In a season like that of the 2025-26 campaign, it's easy for fans to get caught up in the hype.
Through 65 games, the Buffalo Sabres sit in first place in the Atlantic Division with a 40-19-6 record and 86 points. They've also secured points in nine of their last 10 games while also winning each of their last eight games. With another two wins at home against the Washington Capitals and Toronto Maple Leafs, the Sabres would match their 10-game winning streak from earlier in the season, a run that is also equal to the franchise's longest winning run. Another win against Vegas on Tuesday would see the 2025-26 Sabres set a new franchise record for longest winning streak.
All of that together would represent yet another huge step for the team as they look to end their playoff drought and prepare for what could be a deep playoff run.
But with the playoff drought on its last legs, it's worth remembering the close calls and "what if" scenarios that brought the Sabres to this point in time. Undoubtedly, there are other points in which the Sabres could have capitalized on their opportunities and pushed for the playoffs, but the following three should serve as landmark moments when reflecting on the ups and downs that have come with the last 15 years of Sabres hockey.
A late surge in 2011-12 put the Sabres in position to sneak into the playoffs. Spoiler alert: They fell short
The 2010-11 season saw the Sabres fall one game short of advancing to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Despite taking a 3-2 lead in their first-round series against the Philadelphia Flyers, the Sabres would drop the final two games, ultimately losing the series in seven. Game 6 saw the Sabres lose in overtime by a 5-4 scoreline while the deciding match saw the team go down 4-0 in the first half of play before ultimately falling by a score of 5-2 to the Flyers.
The Sabres' start to the 2011-12 season wasn't exactly one that made the team worthy of redemption. Despite starting 12-7-0, the Sabres would suffer a 7-17-5 run of form, lasting from Nov. 19 to Jan. 21.
That said, the following 28 games would define a run worthy of redemption for their playoff loss to the Flyers the year before. That stretch would see the Sabres go 18-5-5 and take control of the final playoff spot with five games to go.
The bad news? The Sabres ended the season with just three points in their last five games, pushing the team outside the playoff picture. They would ultimately miss the playoffs by three points.
The 2018-19 season saw the Sabres make an early impression but fail to capitalize on it
Coming off of the heels of two straight last-place finishes in the Atlantic Division, the Sabres needed to make sure that their 2018-19 campaign was defined by a strong push up the standings. With the likes of Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart still on the roster and with current stars Rasmus Dahlin and Mattias Samuelsson only recently drafted, the team needed to make an impression on the bigger picture in the division.
And make an impression they did. In both a good and a bad way.
Let's start with the good. The first 25 games of the season saw the Sabres put together a 17-6-2 record, giving them 36 points over that timeframe and the honour of being the top team in the NHL. Yes, that is a fact.
But we all know how the old saying goes: all good things must come to an end.
Although the ensuing decline wasn't immediate or marked by a 20-game losing streak, it did become extremely apparent as the team continued to play. After a five-game losing streak, which started with a 5-4 loss against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Nov. 29, the Sabres would earn points in their following four games to remain 11 games above .500. Even while losing five of their last six games in December, the Sabres were able to battle the Maple Leafs for second in the Atlantic.
Ultimately, the Sabres would fall out of the division's top three on New Year's Day courtesy of the Bruins' 4-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2019 Winter Classic. Wins in two of their first three games in 2019 would keep the Sabres in one of the Eastern Conference's two wild card slots, but they would ultimately fall out of the playoff spots on Jan. 12th.
A 10-25-4 run over their final 39 games of the season did the Sabres no favors; they would ultimately fall below .500 once again on March 14th while finishing the season with a 33-39-10 record.
To further reinforce how big a missed opportunity the 2018-19 season was, here's a few fun facts I came across while writing this piece.
Firstly, the 2018-19 Sabres were just the second team in NHL history to go on a 10-game winning streak and fail to qualify for the postseason.
Seven players from the Sabres' 2018-19 roster had either won a Stanley Cup before the 2018-19 season or had done so since leaving the team.
The 2018-19 season saw the Sabres take the undesired lead in terms of active playoff droughts, a title that they hold to this day.
Magic from Devon Levi gives the Sabres a chance late in 2022-23, but they end up falling agonizingly short of a playoff berth
In a lot of ways, the 2022-23 season was a positive one for the Sabres.
Not only was it the first time since the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season that the Sabres had finished at or above .500, but it also would serve as the team's closest attempt to ending their playoff drought.
Despite suffering an early seven-game losing streak, the Sabres would offset that with two win streaks of five games or more. The Sabres also started the season with a 7-3-0 record before finishing the season nine games above .500.
Why the 2022-23 season will be seen as a "what if" moment is not only because the team fell one point short to the Florida Panthers. It's because the team was one late-season result away from getting in.
The arrival of goaltender Devon Levi in late-March would essentially breathe life into the Sabres' season despite the team already enjoying what was a three game winning streak. In his debut on March 31st, Levi made 31 saves and helped backstop the Sabres to a 3-2 overtime win against the New York Rangers.
Including the Rangers game, Levi would finish with a 5-2-0 record in his seven late-season starts. His run of form helped the Sabres trim a seven-point deficit to the Eastern Conference playoff spots to just a one-point gap at season's end. While the Sabres were eliminated from playoff contention with two games left, there was one game in particular where the team could have made up the point needed to make the playoffs.
On April 4th, the Sabres played the Panthers in what was a very closely-contested 2-1 regulation loss. The Sabres held a brief first-period lead after Dylan Cozens scored his twenty-ninth of the season, but the goal that essentially decided the Sabres' fate came in the second period when Matthew Tkachuk scored with just under a minute gone in the third.
As that game was by far the most consequential encounter of the Sabres' final nine games, it's possible to argue that the Sabres would have made the playoffs that year had they allowed one less goal against the Panthers.