Twenty games.
That's all that separates the Buffalo Sabres from what could very well be their first trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 15 years.
But with one quarter of the season left to play, it doesn't seem like that's the only goal on Buffalo's mind.
Heading into Friday's NHL action, the Sabres found themselves tied with the Tampa Bay Lightning for first place in the Atlantic Division. The Sabres were able to gain level footing with the Lightning courtesy of their 5-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Lightning's loss to the Winnipeg Jets. The Sabres also hold a three-point lead on the Detroit Red Wings in third and a five-point edge on the Montreal Canadiens, the first team outside the Atlantic Division's top-three teams.
Playoff drought aside, to be in firm control of a top spot in the division with so little time left in the regular season is an extra dream come true for Sabres fans. And with two games left against the Tampa Bay Lightning, both of which will be played at KeyBank Center, there is a real chance that the Sabres will control a top playoff seed come mid-April.
Sabres have emerged as a true contender in the Eastern Conference and the Atlantic Division title is within reach
That said, it's not entirely peaches and cream just yet. The Lightning does have two games in hand on the Sabres, meaning that they could eke out a gap for first place without a single second of Sabres hockey being played. And with five points separating the top four teams in the Atlantic, it's not exactly a good idea to rule anybody out with 20 games still to play.
But no matter which way you put it, it's not the end of the world if the Sabres win the Atlantic, fall a handful of points shy of the division title, or even get left behind in the event the Lightning pulls off another multi-game win streak.
As a result, fans should essentially see this as a house-money situation.
Though a considerable handful of outlets had the Sabres in that 90-point range, I can guarantee you that the vast majority of people didn't have the team fighting for a top seed with over three-quarters of the season played.
The Sabres have already met and, in some cases, defied expectations by simply putting themselves in position to secure a playoff berth. With 80 points through 62 games, the Sabres only need around 11 more points to all but cement their spot in the dance; in each of the last two seasons, the last team inside the Eastern Conference playoff picture had 91 points.
And once that 91-point threshold is crossed, there's a good chance the team's attention will turn to seeding. That said, there's an equally, if not greater, chance that teams like the Washington Capitals and Columbus Blue Jackets are still in the playoff hunt to some degree once the Sabres hit 91 points, meaning that a little more winning might be required to simply secure a playoff spot. And whereas the Sabres are only learning how to close out a playoff berth, the Capitals know how to do so and will continue to push for a playoff berth until they mathematically cannot.
This is where we can make a comparison with some of the other teams the Sabres are chasing. The Red Wings will enter their home stretch of the season in a similar position to that of Buffalo; while they are in position to end a nine-season playoff drought — the league's second longest behind the Sabres' 14-year absence — they do also lack recent experience with regard to locking up postseason spots. Sure, one could count Detroit's recent end-of-season playoff chases as experience, but such occasions had them on the outside looking in with less than 20 games to go. That's not necessarily the same thing; even if it was, one could say that the Sabres were technically in a playoff race just three years ago.
At the same time, both the Canadiens and Lightning outrank the Sabres and Red Wings when it comes to playoff-race experience. In the case of the Canadiens, it's worth remembering that several of the franchise's cornerstones from the 2021 Stanley Cup run are still on the roster; players like Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki also played instrumental roles in bringing the Habs back to the playoffs last season.
For the Lightning, many of the core pieces from Cup runs galore, including Nikita Kucherov and Andrei Vasilevskiy, are all on the roster and playing at a high level. At the level they're playing at this year, there is also a very good chance that the Bolts go on yet another deep playoff run.
Buffalo is trending in a positive direction amid Atlantic Division chase
Outside of that, there's not much to say against the prospect of the Sabres going for it and trying to win the division. The Sabres are in a position seldom seen since their last playoff appearance, and their trade deadline moves — including the acquisition of defensemen Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn from the Jets — will give the roster a vital injection of playoff experience that could very well push them over the top in the late-season/playoff games.
Even then, it's worth remembering that the Sabres are still a young team and that this is going to be a big learning opportunity for the roster. Sure, it might not feel that great if they can't capitalize on their run of form and earn a top-seed or home-ice advantage, but it's not the end of the world if they don't earn such seeding.
For now, all the Sabres need to do is keep their cool and keep winning hockey games.
If that gets them a division title, so be it.