Buffalo Sabres vs Tampa Bay Lightning Head-to-Head

Buffalo Sabres
Tampa Bay Lightning
Sabres lead Lightning65to54ยท5 ties

A virtually even rivalry in 124 all-time meetings; Lightning have narrowed the gap in the shootout era.

ByVerified

At a glance

Buffalo Sabres vs Tampa Bay Lightning insights

The edge
+11wins for Sabres
52% Sabres ยท 44% Lightning ยท 4% ties

Lightning have closed the gap in the shootout era: 40-38 since 2005.

Recent form
10-10last 20
Sabres on a 3-game streak

Sabres won 4-2 on Apr 6, 2026

Where it matters
0Stanley Cup Playoffs games

These teams have never met in the playoffs.

The story

Sabres built their historical edge pre-2005, winning 27 of 41 decided meetings (66%) (plus 5 ties). In the shootout era they are 38-40 against each other (49% Sabres). 5 historical ties live in the all-time ledger, all predating the 2005 shootout rule. Sabres currently hold a 3-game winning streak between the teams. Games average a 2.2-goal margin, with the largest blowout coming via Sabres' 6-goal win. The 2010s produced the deepest sample with 43 recorded meetings, more than any other decade in the series. Their first recorded meeting fell in 1992, so the rivalry has spanned 34 seasons of NHL history. Most recent result: Sabres won 4-2 on Apr 6, 2026. Through the 2020s Sabres have led 10-8 between the teams.

Win Percentage
65W
5T
54W
BUF
TBL
52%4%44%
Buffalo SabresTiesTampa Bay Lightning

Recent Games

Last 10 Games
DateHomeAwayScoreResult
Apr 6, 2026BUFTBL4โ€“2BUF
Mar 8, 2026BUFTBL8โ€“7BUF
Feb 28, 2026TBLBUF2โ€“6BUF
Feb 3, 2026TBLBUF4โ€“3TBL
Apr 13, 2025TBLBUF7โ€“4TBL
Apr 5, 2025BUFTBL3โ€“2BUF
Mar 6, 2025TBLBUF6โ€“5TBL
Apr 15, 2024TBLBUF2โ€“4BUF
Feb 29, 2024TBLBUF2โ€“3BUF
Jan 20, 2024BUFTBL1โ€“3TBL
Last Meeting
Apr 6, 2026Final
BUF
4
HOME
TBL
2
AWAY
Sabreswon by2goals
Sabres' 3rd straight in this seriesยทGame 124 of all-time series

All-Time Record

Season Split & Biggest Wins
Regular season vs Stanley Cup Playoffs record, plus each team's largest margin of victory
Regular Season124 games ยท 5 ties
65
54
These teams have never met in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Buffalo Sabres Biggest Win
7โ€“1+6 goals
Mar 27, 2010
Tampa Bay Lightning Biggest Win
6โ€“1+5 goals
Mar 19, 1995
Decade Breakdown
Click a decade to filter stats below
Season by Season
Season โ†“BUF โ†•TBL โ†•Games โ†•
2025โ€“26314
2024โ€“25123
2023โ€“24314
2022โ€“23224
2021โ€“22123
2019โ€“20044
2018โ€“19134
2017โ€“18224
2016โ€“17044
2015โ€“16134

Matchup Insights

Home / Away Split
32-27BUF HOME27-33TBL HOME
AWAY
33-27
BUF
AWAY
27-32
TBL
Streaks & Momentum
Current Streak
Buffalo Sabres: 3 consecutive wins
3
Avg. Margin of Victory
Games decided by 2.2 goals on average
2.2goals
Momentum (Last 10 vs All-Time)
BUF-Neutral
Last 1060%
All-Time54.6%
TBL-Neutral
Last 1040%
All-Time45.4%
Last 10 Results
BUF / TBL

Frequently Asked Questions: Buffalo Sabres vs Tampa Bay Lightning

Methodology & Data Sources

Last updated

Every head-to-head page on SharkBetting is built from verified historical data, not generated prose. Regular-season and playoff game logs for the NHL are pulled from the official NHL api-web data service (coverage from 1917 onward). Coach matchups, arena history, and franchise lineage are cross-checked against hockey-reference.com. Award winners (Hart, Norris, Vezina, Conn Smythe) are sourced from league records and filtered to each franchise including historic relocations.

Stats are refreshed after every completed game day. If you spot an error, head to our contact page with the game date and we will verify against the source feeds.

Buffalo Sabres and Tampa Bay Lightning have played in the NHL since 1992.