Stars 4, Sabres 0: Oettinger's Second Straight Shutout

October 8, 2026 - Buffalo - Jake Oettinger had already thrown a shutout on Monday. On Thursday he threw another, 26 saves this time, and KeyBank Center never found a puck that got through him.

The Dallas Stars beat the Buffalo Sabres 4-0. Dallas is 2-2-0, two in a row after two opening losses. Buffalo is 2-2-0, two straight losses after winning the first two of a five-game homestand, the AP recap said. Shots were 26-18 Buffalo. Attendance was 19,070.

Mikko Rantanen had a goal and three assists. Wyatt Johnston had three assists. Jason Robertson, Sam Steel, and Roope Hintz scored. Johnston and Steel are unlinked. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 14 of 18. Luukkonen is unlinked.

Rantanen told NHL.com they had their legs. The last two games they have played fast. The first two periods were good. In the third they sat back a little, Buffalo got chances, and Otter was pretty good in net.

Robertson on a 2-on-1, then three in the second

Robertson opened it at 9:03 of the first, skating the right side on a 2-on-1 with Rantanen and snapping it low blocker. Johnston the other helper. 1-0.

Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff told NHL.com they had two real good chances in the first five minutes and have to start putting those away. Starts have to be better. Tage Thompson finished with six shots and no points.

Steel made it 2-0 at 9:36 of the second, a snap from high above the slot through traffic and between Luukkonen's pads, the NHL recap said. Thomas Harley and Rantanen on the play. Harley is unlinked.

Rantanen pushed it to 3-0 at 13:57. Nils Lundkvist's shot from the left point bounced off the end boards, the NHL recap said, and Rantanen backhanded it into an open net with Luukkonen pulled to the other side. Johnston the other assist. Lundkvist is unlinked.

Hintz scored Dallas's first power-play goal of the season at 15:34. He took Johnston in the right circle and went far-side top corner. Dallas had been 0-for-9 with the man advantage, the NHL recap said. 4-0. Hintz, per NHL.com: don't think too much, play with instincts, play quick hockey.

A 26-save night Buffalo could not crack

Mattias Samuelsson told NHL.com Buffalo has not come out and played its game in the first period a lot, and falling behind against older teams that know how to lock it down is a problem. Samuelsson is unlinked.

Glen Gulutzan, the Dallas coach, told NHL.com he likes the game the group is giving. The defensemen have moved the puck. The forwards are working to spots. Stack plays and games.

Luukkonen, on NHL.com: you don't win by letting in four, whether they are breakaways or not. Sometimes your team does not have its best night. That does not mean the goalie cannot. He needs to figure it out.

The NHL notes said this is the second time in Oettinger's career he has posted consecutive shutouts, and he is the third goalie in Stars history to do it more than once, after Ed Belfour and Cesare Maniago. The shutout streak is 146:55, second longest of his career behind 154:20 from March 28 to April 7, 2024. The AP recap put him at 18 career shutouts after 17 through the San Jose game. Buffalo is 0-for-13 on the power play to start the season, the NHL recap said.

Dallas visits Pittsburgh on Saturday. Buffalo hosts Utah.

AthX Engine on a second shutout in four nights

AthX Engine (our projection and scoring system) scored Oettinger at 15.40 (win, 26 saves, shutout bonus, zero goals against). Rantanen is 12.70. Hintz is 8.60 with a power-play bonus. Johnston is 8.10. Robertson is 6.40. Steel is 5.10. Harley is 4.50. Luukkonen is 0.80.

Dallas's team line is 20.80. Buffalo floors at 0.

Fantasy points measure the box. Price is what traders will pay for a goalie on a 146-minute shutout run, and for a Sabres homestand that just got blanked. They are not the same number.

Track Oettinger, Rantanen, Robertson, and both clubs on the marketplace.

*Sources: AP recap (ESPN), ESPN box score, NHL.com recap, NHL.com scoreboard, ESPN NHL scoreboard. AthX Engine fantasy points scored from NHL gamecenter box 2026020057. Information only; not financial advice.*