The Buffalo Sabres were sitting at the bottom of the Eastern Conference in early December. They owned an 11-14-4 record and hope, at least for those outside the locker room, was rapidly fading.
What happened next you had to see to believe.
The Sabres posted an eye-popping 39-9-4 record over their next 52 games to skyrocket up the standings, reaching a pinnacle Monday night with a 5-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks to win the Atlantic Division following an intense battle with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens.
As a result, Buffalo will get to open the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the KeyBank Center in front of fans who've been waiting over a decade to see postseason hockey again. It'll maintain that home-ice advantage at least through the second round if it advances.
"Unbelievable job by our group from December-on getting us to the place we're at now," center Tage Thompson told reporters. "Home ice is a huge advantage in playoffs, and being able to give these fans that is something pretty special to me."
Exactly why a switch suddenly flipped for the Sabres remains a source of debate, but there's no doubt they've been one of the NHL's best teams for over four months. The rise was no fluke, and now they'll try to further reward Buffalo sports fans a memorable playoff run.
"I don't think anyone can even imagine what it's gonna be like. It's gonna be crazy," captain Rasmus Dahlin said. "I know how happy the city is, how long they've waited for this, so I'm just so happy for all the Buffalonians. It's a special feeling, for sure, to give them what they want."
Winger Alex Tuch, a Syracuse native who grew up rooting for the Sabres, added: "I'm not gonna be sleeping too much over the next few days — I'm just gonna be so excited to play that first game in KeyBank."
Buffalo was tied 1-1 with Chicago when it found out Tampa Bay's game against the Detroit Red Wings was heading to overtime, which meant a regulation win would clinch the division title. It responded with four straight goals to secure the road victory.
An emphatic end to a long-awaited return to prominence for a storied NHL franchise. Now Sabres fans have a handful of days to celebrate before the real fun begins as the playoffs return to downtown Buffalo.
For now, let's examine the newest installment of our Sabres player grades series from the triumph over the Hawks.
Buffalo Sabres clinch Atlantic Division title with April 13 win over the Chicago Blackhawks
Sabres player grades
Player | Grade (1-10) |
|---|---|
Tage Thompson | 10 |
Alex Tuch | 9.5 |
Rasmus Dahlin | 9 |
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen | 9 |
Jason Zucker | 8.5 |
Ryan McLeod | 8.5 |
Josh Norris | 8.5 |
Zach Benson | 8 |
Josh Doan | 8 |
Peyton Krebs | 8 |
Owen Power | 7.5 |
Mattias Samuelsson | 7.5 |
Jack Quinn | 7 |
Bowen Byram | 7 |
Beck Malenstyn | 7 |
Tyson Kozak | 6.5 |
Conor Timmins | 6.5 |
Jordan Greenway | 6 |
Logan Stanley | 5.5 |
Buffalo Player of the Game: Tage Thompson
Thompson hadn't been playing up to his usual standards lately. He skipped a morning skate ahead of a game against the New York Rangers last week, which head coach Lindy Ruff said was for "maintenance," and he lacked explosiveness in his movements.
Thankfully for Buffalo, the 6-foot-6 offensive dynamo looked a lot closer to normal against Chicago. He scored twice, allowing him to hit the 40-goal mark for the third time in the past four seasons, while firing six shots on goal and delivering a pair of hits.
"I liked everything about his game," Ruff said. "A little struggle of late; I think there's been a few games where the energy's been a little bit low, but I thought tonight we got his A-plus game, and I think his energy level is back to where it needs to be. We know what he can do when he's at the top of his game."
The Sabres have succeeded this season with an offense by committee, including heavy involvement from the team's top four defensemen, but there are questions about how that up-tempo, free-flowing style of hockey will translate to the tightly contested playoffs.
In turn, there may be moments when Buffalo needs a singular moment of attacking brilliance to steal a game. Thompson is the most likely one to deliver it, so it's a promising sign he got back on track against the Hawks to set a positive tone heading into the postseason.
Sabres quick hits
- Buffalo will likely attempt to rest as many core players as possible in Wednesday's regular-season finale against the Dallas Stars with seeding now settled.
- Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 15 of Chicago's 16 shots. He heads into the playoffs as the Sabres' unquestioned starting goalie after posting a .917 save percentage over his last 17 games.
- The club's top three centers (Thompson, Josh Norris and Ryan McLeod) won 24 of their 37 faceoffs, a trend Ruff will hope carries into the postseason, especially while faceoff specialist Sam Carrick is sidelined by injury.
- Tuch, who like Thompson hadn't been playing his best hockey as of late, has also turned a corner in recent games, including a goal and an assist against the Hawks.
- Two questions likely remain for Buffalo's Game 1 playoff lineup: fourth-line center (Tyson Kozak or Josh Dunne) and third-pair right-side defenseman (Zach Metsa, Conor Timmins or Michael Kesselring).
- The Sabres (50-23-8) finish their 82-game schedule Wednesday night (7 p.m. ET) when they welcome the Stars (49-20-12) to the KeyBank Center.
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