The Buffalo Sabres haven't officially clinched a spot in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, but they're moving ever closer to finally bringing an end to the franchise's 14-year postseason drought, the longest such streak in NHL history.
Buffalo's playoff odds currently round up to 100%, and its 5% chance of winning a championship this season is tied for the league's seventh-best mark with the Pittsburgh Penguins, according to HockeyStats.com.
Those numbers would have been impossible to believe four months ago, when the Sabres were sitting in the Eastern Conference basement and staring down another lost campaign. Their borderline unbelievable in-season turnaround may be worth a documentary one day.
For now, the Blue and Gold are focused on trying to overcome the Carolina Hurricanes and Tampa Bay Lightning in the races for the East's top seed and the Atlantic Division title, respectively. Both battles are too close to call heading into the stretch run of the regular season.
Let's examine a quartet of players who'll be under the microscope in Buffalo's pressure-packed final 10 games.
Peyton Krebs
Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff has liked the defensively responsible element Krebs has brought to the first line alongside Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch. The question is whether the resulting offensive dip is too much to keep the hardworking forward in that role.
Thompson and Tuch generate 2.94 expected goals per 60 minutes (xGF/60) with a linemate other than Krebs at 5-on-5, per Natural Stat Trick. That number falls to 2.58 when the 2019 first-round pick fills out their trio, a drop of nearly a half-goal per hour of ice time.
In addition, the line's overall 5-on-5 expected goal share goes from 52.4% to 42.8% when Krebs is its third member. Those lackluster underlying numbers have been so far overshadowed by the fact Buffalo has outscored opponents 12-7 when the group plays together, though.
It'd be easy for Ruff to swap Krebs with Zach Benson, who's scored goals in three straight games while typically skating on the fourth line. Benson, Sam Carrick and Beck Malenstyn have been on fire together, however, so the veteran coach may be hesitant to break them up.
Krebs has long been an offensive black hole, and that hasn't changed while playing alongside the club's top two forwards, but can he do enough work in support to keep his top-line spot? We'll see.
Bowen Byram
Byram deserves a lot of credit for his strong play in the early stages of the Sabres' turnaround. He scored 12 points (four goals and eight assists) in a 10-game span beginning Dec. 21. Buffalo posted an 8-2-0 record in those contests.
His offensive contributions have faded considerably, though.
Byram hasn't scored a goal since a Jan. 10 victory over the Anaheim Ducks, which equates to a 29-game goal drought for the 24-year-old defenseman. He's also tallied just five assists in 12 contests since the calendar flipped to March, and three of those came in a single outing.
The Sabres are going to put a lot of pressure on their top-four defense group of Byram, Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power and Mattias Samuelsson once the postseason gets underway. Dahlin will probably play around 30 minutes per game, with the others checking in around 25.
Buffalo desperately needs Byram, who won a Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 2022, to rediscover his scoring touch before that heavy playoff workload arrives. He's showcased the ability to become a difference-maker, but those moments have been few and far between lately.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Alex Lyon
Ruff has done a nice job of keeping his goalies fresh down the stretch. UPL and Lyon have alternated starts since the NHL's Olympic break, and No. 3 goaltender Colten Ellis has served as the backup, allowing the non-starter to receive a full night off.
Both Luukkonen (.908 save percentage in 28 games) and Lyon (.911 SV% in 34 appearances) have played a critical role in the Sabres' success, so the toughest question for the coaching staff is which netminder deserves the crease for Game 1 of the team's first-round series.
It'll probably depend on which goalie plays best over their final five starts apiece, especially since both goaltenders struggled in their most recent outing.
Lyon allowed six goals on 33 shots (.818 SV%) in Sunday's loss to the Ducks. UPL followed that up by giving up four goals on 31 shots (.871 SV%) in Wednesday's defeat at the hands of the Boston Bruins. Buffalo lost both games in overtime after conceding game-tying goals late in the third period.
One thing's for sure: The Sabres can't afford for their goalies to go cold now. Getting strong play between the pipes is the most important factor in terms of going on a deep playoff run.