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Columbus shows up with three players listed out, including Adam Fantilli. Buffalo shows up with one. That is the sharpest edge available in Jackets vs Sabres right now, because the odds for this game are not posted yet. That is actually good news for you. You get to build your own read before the market hands you a number to react to. Puck drop is Tuesday, September 22, 2026 at 7:00 PM ET at KeyBank Center.
This one is listed as season type 1, which is preseason hockey. Treat every record accordingly. As of publication, the Columbus Blue Jackets are 1-0-0 and the Buffalo Sabres are 0-1-0. In hockey those three digits are wins, regulation losses, then overtime or shootout losses. So Buffalo has one regulation loss and no overtime losses. Columbus has one win.
That is one game each. No season series information is given here, so we are not pretending to know how these two have played each other. What we do know is the venue, the date, and who is unavailable, and in exhibition hockey the availability list carries more weight than usual because coaches are rotating lines and testing young players in real minutes.
Buffalo's listed leader is Jake Richard with one. One. That is the number the data gives us, and it tells you exactly what stage of the calendar this is: nobody has banked production yet, so nobody is riding a hot streak into this building. For Columbus, no individual leader is provided, and the most recognizable name on their side of the sheet, Adam Fantilli, is out. When a team's headline center is unavailable in a preseason game, the ice time flows to players who are auditioning, not players who are established.
No odds are posted for Sabres vs Jackets yet, so here is what to look for when they open. The moneyline is the simplest bet: pick the team that wins the game, no goal margin required. A minus sign means that side is favored and you risk more than you stand to win. A plus sign means underdog and you win more than you risk.
The puck line is hockey's spread, almost always set at 1.5 goals, so the favored team must win by two or more and the underdog gets a one goal loss as a winning ticket. The total is the combined goals by both teams, and you take over or under. Every one of those markets includes the vig, the built in commission that makes the two sides add up to more than 100 percent. When prices post, compare the same market at several books. A half goal or a few cents of price is the entire margin in this business.
Without a posted market there is no no-vig fair number to compute, and we will not invent one. No-vig simply means the market implied probability with the commission stripped out, and you need actual prices to get it. So this is a matchup lean, not a priced edge. The lean is Buffalo.
Home ice, one listed absence against three, and an opponent missing its most important forward in a game where depth players decide the back half. If Buffalo opens at a price you consider fair for a coin-flip-plus team, that is the side. If the market opens Buffalo heavily favored, the lean loses its worth quickly. Let the number decide the size, not the story.
Four names are listed in total. Buffalo is without Jason Zucker (Out). Columbus is without Dante Fabbro (Out), Riley Bezeau (Out), and Adam Fantilli (Out). Three out for the visitors, one for the hosts, and no questionable tags to guess at.
Desk lean: Buffalo Sabres moneyline, price to be determined. No book can be named because nothing is posted. When it opens, check at least three books and take the best available number on the Sabres. This is Wise Guy Desk analysis, not Ross's documented play.
Buffalo 4, Columbus 3. Preseason games get loose in the third when the depth rolls over, and the Blue Jackets are the team short three bodies. That is the read on the matchup while we wait for a number. The Desk posts a documented free play on days like this, and it sits right below.
Columbus arrives without Adam Fantilli and two more bodies, so the Desk leans Buffalo at home once a price actually posts.
Columbus arrives without Adam Fantilli and two more bodies, so the Desk leans Buffalo at home once a price actually posts. The full read, including a projected final score, is in The Prediction section above.
Yes. This is a free Wise Guy Desk breakdown, our analysis, not Ross's official plays. Ross's documented plays are bet with real money and graded win or loss on the members board.
Expected value first: the best price across the regulated US books we track versus the true fair price with the vig removed, then the matchup data (form, standings, injuries, key players). Line shopping for the best number is the edge most bettors leave on the table.
This preview was produced with AI assistance from live data feeds and reviewed by automated checks. Odds and availability change constantly and may differ from what's shown - always verify the current line at your sportsbook before betting. Found an error? memberservice@wiseguyteam.com.
21+. For entertainment and educational purposes, not financial advice. Wise Guy Desk reads are analysis, not guaranteed outcomes. If gambling stops being fun, take a break. 1-800-GAMBLER.