The Buffalo Sabres aren't garnering a ton of respect across North America despite their incredible rise over the past four months to secure the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Instead, questions remain about the Sabres' true potential in the Stanley Cup Playoffs as they make their first appearance on the NHL postseason stage since 2011. They're scheduled to face off with the Atlantic Division rival Boston Bruins in the first round.
One doubter is an unnamed Western Conference coach, who picked the Blue and Gold as the team most likely to "flop" in the playoffs.
"I don't want to be a downer, but I would say probably Buffalo," the coach told ESPN's Greg Wyshynski. "A lot of stuff, I think, has gone right. They've done an unbelievable job. They've had an unbelievable ride, but it is a learned experience at times in the playoffs, and there'll be a lot of guys in their first playoff setting for them."
They also pointed to the Sabres' mediocre underlying numbers to suggest they may not be capable of keeping pace with the league's top squads when it matters most.
"Analytically, when you look at their record, they've probably out-won compared with expected goals," the coach said. "So there's probably a chance that they might not perform to the level that they've had during the season. But who knows? Sometimes it's good to be young and dumb."
Buffalo, which wraps up the regular season Wednesday night against the Dallas Stars, ranks fifth in the NHL in goal differential (+48) but is only 18th in expected goal share (49.8%) in all situations, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Buffalo Sabres are playing with house money entering the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs
The Sabres are laser-focused on trying to hunt down a championship. Star winger Alex Tuch made that clear all the way back in January, well before the team pushed toward the contender category.
"You know what, we're coming in with a lot of confidence. Everybody's coming in trying to prove themselves, and we're trying to prove as a team that we're legit," Tuch told reporters. "We're not just gonna go for the playoffs, we're gonna go for the Cup, and that's our goal: get better each and every day. That's it. That's the end goal. We're not in here just to squeak in."
Those comments seem almost prophetic with the behind of hindsight.
Yet, from a more general perspective, the campaign has already been a smashing success for Buffalo. It ended the longest playoff drought in NHL history, secure home-ice advantage for at least the first two rounds of the postseason and will finish either No. 3 or No. 4 in the final league standings.
The Sabres also witnessed the development of several young players, led by Josh Doan, Zach Benson and Noah Ostlund, as the depth continues to build behind cornerstones Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin. Top prospect Konsta Helenius is also ready to make the NHL jump next season.
So, there's a lot of reasons for hockey optimism in Western New York, regardless of how the opening-round series against Boston plays out.
That allows Buffalo to enter the postseason with a "nothing to lose" mindset. Yes, if it's upset by the Bruins in the first round it'd be a massive disappointment, but it wouldn't be a failure. That's a significant difference.
The Sabres have played their best this season when implementing an up-tempo, free-flowing style of play. Critics have said it won't fly in the postseason, but head coach Lindy Ruff's group can't get away from what made them successful since early December.
Dahlin, Thompson and Co. have a real chance to do something special, but it won't happen by trying to become something they're not. And playing with house money gives them the freedom to keep trying to impose their attacking will on opponents through aggressive transition, as they've done while posting a 39-9-4 record over their past 52 games.
All told, perhaps a deep playoff run will allow Buffalo to receive more respect heading into the 2026-27 season, but it's not needed to declare the current campaign successful.
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