Sabres clinch playoffs, end NHL's longest drought
The Buffalo Sabres clinched an NHL playoff berth on Saturday when the New York Rangers defeated the Detroit Red Wings 4-1 at Madison Square Garden. The victory secured Buffalo's first postseason appearance since 2011 and ended the league's longest playoff drought in history. The Sabres reached the mark without playing, thanks to the result in New York.
Buffalo endured 14 seasons without playoffs, posting more than 90 points in a season just once during that span. The team frequently held high draft picks, including the Nos. 1 and 2 selections twice and top-10 choices in 11 drafts. This season began slowly at 11-14-4 through late November, but the Sabres ignited with a 10-game winning streak that started after a victory over the Edmonton Oilers.
Three games into that streak, Buffalo fired general manager Kevyn Adams and replaced him with Jarmo Kekäläinen. Since the change, the Sabres posted an NHL-best 32-8-4 record. They sit tied atop the Atlantic Division with the Tampa Bay Lightning on 100 points, though Buffalo has played one more game; the Montreal Canadiens follow with 98 points in third place.
The Sabres face the Washington Capitals at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday night to bolster their seeding.
