The Dallas Stars (1-2) square off against the Buffalo Sabres (2-1) at KeyBank Center on Thursday, Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+. The Stars knocked off the San Jose Sharks 5-0 in their most recent game, while the Sabres are coming off a 3-2 overtime win over the Minnesota Wild.

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Ahead of watching this matchup, here is our pick for which squad will secure the win in Thursday's hockey action.

Stars vs. Sabres Predictions for Thursday

Our computer model for this contest predicts a final tally of Sabres 4, Stars 2.

Moneyline Pick: Sabres (-109)
Total Pick: Under 6 (computer predicts 5.5 goals on average)
Spread Pick: Sabres (-1.5)

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Stars Splits and Trends

The Stars (50-20-12 overall) had a 13-13-26 record last season in games that needed overtime.
Dallas was 23-6-9 (55 points) in its 38 games decided by one goal.
The 13 times last season the Stars ended a game with only one goal, they went 2-8-3 (seven points).
Dallas finished 4-5-4 in the 13 games last season when it scored exactly two goals (registering 12 points).
The Stars were 46-7-6 when they scored three or more goals (to register 98 points).
In the 36 games when Dallas scored a lone power-play goal, it had a 26-8-2 record (54 points).
In the 38 games last season when it outshot its opponent, Dallas was 26-9-3 (55 points).
The Stars' opponent had more shots in 46 games last season. The Stars went 24-12-10 in those matchups (58 points).

Sabres Splits and Trends

The Sabres had a record of 50-23-9 last season and were 8-11-19 in overtime contests.
Buffalo picked up 34 points (12-3-10) in its 25 games decided by one goal.
Last season the Sabres scored only one goal in 10 games, and they picked up two points (0-8-2).
Buffalo accumulated 13 points (6-11-1) when scoring two goals last season.
The Sabres picked up 110 points in their 64 games when they scored at least three goals.
Buffalo scored a single power-play goal in 29 games last season and recorded 41 points.
When outshooting its opponent last season, Buffalo was 25-14-3 (53 points).
The Sabres were outshot by their opponents 52 times last season, and took 70 points from those games.

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Team Stats Comparison (2025-26)

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