KeyBank Center Game Day Guide
Buffalo Sabres · Buffalo, NY
Know Before You Go
- Bag policy
Bags, backpacks, and purses are prohibited; only clutches no larger than 4 x 6 x 1.5 inches are permitted after visual inspection.
Medically necessary items and diaper bags are exceptions after thorough security screening.
- Gate opening
Limited- and full-access doors typically open 90 minutes before regular-season Sabres games.
Door times can vary by event.
- Mobile tickets
Access Sabres tickets on a smartphone through Ticketmaster Account Manager in the Sabres App, then display the live barcode or save the ticket to the phone wallet.
Screenshots are never accepted; wallet tickets use tap entry, and TICKETS Wi-Fi is available at the arena.
- Re-entry
Re-entry is not permitted at KeyBank Center.
A guest facing a medical emergency should go to the Account Services Office in the Pavilion before leaving.
- Prohibited items
Prohibited items include animals other than service animals, aerosols, outside alcohol and food or beverages, backpacks, chains, drones, explosives, firearms and other weapons, fuel, beach balls and frisbees, hazardous chemicals, illegal drugs, laser pens, instruments and noisemakers, razor blades, self-defense spray, selfie sticks, and studded jewelry.
Event-specific restrictions may also apply to cameras and video or audio recording devices.
- First aid
The First Aid Room is on the Ground Level by the Security Office.
Ask a KeyBank Center representative or visit Guest Services for help reaching first aid.
- Nursing and lactation
A lockable, accessible lactation suite is in the Pavilion near the 200 and Suite Level elevators.
The suite has multiple power sources; sign out its key at Account Services in the Pavilion next to the Box Office.
- Family restrooms
Accessible unisex family restrooms are between Aisles 7 and 8 on the 100 Level, Aisles 15 and 16 on the 200 Level, and Aisles 12 and 13 on the 300 Level.
All public restrooms are accessible and have baby-changing tables.
- Tickets for children
Adults may bring children age 3 and under into a Sabres game without a ticket.
- Guest services
Guest Services desks are on the 100 Level between Aisles 7 and 8, next to the 200 Level bridge, and on the 300 Level between Aisles 13 and 14.
The desks open one hour before the event and remain open until 30 minutes after it ends.
- Service animals
Service animals are permitted, but emotional-support animals are not.
Notify the ticket administrator when purchasing tickets to reserve accessible seating if available.
- Smoking and vaping
Smoking and electronic tobacco products are prohibited throughout KeyBank Center and its grounds, with no designated smoking areas on arena property.
Game Day Timeline
What the day looks like at KeyBank Center, hour by hour.
Hit the waterfront
Arrive at Canalside and explore the waterfront. In winter, the outdoor ice rink and curling area set the hockey mood before you even enter the arena.
Pregame eats and drinks
(716) Food and Sport is the go-to pregame spot right next to the arena. Or walk up to Chippewa Street for a wider selection of bars and restaurants.
Doors open
Enter KeyBank Center and catch warm-ups. The arena's sightlines are excellent from every level.
Find your seat
Settle in and soak up the energy. Sabres fans are passionate and loud, rivalry games against Toronto and Boston are electric.
Game time
Three 20-minute periods with two intermissions. Buffalo fans bring the noise despite the team's ups and downs.
Grab a Beef on Weck
Buffalo's signature sandwich is available at multiple concession stands. Pair it with a Labatt Blue, brewed just across the border.
Chippewa Street nightlife
Walk up to the Chippewa entertainment district for post-game drinks, or head back to Canalside for the waterfront vibe.
Tips & Fan Reports
KeyBank Center is one of the most affordable NHL experiences. Budget half what you'd spend in NYC or Toronto.
NFTA Metro Rail is free in the downtown zone. Ride from Canalside to Allen/Medical Campus for postgame bars on Allen Street.
Buffalo lake-effect winters are brutal. Dress in layers for the walk from parking or transit.
Canalside waterfront area has improved dramatically. Pregame walk along the Buffalo waterfront is worth the extra time.
The KeyBank Center atmosphere is one of the most passionate in the NHL. Buffalo fans are ride-or-die.
The Metro Rail is free in the downtown zone, including the Canalside station right by the arena.
Doors open 90 minutes before a Sabres game.
A clutch or wristlet no larger than 4 by 6 by 1.5 inches is the only bag admitted without a medical or diaper exception.
LECOM Harborcenter next door is the overflow when the arena's own parking fills.
Every lot is cashless (ramp, surface lots and LECOM Harborcenter alike), so bring a card or a phone.
Before the Game
KeyBank Center prohibits all bags, backpacks and purses, admitting only clutches and wristlets no larger than 4 by 6 by 1.5 inches subject to visual inspection, with medically necessary items and diaper bags permitted after thorough screening. Parking is the arena's own ramp, its surface lots, and the LECOM Harborcenter next door, and every one of them is cashless, with the two ramps taking major cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay. Doors open 90 minutes before a regular-season Sabres game.
Where to Go Before the Game
The KeyBank Center parking ramp
The arena's own structure, cashless like every other lot here, taking major credit cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay.
Known for Arena ramp · Cashless · Cards and mobile pay
The KeyBank Center surface lots
Open-air parking beside the arena, on the same cashless terms as the ramp.
Known for Surface parking · Cashless · Beside the arena
LECOM Harborcenter
The complex next to the arena, whose parking also serves KeyBank Center events, the overflow when the ramp and surface lots fill.
Known for Adjacent complex · Additional parking · Cashless
Pregame Rules
What KeyBank Center allows before the game, and what it does not.
- All bags, backpacks and purses are prohibited. Clutches and wristlets no larger than 4" x 6" x 1.5" are permitted and subject to visual inspection.
- Exceptions are made for medically necessary items and diaper bags, after thorough security screening.
- Parking is available in the KeyBank Center parking ramp, the KeyBank Center surface lots, and at LECOM Harborcenter.
- All lots are cashless; the KeyBank Center and LECOM Harborcenter ramps accept all major credit cards as well as Apple Pay and Google Pay.
- For regular season Buffalo Sabres games, doors open 90 minutes before the game.
- The arena can be contacted on (716) 855-4100.
Weather
KeyBank Center is indoor, so these are the conditions for the parking lot and the walk in, not the seats.
Across the NHL season the warmest month is October, with an average high of 60°F, and the coldest is January, when the average low is 19°F. October is the wettest month at 4.0 inches and March the driest at 2.9 inches.
That January low ranks 7th coldest of the 32 NHL venues, and October here ranks 14th wettest.
October
4.0 inchesNovember
3.5 inchesJanuary
3.4 inchesMarch
2.9 inchesApril
3.4 inchesWhat to Bring
- Only the outside food and drink the rule allows
Outside food and drinks are generally prohibited, but food or beverages required for medical purposes are permitted.
- A card or a phone wallet
KeyBank Center identifies itself as cashless, and all concession stands use cashless payment.
- A coat for the walk in
January lows average 19°F between the lot and the door at KeyBank Center.
- A rain layer for the walk in
October averages 4.0 inches of rain outside KeyBank Center.
How We Checked This Page
Every section below names the source it was read from and the day it was read. Where we could not reach a published figure, the page says so rather than presenting an estimate as a checked fact.
- Game day timeline
Gate opening time checked against the venue's own gate-opening policy: Limited- and full-access doors typically open 90 minutes before regular-season Sabres games.
- Pregame
KeyBank Center official site: Know Before You Go, Directions & Parking, and Arena Guide
- Weather
NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals
- Venue policies
Current Buffalo Sabres A-Z, game-day, mobile-ticketing, and ticket-terms pages reviewed for Sabres policies; parking payments re-read on 2026-09-23 from KeyBank Center's Know Before You Go page after the arena's parking page moved.