The Buffalo Sabres have already officially put an end to their playoff drought this season by clinching a playoff spot. However, they could also end a 15-season division title drought if they win the Atlantic Division, which they are two points ahead of both the Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning.
Even the Eastern Conference is within reach, but a little more unlikely, as the Sabres need to win their two final games and the Hurricanes need to lose both of their remaining games. If that does happen, it would be the first time in nearly 20 years that the Sabres have won the Eastern Conference.
Buffalo Sabres have the potential for a deep playoff run this season
Whether or not these other droughts end, one thing is clear, and that is the Buffalo Sabres are not just sneaking in but should be viewed as one of the top teams in these playoffs in the Eastern Conference. ESPN's Greg Wyshynski was recently on ABC News and made a pretty bold prediction regarding their ceiling.
"I think the ceiling is probably the Eastern Conference Finals where they would meet someone like the Carolina Hurricanes on the other side of the bracket but anything goes in the Eastern Conference this year."
For a team that hasn't been in the playoffs for nearly 15 seasons and held what was almost the longest playoff drought in professional sports, it is hard to imagine this team being a Stanley Cup contender. However, the way they have played since mid-December, they have shown they can beat anyone, including the Tampa Bay Lightning, after winning their last three meetings.
Wyshynski is right to mention that the Hurricanes are probably the Sabres' toughest challenge in these playoffs. The Sabres lost two of three this season to Carolina, and both of those games were on the road.
However, this is nothing new as the Sabres haven't won in Carolina in over a decade, and if they were to meet in the playoffs. If they were to meet in the playoffs, they would need to win at least one on the road if they hope to move on to the Stanley Cup Final.
Regardless of how this might play out, the Buffalo Sabres have put themselves in a great position to make a deep run. It will be interesting to see if they can prove insiders like Greg Wyshynski right and actually make that run at a Stanley Cup.