The Tampa Bay Lightning (35-14-4) and the Buffalo Sabres (32-18-5) meet on Feb. 3, 2026 at Benchmark International Arena, starting at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+. The Lightning are first (with 74 points) and the Sabres fifth (69 points) in the Eastern Conference.

How to watch Buffalo Sabres vs. Tampa Bay LightningBuffalo vs. Tampa Bay odds

Odds provided by BetMGM.

Injury reportsLightning

Brayden Point: Out (Lower Body),

Nicholas Paul: Out (Undisclosed),

Anthony Cirelli: Out (Undisclosed),

Emil Martinsen Lilleberg: Out (Undisclosed),

Charle-Edouard D’Astous: Out (Lower Body)

Sabres

Jiri Kulich: Out (Ear),

Joshua Norris: Day-To-Day (Ribs),

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Out (Lower Body),

Jordan Greenway: Day-To-Day (Abdomen),

Zachary Benson: Day-To-Day (Upper Body),

Conor Timmins: Out (Leg),

Josh Dunne: Out (Middle-Body),

Justin Danforth: Out (Lower Body)

Stats to know
Over 49 games played, Nikita Kucherov has put up 86 points (28 goals and 58 assists).
Andrei Vasilevskiy has conceded 74 goals (2.1 goals-against average) and racked up 822 saves with a .918 save percentage (third-best in the league).
Tage Thompson has 57 points this season (one per game), with 29 goals and 28 assists in 55 games (playing 19:01 per game).
Alex Lyon has played 26 games this season, conceding 64 goals (2.7 goals-against average) with 680 saves and a .914 save percentage (seventh-best in the league).

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