The Buffalo Sabres, who occupied last place in the Eastern Conference as recently as early December, now own the NHL's seventh-best points percentage (.627) and continue to make progress toward making the franchise's first playoff appearance since 2011.
They've been able to make their two-month surge up the standings despite a seemingly ever-growing list of injury concerns, which grew larger once again Monday night when winger Zach Benson left a win over the Florida Panthers in the third period with an upper-body ailment.
Another injury headline from Tuesday is where we'll start this Sabres news roundup.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen removed from Finland's Olympic roster
Team Finland announced Luukkonen won't make the trip to Italy for the 2026 Winter Games because of a lower-body injury suffered in a Jan. 27 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. He'll be replaced on the Suomi roster by the Boston Bruins' Joonas Korpisalo.
It was an unfortunately timed setback for UPL, who was playing his best hockey in two years and making a serious bid to unseat the Nashville Predators' Juuse Saros as Finland's starting goalie for the upcoming Olympic tournament.
Luukkonen got off to a sluggish start this season as he worked to overcome a pair of preseason injuries. He started to find a groove in mid-December to help spark the team's turnaround, however, and he's posted a .916 save percentage across his last 11 games before the injury.
The Sabres initially left the door open for UPL to return in time for the Olympics, but the clock simply ran out with Finland scheduled to play its first game on Feb. 11 vs. Slovakia.
Buffalo didn't immediately provide an update on whether the 26-year-old goaltender will be ready to return when its NHL schedule resumes Feb. 25 following the three-week break.
Buffalo's postseason odds should get fans excited
The Sabres still have work to do if they're going to clinch a berth in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, but the current odds paint an optimistic picture.
MoneyPuck gives the Blue and Gold a 75.1% chance to break the franchise's 14-year postseason drought, while HockeyStats.com is even more bullish at 89%.
At minimum, that should ensure Buffalo general manager Jarmo Kekalainen heads toward the NHL trade deadline on March 6 as a buyer rather than a seller. That's a welcome change of pace for Sabres fans, who've watched a lot of elite talent depart Western New York over the years.
A couple roster upgrades, including a high-end offensive forward, would give Kekalainen's group a chance to make some serious noise once the playoffs do roll around.
Sabres looking good now, and the future is bright too
Yes, Buffalo is trending in the right direction this season, but does that mean the organization has finally turned a corner in its long-term rebuilding efforts? It appears so.
Nick Iacoban of Watch The Stats released his updated NHL team rankings based on each franchise's current placement and future outlook. The Sabres ended up in the "win now and later" quadrant, which is the most promising place to land:
This is one of my favorite things to do and post, here is where every team stands on my organizational direction chart! This is based on each team's current NHL standings position and their U23 Core ranking from my model.
— Nick (@nickiacoban) February 3, 2026
The grey arrows represent how each team has moved from… pic.twitter.com/U2MhFxi81L
Buffalo doesn't want this to become a one-and-done postseason appearance. Kekalainen, head coach Lindy Ruff and their staffs are trying to establish a winning culture, which could still have hurdles ahead after more than a decade of endless losing.
That said, the skies are finally starting to clear in downtown Buffalo. The constant dread about what new form of misery was on the horizon is beginning to fade. It feels like the team is making legitimate progress toward long-term competitiveness.
It's a sight to behold for Sabres fans, who've watched a lot of terrible hockey since the last time they were able to Party in the Plaza.