Buffalo Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin expressed frustration after a sea of Montreal Canadiens supporters took over the KeyBank Center during a recent home loss.
"I really, really appreciate the fans that came out, but I don't want to see that many red in the future," Dahlin told reporters.
Now it sounds like the NHL franchise is working to prevent a similar situation in the future.
Sabres chief operating officer Pete Guelli told Michael Petro of the Buffalo News they will "get creative" to ensure tickets are only sold to Sabres fans. One option is restricting sales to people in certain ZIP codes, which is a tactic often used by other sports organizations.
"I can't agree with Rasmus more. We don't want to see that kind of red in our building ever again," Guelli said. "The fans don't want to come in here to see that and engage with that."
The front office executive noted they're hopeful some of the preventive measures may be in place by the time Buffalo resumes play after the NHL's current break for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
"We want to make sure our players feel the home-ice advantage when they come back, and make sure our fans are able to impact those games because they are so critical," Guelli said.
Buffalo Sabres are leaving no stone unturned in their quest to make the 2026 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs
The Sabres used an unexpected 21-5-2 surge to climb the Eastern Conference standings and put themselves in a playoff position at the Olympic break. They currently own the top wild-card spot and have a five-point lead over the ninth-place Columbus Blue Jackets.
That's promising, especially for an organization that hasn't skated in the postseason since 2011, but there's still a lot of work to do. The margin for error is still incredibly thin.
In turn, it's good to see the Sabres, who've long created frustration in Western New York because of their laissez-faire attitude, are taking a proactive approach to the ticket concerns.
"This arena has turned into a massive home-ice advantage for this team, and we want to continue to grow that," Guelli told Petro. "This should be the toughest place to play in the National Hockey League, and we're not going to rest until it is."
It's going to take some time to see whether Buffalo's efforts are successful, though.
The Sabres' first three games after the break are on the road and most of their home opponents in the coming weeks are teams based a long way from the City of Good Neighbors.
Based on the schedule, the first real test of Guelli's crusade will arrive on March 14 when the Blue and Gold welcome the rival Toronto Maple Leafs to the KeyBank Center. Those matchups have always featured a massive Leafs presence in the stands for over a decade.
Ultimately, a team will never be able to keep every opposing fan out of the arena but, now that the Sabres are competitive again, it's important to limit the number of times playing at home feels like a road game because of the crowd's energy.
It's another small step as Buffalo attempts to show its turned a corner toward regaining respectability after achieving laughingstock status amid an NHL-record 14-year playoff drought.