I guess April showers do bring May flowers.
After losing out on their first chance to close out their first-round series with the Boston Bruins in Game 5, the Buffalo Sabres didn't dawdle around Orlando Magic-style. The team would once again put together a start-to-finish effort on the road in what ended up being a 4-1 victory over the Bruins.
The win marked Buffalo's first postseason series victory since 2007, when the Sabres went all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals, beating the New York Islanders and the New York Rangers along the way.
But the significance doesn't end there. Rather, Buffalo's series victory over Boston represents the end of something that they helped to ignite earlier in the season: a complete turnover in the NHL's playoff field.
Gone (at least for now) are the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Florida Panthers of the world, both of whom were part of an almost-static playoff field over the past few seasons. In their place, the Sabres have not only made it back to the big dance, but they've made their mark in it by upending a playoff mainstay in the form of the Bruins.
The "Sabres effect" can be felt elsewhere in the NHL playoff field. Just yesterday, the Anaheim Ducks defeated the Edmonton Oilers 5-2 in a series-clinching game, ending the Oilers' season in the first round and making this season the first since 2021 where the Connor McDavid-led Cup contenders failed to win a playoff round. The Ducks' series against the Oilers marked their first playoff appearance since 2018, when they got swept in their first-round series against the San Jose Sharks.
In the Metropolitan Division, the Philadelphia Flyers clinched their first postseason berth since 2020 during their penultimate game of the regular season. Despite being dragged into a closer-than-anticipated first-round series with the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Flyers were able to get the job done in six games. A Cam York overtime goal was enough to win Game 6 1-0 on home ice and send the Flyers to the second round. And as York threw his stick into the XFinity Mobile Arena crowd after scoring his series-winning goal, he all but threw the Penguins' league-defining Crosby-Malkin-Letang era closer to a potential denouement.
As of this writing, it remains to be seen whether the Montreal Canadiens and their core (which is the second-youngest in the league) are able to get the job done against a Tampa Bay Lightning team that is (probably, but this is usually a bad take) closer to the end of an era than the beginning of a contention window. I will say that goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy is doing well to make Tampa Bay the last bastion of an old era. But we will see what happens Sunday evening in Game 7.
The Sabres are helping to bring the 2000's back into the NHL
From 2000 to 2010, the Sabres made the playoffs five times. Three of those playoff tournaments would see the Sabres win at least one round, while two of them (2006 and 2007) would see the team make it to the Conference Finals.
The Flyers also found success during that decade, making the playoffs in each season except for the 2006-07 campaign. They won at least one round in five of those nine occasions, of which four of them would see the team make it to at least the Conference Finals.
It's also worth noting that the Flyers and Sabres met in the playoffs three times between 2000 and 2010. Philadelphia would win the first encounter in 2000, while the Sabres would win the next two series in 2001 and 2006.
That said, the Ducks would find increased success compared to that of the Flyers and Sabres. While they would only qualify five times during that 10-year span, the Ducks would make it to the Stanley Cup Final twice while winning it in 2007. The Ducks also won a round in all but one of their playoff appearances from 2000 to 2010.
Not only are all three of the aforementioned teams in the second round of this year's Stanley Cup Playoffs, but other teams like the Ottawa Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins, both of whom had their moments of success during the 2000's, made it into the postseason this year.
What's next?
The Sabres, Flyers, and Ducks are all among the league's youngest teams, ranking 6th, 9th, and 11th-youngest respectively.
All three will have the chance to further upend the NHL hierarchy. Starting today, the Flyers will have the chance to keep the Carolina Hurricanes from the Eastern Conference Final for what would be the fifth time in eight seasons. Meanwhile, the Anaheim Ducks will take on the same Vegas Golden Knights team that they beat three times during the regular season, with the chance to ensure that this year's Western Conference Final is the first since 2019 to not feature one of Dallas, Edmonton, or Vegas.
As for Buffalo? They'll have a chance to make it to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2007 when they take on either Tampa Bay or Montreal in the second round. Given that the Sabres won the Atlantic Division, they will have home ice advantage against either side. That series is set to get underway on Wednesday at KeyBank Center, with puck drop slated for 7:00 PM Eastern Time.
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