NHL insider Elliotte Friedman felt the wrath of Buffalo Sabres fans this week after his popular podcast, 32 Thoughts, failed to give the team its flowers on Monday's episode for finally ending the longest playoff drought in league history at 14 years.
Friedman offered a mea culpa on Friday's show, and praised Sabres supporters for sticking with the organization through the Dark Ages of hockey in Western New York.
"There is nobody I am happier for than the Sabres fans," the Sportsnet reporter said. "The Sabres are a true backbone franchise of the NHL."
Friedman, who in fairness often discussed the franchise's rise up the Eastern Conference standings over the past few months with co-host Kyle Bukauskas, also expressed excitement about the atmosphere at the KeyBank Center in downtown Buffalo for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
"It is just freakin' time the Sabres are in the playoffs. It's just time," he said. "It's never good in a league for a team to miss the playoffs for 15 years. It's bad. It doesn't help anyone. No one benefits.
"And the thing too, Kyle, about the Sabres fans is they love hockey. They're a great backbone of the league. They are one of the few cities that watches the playoffs when — the NHL is very tribal, you care about your market and then, when your market's gone, a lot of people just don't care as much. Buffalo is not like that. They love their hockey. They love their team. They badly want to watch hockey in the playoffs, and they will watch other teams if there's is not there. But it's time for them to get rewarded. Those Buffalo playoff games that are upcoming, whoever they play, it's gonna be insane in that building."
Now the question is when that first playoff game in Buffalo since 2011 will take place.
The Sabres control their own destiny in the Atlantic Division title race after Thursday night's win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Capturing the division crown amid a challenge from the Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning would guarantee home-ice advantage for at least the first two rounds, assuming Buffalo advances.
Friedman is right, too. The electricity inside the KeyBank Center for that first postseason contest will likely be nothing short of breathtaking.
Buffalo Sabres' recent return to form raises hopes ahead of the 2026 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs
The Sabres were the league's best team for an extended stretch beginning in early December. They posted a borderline unbelievable 33-6-2 record over a 41-game span, which allowed them to skyrocket from the bottom of the East into the race for the top seed.
Some concerns had begun to emerge more recently, though.
Buffalo went through a brief lull where they won just two times in seven contests. It was a cold spell that included a sudden (and significant) uptick in turnovers and as well as a general drop off in the team's overall play in the defensive zone.
The Sabres have rebounded well, though. They've won their last three games by a combined score of 14-5, which included triumphs over the Lightning and Blue Jackets, desperate opponents fighting for either seeding (Tampa) or a playoff spot (Columbus).
Head coach Lindy Ruff's group is at its best when it's playing simple, direct hockey. Get the puck behind the defense, outwork them along the walls to regain possession and cycle in the offensive zone until a scoring opportunity arises.
That's exactly the style of play Ruff and general manager Jarmo Kekalainen have preached since Kekalainen took over the front office in mid-December, and it's no coincidence things finally turned around once the entire roster bought into the approach.
The Sabres won't be the most talented team in the NHL postseason. That title probably belongs to the Lightning, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars or Carolina Hurricanes.
That said, Ruff trusts all four of his forward lines and his top two defense pairs — the third defensive duo remains a question mark — and that depth should be an advantage in the playoffs.
Buffalo has two games left in the regular season, Monday against the Chicago Blackhawks and Wednesday against the Dallas Stars, before making its long-awaited postseason return. It's an opportunity to fine-tune any lingering issues (see: power play) before the pressure ramps up.
Sabres fans deserve a deep playoff run after waiting so long for the drought to end. Soon, we'll find out if the Blue and Gold can provide it.