
Anaheim is 5-6-1, and the Ducks have lost six of their last seven games. That’s bad enough. But Tuesday’s loss was something else. They were up 5-2 against Vancouver, a team that had lost ten straight, and still couldn’t finish the game. Anaheim gave up two goals in less than a minute late in the third period, then lost on a power-play goal with eleven seconds left in overtime. That’s a rough way to lose two points.
The Ducks have scored 37 goals and allowed 43 through twelve games. That’s a little more than three goals scored and about 3.6 allowed per night. Anaheim can score, and Tuesday proved that. The problem is keeping the puck out of its own net. The Ducks have given up at least four goals in five of their last seven games. Buffalo hasn’t been a great offensive team, but it doesn’t need to be great against a defense playing like this.
Anaheim has also been struggling at home, going 1-3-1 through its first five games at Honda Center. That’s not much of a home-ice advantage. The Ducks have some young talent and enough speed to make Buffalo uncomfortable, but they need to stop giving away games. Tuesday was the worst example yet. If Anaheim gets ahead Thursday, I’ll be curious to see how it handles the next ten minutes. Confidence can disappear pretty quickly after a loss like that.
Buffalo Sabres vs Anaheim Ducks Picks and Predictions
Buffalo Sabres Moneyline
I’m taking Buffalo. The Sabres aren’t a great team, and I’m not going to pretend they are. But Anaheim has lost six of seven, just blew a three-goal lead against Vancouver, and hasn’t been winning at home. Buffalo is coming off a shutout and should be feeling a lot better about its game. The Ducks can score enough to win, and that’s the danger. If Anaheim gets four or five again, Buffalo might have trouble keeping up. But I don’t trust the Ducks to protect a lead right now. Give me the Sabres to win a close one.
Over 5.5 Goals — Target Total
I’ll take Over 5.5. Anaheim has allowed 43 goals in twelve games, and Buffalo has given up 40. Neither team has been particularly good defensively over the full season. The Sabres just shut out San Jose, so there’s a chance they bring that same defensive effort Thursday and keep the score down. But Anaheim has been giving up too many chances, and the Ducks have enough offense to contribute a couple of goals themselves. I can see Buffalo winning 4-3, and that gets us comfortably Over.
Final Picks: Buffalo Sabres Moneyline and Over 5.5 Goals (target total)
Preview prepared October 28, 2026.
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