Sabres clinch playoff spot, end longest drought in NHL history
As the late, great Rick Jeanneret once said, “Yo, Stanley Cup Playoffs, here come the Buffalo Sabres.”
Jeanneret said those words 15 years ago, the last time the Sabres participated in the postseason. On Saturday, thanks to the Detroit Red Wings losing to the New York Rangers in regulation, Buffalo clinched a playoff spot for the first time since that 2010-11 season, ending the longest drought in NHL history, and a long tenure of futility and heartache in western New York.
There have been many aspects that have led to the Sabres’ success this season. Despite not making any major moves this past offseason, the team has felt a sense of rejuvenation under veteran head coach Lindy Ruff. A big turning point in the season came when the Sabres fired general manager Kevyn Adams in mid-December, replacing him with former Columbus Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen to take his place. The team has been one of the best in the NHL since then, rising from the bottom of the Eastern Conference all the way to the top, challenging for the Atlantic Division title. Buffalo became the first team from the East to clinch 100 points this season, a mark they haven’t reached in 16 years.
Players like Tage Thompson, captain Rasmus Dahlin, Alex Tuch and others have really shone this year, helping Buffalo become one of the more exciting teams to watch. The team has had an exceptional goaltending tandem as well, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Alex Lyon have both had solid seasons that have gotten the team to this point.
Before the long playoff drought, the Sabres had been one of the more consistent teams to appear in the playoffs. 2011 marked the fourth time in a six-year span that the team made the playoffs, with Buffalo winning the Presidents’ Trophy in the 2006-07 campaign. The team has only reached the Stanley Cup Final twice, in 1975 and 1999.
The Sabers have a new goal in mind: to clinch home ice for at least the first round of the postseason. After Thursday night’s action, Buffalo (46-22-8) is tied with the Tampa Bay Lightning for first place in the division, and two ahead of the third-place Montreal Canadiens, with six games left in the regular season.