For the better part of this quarter century, the Carolina Hurricanes have always had competitive teams and made deep playoff runs. This includes beating the Sabres in the 2006 Eastern Conference Finals and winning the Stanley Cup that year.
After the Canes won the cup in 2006, they have been back to the Conference Finals now four times, including this year. As they currently sit down 0-2, it was revealed that the Canes are 0-14 in their last 14 Conference Finals games.
The Canes were swept in the 2009, 2019, and 2023 Conference Finals and are now on the verge of being swept again by the Florida Panthers. Then it was revealed that the Sabres have a more recent Conference Finals win, and they haven’t made the playoffs in 14 years.
2007 Eastern Conference Finals
The Sabres played the Ottawa Senators in the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals, where they lost the series 4-1. The Sabres lost three games in the series by one goal, and lost game two in double overtime.
Their lone win in the series came in game four, where they squeaked out a 3-2 win while facing elimination in Ottawa. Maxim Afinogenov, Chris Drury, and Derek Roy all scored in the game, while fan favorites Tim Connolly and Daniel Briere had assists in the game as well.
Ryan Miller made 31 saves on the night, and Miller ended up with a .910 save percentage in the series, but it wasn’t enough to get past the Sens.
Can the Sabres get back to this point?
It's been 18 years since the Sabres last won a conference finals, and it leaves fans wondering when they will be back. It could be a long time before Sabres fans see this day, as the team needs to break its 14-year playoff drought first.
Until then, fans have to take it one season at a time, but they are certainly allowed to reminisce on the days when the Sabres were Stanley Cup contenders.