The Buffalo Sabres took one step closer to securing the Atlantic Division title with a crucial victory over the New York Rangers on Tuesday night. The win put Buffalo two points up on the Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens with about a week to go in the regular season.
Winning the Atlantic, while a heck of an accomplishment on its own, could also set up an interesting first-round matchup for the Sabres in the 2026 NHL playoffs. The Sabres, unless they lock up the Eastern Conference’s first seed, would face the first wild-card team, the Boston Bruins.
That matchup would give the Sabres a unique opportunity to send a message. It’s like a new kid looking to beat up the school bully on his first day of school. The Bruins are not that big, bad club that set an NHL record for points a couple of seasons ago.
But the reputation is still there. And beating the Bruins in the first round would make it clear that the Sabres have arrived. Beyond advancing to the second round, pounding the Bruins would unequivocally signal to the rest of the NHL that the Sabres are not a flash in the pan.
The standings can still change. The Sabres could fall to second or even third in the division standings. Such an outcome would change the first-round matchups from where they currently sit.
Nevertheless, the Sabres would have to relish the idea of beating Boston and planting a flag. The Sabres didn’t just get lucky this year. They have what it takes to beat anyone in this league.
Sabres-Bruins season series is not accurate reflection of current reality
If you look at the Sabres-Bruins season series, it looks kind of lopsided. Boston took three of four games. But upon closer inspection, it’s hardly lopsided.
The Bruins won two games in October. That was before the Sabres hit the afterburners and went on the amazing run they have had this season.
The next two games have been completely different. The Sabres won a 4-1 contest on December 27 and lost 4-3 on March 25 in overtime.
It’s worth mentioning that the Sabres have lost two overtime games against the Bruins this season. Those are games that could go either way. And in a playoff series, instead of the Bruins being up 3-1, the series could be completely different.
In fact, that March 25 game ended on a bit of a soft goal. In other words, the Bruins got lucky. But such luck is no guarantee in the playoffs.
That’s why the Sabres-Bruins season series is not an accurate reflection of what fans can expect in a playoff series. Now, I’m not advocating that the Sabres will steamroll the Bruins.
Still, Buffalo has a unique opportunity to beat up one of the big kids. If they do, the rest of the NHL will dread facing the Sabres.
That’s exactly the position Buffalo wants to be in during their first playoff appearance in 15 years.