The Buffalo Sabres officially clinched a postseason berth on April 4, which ended the longest playoff drought in NHL history at 14 years. Since that moment, head coach Lindy Ruff has been tinkering with his lineup to ensure it's fine-tuned for the challenges that lie ahead.
Buffalo is also dealing with injuries to several key players — center Sam Carrick, winger Noah Ostlund and goalie Alex Lyon — which has created a few extra spots to fill for Ruff and his staff, though depth has been the club's biggest strength throughout the 2025-26 campaign.
The first Stanley Cup Playoff test for the Sabres, who finished with a 50-23-9 record (109 points), is the Atlantic Division rival Boston Bruins (45-27-10; 100 points). Boston won three of the teams' four meetings during the regular season, including the most recent matchup on March 25.
So, despite Buffalo finishing second in the Eastern Conference standings, it'll have its hands full in the opening round with the B's. It's going to take a total team effort to advance. So, let's take a look at how the Blue and Gold should line up for Game 1 on Sunday night.
Sabres Forward Lines
Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
Peyton Krebs | Tage Thompson | Alex Tuch |
Zach Benson | Josh Norris | Josh Doan |
Jason Zucker | Ryan McLeod | Jack Quinn |
Jordan Greenway | Josh Dunne | Beck Malenstyn |
What Buffalo lacks in terms of a bona fide generational talent like Connor McDavid to lead its forward group, it makes up for with sensational depth.
The Sabres' top three trios are all consistently dangerous offensively. Ruff deserves a pat on the back for trying Krebs on the first line, which has thrived recently, and the group of McLeod, Zucker and Quinn has been among the NHL's best since the Olympic break.
Not having Carrick, who's not expected to play in the first round against Boston, is a significant blow to the fourth line. He scored five goals in 13 games after being acquired from the New York Rangers at the trade deadline, and he also provided a boost in the faceoff circle, winning 57.3% of his draws.
Buffalo has tried both Dunne and Tyson Kozak as a replacement in recent weeks. Dunne feels like the better option because of his ability to handle defensive-zone draws (54.1% on faceoffs this season).
Meanwhile, Jordan Greenway has become a liability in even-strength situations because of his extremely limited skating ability while trying to overcome a lingering middle-body injury the past two seasons, but he's still provided value on the penalty kill, which could get him a lineup spot.
Ostlund, who spent most of the regular season in the Sabres' middle-six group, may replace Greenway on the fourth line once he's cleared to return.
If Buffalo advances and Carrick returns, he'll reclaim his bottom-line center role.
Buffalo Defense Pairs
Left Defense | Right Defense |
|---|---|
Mattias Samuelsson | Rasmus Dahlin |
Owen Power | Bowen Byram |
Logan Stanley | Conor Timmins |
Ruff tested Power-Dahlin and Samuelsson-Byram pairings in a recent practice, but that was probably just a test run should injuries arise. The Sabres' top-four defense group has been at the core of their success, so switching things up this late wouldn't make much sense.
Dahlin is ticketed to play massive minutes in the postseason. He could challenge Quinn Hughes of the Minnesota Wild as the NHL's time on ice leader given his ability to play in all three phases and Buffalo's likely desire to limit its third pair involvement.
The Sabres have struggled to receive meaningful contributions from its bottom pair all season as Timmins and Michael Kesselring battled injuries. That's why general manager Jarmo Kekalainen acquired Stanley and Luke Schenn from the Winnipeg Jets at the deadline.
Stanley stands out like a sore thumb at times, mostly because of his slow foot speed compared to the Blue and Gold's highly mobile defensive cornerstones, but he's posted strong underlying numbers since arriving to Buffalo and has likely earned a full-time playoff role.
The other spot remains a mystery. Timmins may have the inside track due to his penalty-killing acumen, but Kesselring and PDO god Zach Metsa are others in the conversation. Schenn could also be a consideration if a series gets overly physical.
Ultimately, it could be a revolving door until somebody stands out to secure the spot.
Sabres Goalies
Role | Goalie |
|---|---|
Starter | Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen |
Backup | Colten Ellis |
Lyon has made steady progress in his recovery from a lower-body injury but he hasn't played since April 4, and he also posted an unsightly .772 save percentage in his last three starts before suffering the ailment in practice.
Meanwhile, Ellis stepped up in a massive way with a recent 37-save shutout against the Columbus Blue Jackets. One game doesn't mean he'll retain the backup role for the entire playoffs, but Buffalo may opt to ease Lyon back into practice slowly before he regains his spot on the bench.
Regardless, it's clear Luukkonen now has a firm grip on the starting job.
The 27-year-old Finnish netminder put together a much-needed resurgent campaign to the tune of a 2.52 goals against average and .909 save percentage across 35 games. He's posted a .918 SV% in 14 outings since late February.
So, unless UPL really falters early in the playoffs against the Bruins, the crease is likely his for as long as the Sabres remain active in the Stanley Cup pursuit.
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