photo courtesy of Buffalo Sabres/Sabres.com
What a difference 15 years make. The Buffalo Sabres, for the first time since the 2010-11 season, are in the NHL playoffs. It’s hard to believe that a team could be at the bottom of the standings in December and still win the Division and play in the first round of the 2026 playoffs.
The Buffalo Sabres will be hosting the Boston Bruins in Round 1 of the best-of-7 series and will look to forget their 1-3 regular-season record against them. Let’s take a look back at the last time the Sabres made the NHL Playoffs.
Terry Pegula becomes Owner on Feb 22, 2011
Two months before the Sabres eventually faced Danny Briere’s Philadelphia Flyers in the playoffs, Terry Pegula officially took the reins from Tom Golisano as owner. Looking to be more of a hands-on owner than Golisano, he stated,“Starting today, the Buffalo Sabres’ reason for existence will be to win a Stanley Cup”.
Soon after that press conference, the Sabres started playing the type of hockey Pegula wanted them to play immediately. The full-circle moment came here. Lindy Ruff led the team as head coach the last time they made the playoffs.
Sabres Clinch NHL Playoffs on April 8, 2011
The Sabres needed to earn at least one point vs. the Flyers to clinch a spot in the NHL Playoffs. Being the last home game of that season, fans waved rally towels, and all the alumni celebrated the Sabres’ 40th season.
Nathan Gerbe saved the night by tying the game with 11:03 remaining in the third period. It was an extraordinary moment for the Sabres, as that was the single point that clinched their Playoff hopes.
The Sabres earned their game-clinching point, as the win came in overtime. It came on a Thomas Vanek breakaway, giving the Sabres the win over the Flyers 4-3.
Sabres lose Seven-Game Series vs Flyers (April 26, 2011)
After the Sabres scored the game-winning goal in overtime to put the Sabres up 3 games to 2, all they needed was to win one of the last two games to advance in the playoffs. They squandered that lead in the third period and gave up the game-winning goal to the Flyers. This tied the series 3-3.
With one more chance to win the series or go home, the Sabres played possibly their worst game at the wrong time. They were eliminated by the Flyers 4 games to 3.
Sabres Earn first 100-point season in 16 years
The Sabres earned 108 points on the season, which was good enough to clinch the Atlantic Division. The last time they surpassed that total was in the 2009-10 season, when they last won the Division.
With the Sabres sitting at 11-14, Pegula finally listened to the fans by firing General Manager Kevyn Adams after years of stale hockey. He promoted the no-nonsense tough guy in Jarmo Kekalainen. He made it clear that his job won’t be to make friends the way Adams tried to.
In fact, Kekalainen was quoted as saying, “A hockey team can’t be all choir boys”. Meaning that a hockey team needs to have all sorts of personalities and not be afraid to show toughness while bullying the other team.
Players who contributed
The Sabres’ players really bought into Ruff and Kekalainen’s vision of skill and toughness. They deserve the credit, and should all be proud.
Tage Thompson
Tage Thompson took his career year from last season up another notch during the course of this season. He even played really well, helping Team USA win their first gold medal in 46 years. It also marked the first time they won it with NHL players playing in the event.
The skilled forward tallied 40 goals and 41 assists, while showing off his nasty cannon-like shot. He just has magic for a 6-6, 220 lb. forward with the puck in his stick.
Rasmus Dahlin
Rasmus Dahlin has turned into a dawg since being picked No. 1 overall. While being named team captain in 2024, he’s bulked up to 204 lbs. The tenacious athlete plays the game with nothing but reckless abandon. This is sort of like what quarterback Josh Allen does with the Bills.
Dahlin can change a game around with the puck in his stick or with his ability to win scrums and fights. He scored 19 goals and dished out 55 assists over 77 games.
Alex Tuch
Who could forget about Alex Tuch, as they need to pay him in the offseason? Tuch scored 32 goals and added 33 assists, and can let hard shots rip into the net. It’s hard to believe that we thought Jack Eichel would be the face of the franchise. Nevertheless, when the Sabres traded Eichel to Vegas for Tuch, it turned out to be a wash for both sides.
Eichel is smooth and finesse with the puck, but Tuch can do that and also bring an extra toughness that Eichel didn’t have. This trio hasn’t seen postseason hockey, but starting Saturday, they will get their first taste vs. Boston.
Sabres Must Take One Game at a Time Approach
The Sabres know that if they win this first-round series, they will have to face the winner of the Montreal-Tampa Bay series. They can’t look too far ahead, though, as they will need to ramp up their level of physical play against the Bruins.
In the regular season, they play more of the new-style, fast-paced, space game, but in the playoffs, it’s mixed with old-time hitting and grit.
With the Sabres starting this weekend against the Bruins at home, it will be interesting to see which goalie the Sabres will have in net. As one of the top side-by-side goalkeepers in the business, who have won at least 20 games each, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Alex Lyon will have their chance to start.
Also sitting in the wings, backup Colten Ellis is ready to start as needed in the long series. The talented rookie had a 37-save shutout in his first game played last week.
Let’s give a BIG Shout out to the Buffalo Sabres and wish the team “Good Luck”!
