For the first time since the 2010-11 season, the Buffalo Sabres are heading back to the playoffs.
Yes, those words can now be truly said in the same sentence without evoking a complete sense of disbelief.
Since mid-December, the Sabres have been on what many fans have described as "a warpath." Not only have the Sabres recorded 74 points in the standings over that span, but they've also lost just nine times in regulation since that point of the season. As a result of their run, the Sabres find them in competition with both the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Carolina Hurricanes for the top spot in the entire Eastern Conference.
The 2018-19 Hurricanes ended a decade-long postseason drought and made the most of their playoff return
After sitting at 15-17-5 on December 29th, the Hurricanes rode a 31-12-2 run of form to close the season and secure the top wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, ending a nine-year playoff drought in the process.
In the first round of the playoffs, after going down 2-0 and 3-2 against the defending Stanley Cup Champion Washington Capitals, the Hurricanes would rally to tie the series before ultimately winning a two-overtime thriller in Game 7. Carolina followed that up with a sweep of the New York Islanders, before being swept themselves by the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference Final.
Despite the sour ending, the Hurricanes could feel proud of what they achieved that season. Not only did they end almost a decade of regular-season futility, but they also converted their strong regular season into a sustained playoff run.
That said, the Hurricanes haven't been able to turn any of the following six seasons into a Stanley Cup triumph. I'll give Carolina a pass for whatever was the 2020 playoff bubble, but they were on pace for yet another postseason appearance as the top wild card team.
Since the 2021 realignment, which saw the Hurricanes win a round before being ousted by the Tampa Bay Lightning, Carolina reached the Eastern Conference Final twice while advancing to the second round on the other two occasions. Both third-round appearances saw the Hurricanes get demolished by the Florida Panthers.
How can the Buffalo Sabres learn from Carolina as they end their own postseason drought?
Like the Hurricanes, Buffalo rode a strong run of form (35-9-4 since a 7-4 loss to the Calgary Flames on December 8) to their first postseason appearance since 2011.
But the Sabres must learn from the 2018-19 Hurricanes in that they cannot get complacent with simply ending their drought. Sure, it's a long period of close calls, long losing streaks, and coach firings, but the Sabres have to put it behind them in emphatic fashion.
Whatever this losing run is has to be seen the same way Carolina saw their two deficits to Washington. Like how the Hurricanes put two statement wins on the board in Game 6 and 7, Buffalo needs to put two emphatic wins together before the end of the regular season in order to ride some form of momentum into the postseason.
Monday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning is a perfect opportunity to do so. With the Atlantic Division now becoming a three-horse race (four if you include the Boston Bruins and their slim chance to win the division), a win against Tampa Bay would allow the Sabres to draw themselves level with the Lightning once more. Even if it means another 100 penalty minutes in fights and another eight-goal performance, Buffalo needs the win against Tampa Bay. It would also give Buffalo the chance to rebuild a measurable advantage on the Montreal Canadiens after their 3-0 loss on Sunday to the New Jersey Devils.
Another big game that Buffalo could use to regain some momentum? April 9 against the Columbus Blue Jackets. While the Blue Jackets are currently enduring a six-game losing streak, they are nonetheless in contention for a playoff spot and within a win of both the second wild card and third in the Metropolitan Division. A win for Buffalo over the Blue Jackets would act as another result against a playoff contender, one that the Sabres will need to build confidence for first-round matchups against experienced sides like the Bruins and Habs.
In the long term, the Sabres will not only need to string a few postseason berths together to ensure the drought is truly behind them, but they will also need to win multiple rounds in order to truly build towards Cup contention. That's the bare minimum.
Even if say three of the next four playoff appearances see Buffalo exit before the Conference Finals, that is still far more preferable than missing the playoffs altogether in three of the next four seasons. As long as they show signs of becoming a Cup contender over that span, the Sabres will be in a good spot moving forward. Carolina only became a true Cup contender after the 2021 postseason, three years into the Hurricanes' postseason window.
I'd say Sabres fans should hesitate on pressing the panic button unless the team misses the postseason next year or if they don't put a few series wins together before the end of the decade.
For the moment, the Sabres still have a lot to learn when it comes to the game that is the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Save for a handful of players like Alex Tuch and Ryan McLeod, the latter of which was actually a significant part of the Edmonton Oilers' run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2024, Buffalo's roster has extremely little big-game experience let alone postseason playing time.
That said, the 2018-19 Hurricanes had young players on their roster for the postseason. Established stars like Sebastian Aho and even Warren Foegele were in their first few seasons when Carolina ended their postseason drought, while Andrei Svechnikov was a rookie during that campaign.
As a result, fans should balance cautious optimism with a hint of satisfaction. Sure, one can celebrate the Sabres ending their postseason drought, and they would have the right to do so. But even with a mix of established stars and young talents, Buffalo has shown they can hang with some of the league's top teams. If they can do that four times in a seven-game series, they will advance (why does that sound so Will Buxton-esque?)
So should Sabres fans expect some form of a playoff run in April? To an extent, yes.
Should they also expect a strong end to the regular season? Absolutely.