Sabres end NHL-record 14-season playoff drought
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- Buffalo Sabres clinched their first NHL playoff berth in 14 seasons — an NHL-record drought — when the Rangers beat the Red Wings in regulation Saturday; Buffalo then lost 6-2 at Washington that night.
- At 46-23-8, the Sabres are in contention for the Eastern Conference's top seed, riding a 35-9-4 surge that began after the team was last in the East in early December.
- Jarmo Kekalainen was promoted from senior adviser to GM on Dec. 15, replacing fired Kevyn Adams, and Buffalo responded with a franchise-record-matching 10-0 run.
- Captain Rasmus Dahlin ranks sixth among NHL defensemen with 69 points, while Tage Thompson is tied for 11th among all skaters with 38 goals.
- The Sabres' 19 come-from-behind wins tie for seventh in the NHL, including an 8-7 victory over Tampa Bay after trailing 7-5 with nine minutes left in regulation.
- Buffalo has recorded 21 home sellouts this season, including 15 straight, after selling out just five games the prior year.
- The Sabres haven't won a playoff series since 2007; their drought includes four last-place finishes, four different GMs, and the departure of stars like Jack Eichel and Ryan O'Reilly, who each won a Stanley Cup with their new teams.
Why it matters: Buffalo's 14-year playoff drought ends with a 46-23-8 team chasing the Eastern Conference's top seed, delivering the city's first postseason hockey since 2011 and a shot at ending a series-win drought dating to 2007. The turnaround, sparked by Jarmo Kekalainen's midseason promotion to GM, validates the long-tenured core of Rasmus Dahlin and Tage Thompson after years of failed rebuilds.
