The Buffalo Sabres are back in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2011 thanks to the New York Rangers.
The Sabres could have punched their ticket with a win over the Washington Capitals on Saturday night, but one of the scenarios benefiting Buffalo included the Rangers beating the Detroit Red Wings, which they did 4-1 during an afternoon contest.
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It’s a significant accomplishment because it also means the second-longest playoff drought among NHL, NFL, MLB, and NBA teams is now over. The Sabres have not been to the postseason in 15 years. Only the New York Jets (15 years, 2010) have experienced a longer playoff drought.
Now that the Sabres are playoff-bound, the NHL record belongs to the Red Wings, who last played in the postseason in 2016. Though, their time with the honor may be short as they are currently battling for an Eastern Conference wild-card spot.
The Los Angeles Angels (11 years, 2014) own MLB’s longest drought, and in the NBA it’s the Charlotte Hornets (9 years, 2016).
Lindy Ruff has spent majority of his NHL coaching career with the Sabres, which includes two stints with the franchise. He was behind the bench the last time the franchise made the postseason in 2011. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
(Justin K. Aller via Getty Images)
It was the night of April 8, 2011, when the Sabres last clinched a playoff spot. There has been a lot of change for the franchise and in the NHL since Buffalo last played beyond the regular season.
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Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin had just turned 11 years old.
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Lindy Ruff was in his 13th season coaching the Sabres during his first stint with the franchise. Fifteen years and three jobs later, the 66-year-old has led them to their first 100-point season since 2009-10.
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Terry Pegula bought the team two months before their last playoff game.
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The 2010-11 season was the final one for the Atlanta Thrashers before the franchise was sold and relocated to Winnipeg to become the Jets.
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It was the final seasons for future Hockey Hall of Famers Peter Forsberg, Mike Modano and Mark Recchi.
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It would be six more years before the expansion Vegas Golden Knights would play their first NHL game and a decade before the Seattle Kraken was added to the league.
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The NHL was a little over a year away from a lockout that would cause the 2012-13 season to be shortened to 48 games.
The Sabres’ last playoff run ended in the first round after losing a seven-game series to the Philadelphia Flyers. Two months later, the Boston Bruins would win the Stanley Cup in seven games over the Vancouver Canucks.
How did the Sabres get here?
On Dec. 8, the Sabres sat 30th in the standings. One week later, general manager Kevyn Adams was fired and Jarmo Kekäläinen was brought in.
Since Adams was dismissed, no team has accumulated more points than the Sabres (68) or won more games (32). They currently sit in second place in the Atlantic Division and are vying for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference with the Carolina Hurricanes and Tampa Bay Lightning.
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They have balanced scoring with four players having recorded at least 20 goals and 13 reaching double-digits. The goaltending duo of Alex Lyon and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has combined for a .915 even strength save percentage.
The Sabres also found the secret to team bonding — drinking beers, as Dahlin noted last month.
It’s been a season that Sabres fan have been waiting a long time to experience. Gone are the days of seeing their young, drafted prospects move on and win elsewhere (see: Sam Reinhart, Jack Eichel). Gone are the days when star players would reveal after another losing season that they’ve lost their love of hockey, like Ryan O’Reilly did in 2018.
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The Sabres and their fans are hoping this is the start of a winning era for the franchise. This season will be savored because, as they know all too well, sustainable success is not guaranteed in the NHL.