The Buffalo Sabres have truly been one of the best feel-good stories in sports. If you had told me, or anyone for that matter, that the Sabres would be sitting in first place in the Atlantic Division on March 9, 2026, I would have said you were out of your mind, but here we are.
On Dec. 8, 2025, the Sabres suffered a demoralizing 7-4 loss to the Calgary Flames, falling to 11-14-4 and into sole possession of last place in the Eastern Conference. Fast-forward three months, and they now sit with a record of 40-19-6 (86 points), have a four-point cushion on the Tampa Bay Lightning (82 points) in the Atlantic Division, and sit two points back of the Carolina Hurricanes for first place in the Eastern Conference.
A side note, with 86 points in 65 games, the Sabres are on pace to record the third-most points in franchise history (108 points).
As each day passes, the Sabres’ chances to clinch a playoff spot keep growing, and according to MoneyPuck, they currently have a 99.1% chance to make the playoffs this season. They also have higher odds of winning the Stanley Cup than missing the playoffs. But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves, talking about the Stanley Cup; focus on the task at hand. What would it mean for the organization, players, and most importantly, the city of Buffalo?
The Weight Of 14 Years
The Sabres entered this season on a 14-season playoff drought, meaning the last time they made the playoffs was in 2010-11. The organization, the players who have come and gone (and those who are current), and the fans have all felt the weight of being unsuccessful over the last 14 years.
They’ve tried three different rebuilds with three different general managers (GMs). Tim Murray, who tried to sign and trade his way out of a rebuild by giving Kyle Okposo a long-term deal in 2016 during free agency, also made a blockbuster trade by trading for Ryan O’Reilly in 2015 as well.
Then you move on to Jason Botterill, who took a different route from Murray by drafting and developing players, then adding the surrounding pieces to the core. He had Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart, Rasmus Ristolainen, and Linus Ullmark, but unfortunately failed to build around those core pieces. His team did have players who would eventually go on to win Stanley Cups with different teams, like Brandon Montour and Evan Rodrigues, as well as Eichel and Reinhart, most notably.
Lastly, more recently, Kevyn Adams, who was relieved of his duties earlier this season and replaced by Jarmo Kekalainen, built the current team from the ground up, but he did not see the results during his tenure with the organization.
Adams drafted and developed well and was very patient with the players he drafted. Some of the players didn’t pan out, but he drafted Jack Quinn and J.J. Peterka, whom he eventually traded for Josh Doan and Michael Kesselring last summer, and it looks like a phenomenal trade for the Sabres.
Related: Grading the Sabres’ 2026 Trade Deadline Acquisitions
He also drafted top prospects Konsta Helenius and Noah Ostlund, who have made an impact at some point this season, especially Ostlund, who has found himself as a third-line winger on the roster.
As for other trades he has made, he also traded (at the time) one of the Sabres’ top prospects, Matthew Savoie, to the Edmonton Oilers for Ryan McLeod, who has recorded 48 points in 64 games this season and is one of the team’s best penalty killers.
This all leads us to now, where the Sabres are one of the best teams in hockey, and all it took was a GM like Kekalainen to say, in sum, that “everyone here is expendable”. Adams laid the foundation, Kekalainen instilled a type of fear that players are now “playing for their jobs,” but also seems to be the Sabres team that has had the most fun over the last 14 years.
You also feel great about players who have been in Buffalo for a while, specifically Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin. Thompson, acquired in 2018 as a part of the O’Reilly trade, has had his ups and downs when he first got to Buffalo, as he was bouncing between the minors and NHL until he found his footing in 2021 and broke out during the 2022-23 season, recording his first 40-goal season.
Dahlin was drafted first overall by the Sabres in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, and even through all of his struggles, and the team’s as well, he has gone on record multiple times saying he wants to be a part of the solution and not leave when things get tough, and it’s paid off.
How This Team Is Different
This season, the Sabres have looked like a completely different team than in previous years. Even with pretty much the same roster from last season, excluding a few roster changes over the last six to eight months, they look like an entirely different roster. Why is that?
There are a few different reasons for it. The biggest, in my opinion, is the goaltending. Last season, the goaltending was some of the worst in the league. Leading the way in that department was Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who posted a save percentage (SV%) of .887 in 55 games played. This season, he’s posted a SV% of .905 in 25 games, a huge improvement.
Moving over to Alex Lyon, he was acquired by the Sabres in the offseason during free agency, signing a two-year deal. He’s been a game-changer for the Sabres and is a big part of why the team is where it is in the standings. This season, he’s recorded a SV% of .914, which puts him towards the top of the league in SV%.
The type of goaltending the Sabres have had since Dec. 9, 2025, has been the best in the league. Since then, Luukkonen has a record of 11-3-1 with a goals-against average (GAA) of 2.84 and a SV% of .908. Lyon also has a 15-2-0 record with a 2.24 GAA and a .923 SV%. Again, both are huge reasons why the Sabres have gone 29-5-2 in their 36 games.
The Sabres up and down the lineup are also playing like a team and playing winning hockey more consistently than they ever have in the last 14 seasons. Players have bought into Lindy Ruff’s system, they trust each other, and they’re all contributing in more ways than one. Seeing Thompson, the Sabres’ leading point scorer this season, block shots, then seeing fourth-liners like Beck Malenstyn score goals, is inspiring; the entire team is just playing inspired hockey.
What A Playoff Berth Would Mean For the Fanbase
A playoff berth would absolutely mean everything to the organization, players, and especially the fanbase, and I think that’s me underplaying it. Buffalo has yearned for this team to make the playoffs for over a decade now. Buffalo is a hockey town, and when they’re good, the city is always buzzing. Just look at the video the Sabres’ social media posted after their 8-7 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday.
Buffalo vs Everybody ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/4XcqT81X8n
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) March 9, 2026
The fanbase has been waiting so long to see their team in the postseason, and the Sabres were so close to breaking the drought in 2022-23; however, they missed the playoffs by one point, barely getting beat out by the eventual Eastern Conference champions, the Florida Panthers.
The Road Ahead & What’s At Stake
The Sabres have an intriguing road ahead to finish the season. They are not only trying to make the playoffs, but now expectations have been raised. They’re aiming not only to win the Atlantic Division but also to claim the first seed in the Eastern Conference.
They’re looking to do damage in the playoffs and be a legit threat, and they can be if they keep their foot on the gas. Newly acquired Sam Carrick, Logan Stanley, and Luke Schenn will be looking to add a tough presence to the team, as that was Kekalainen’s focus at the trade deadline.
One game everyone should have circled on their calendar, if they haven’t yet, is their final matchup against the Lightning on April 6 in Buffalo, New York, at 7 pm ET. Not only will emotions be running high, but that could be a chance to secure a spot as the first seed in the Atlantic Division for either team.
The Sabres haven’t clinched yet, but they are getting so close, and between all of the failed rebuilds, close misses, and players who have left Buffalo and gone on to win Stanley Cups with other organizations, this city, this fanbase, this organization, these players, they all deserve this.
