The Buffalo Sabres dominated the Winnipeg Jets from start to finish en route to an impressive 5-1 victory on Monday night. The one-sided nature of the contest led to an immediate response from Jets captain Adam Lowry in the locker room.
Lowry called a players-only meeting, which Winnipeg head coach Scott Arniel said was a decision the 32-year-old center made himself.
"Tonight, that was them. That was (Lowry) taking it," Arniel told reporters. "You're hoping the response at the end of the next game is better than what it was tonight."
The Sabres scored two goals in the game's first 181 seconds and essentially cruised to the finish line as a complete performance kept the Jets from ever making a serious comeback bid.
"We're a veteran group," Arniel said. "We recognize we embarrassed ourselves and we're going to have to be a heck of a lot better next time."
It marked the fifth loss in the past six games for Winnipeg (13-12-0), while Buffalo (11-11-4) continued its modest surge with a sixth win over its last nine contests.
Buffalo Sabres must use blowout of Winnipeg Jets as motivation to play at that level more consistently
The Sabres are usually the team holding a players-only meeting, which is essentially an act of desperation when the locker room can feel a season rapidly moving in the wrong direction.
It's a badge of honor for Buffalo to cause another team to take that bold step, and it should serve as a beacon of hope about the trajectory of the Blue and Gold's own campaign.
The Sabres endured a topsy-turvy first 20 games of the 2025-26 season in large part because of key injuries, but also due to inconsistent performance from their best players. It was a double whammy of factors that dug the club an early hole.
Things are finally started to change, though. The tide is seemingly turning in Buffalo's favor.
Josh Norris returned from a long-term injury on Monday night and looked like a man on a mission with two goals and an assist. He joined Zach Benson and Jason Zucker as forwards who've recently rejoined the forward group and made a positive impact.
The Sabres aren't all the way back to full strength — forward Jiri Kulich and defenseman Michael Kesselring remain sidelined with uncertain return timetables — but their roster is the healthiest it's been since before training camp started.
It's created a sense of optimism rarely felt during the franchise's 14-year playoff drought. Trying to capture the energy displayed on Monday night and carrying forward should be the goal for Buffalo.
Yes, it sits five points behind the final playoff spot in the crowded Eastern Conference, so climbing the standings won't be a cake walk. It's definitely possible if the Sabres can play like that on a regular basis over the regular season's final 56 games, though.
The Jets experienced how tough the Sabres can be to play against at their best, and it led Lowry to hold his teammates accountable for not performing at the same standard.
Now, it must be said that Buffalo has littered some strong stretches between losing skids before but hasn't been able to maintain it. It's actually been one of the hallmarks of the organization's extended absence from the postseason.
Proving this year's group is different starts with parlaying the lopsided win over Winnipeg into a strong six-game road trip to keep climbing the standings.
Otherwise, one of the Sabres' best performances in years will merely be a minor footnote in another forgettable season when it's all said and done.