BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — At long last, the Buffalo Sabres' 14-year playoff drought has ended. For the first time since the 2010-2011 season, the Sabres will head to the postseason after a historic turnaround that began in December.
Coincidentally, the drought ends with Lindy Ruff behind the bench. Ruff was also the head coach the last time the Sabres made the playoffs. Between his two tenures with the Sabres, there were six other head coaches. After firing Ruff in 2013, the team turned to Ron Rolston. He coached 51 games and won only 19 of them.
The other head coaches during the drought include Ted Nolan, Dan Bylsma, Phil Housley, Ralph Krueger, and Don Granato. None of these coaches finished with above a .500 win percentage.
During this same span, the Sabres went through five general managers, including Darcy Regier, Tim Murray (2014-2017), Jason Botterill (2017-2020), Kevyn Adams (2020-2025), and Jarmo Kekalainen (current).
WATCH: Better Days: After 14 long years the Buffalo Sabres playoff drought is over
But when did things truly turn around, and when did the Sabres believe this was the group that could end the drought? Well, the common answer from players in the locker room is the 10-game win streak that started on December 9 and ended on January 3. The win streak actually began with Adams as the GM, but he was fired when the team returned from a Western Canada road trip where they had won three straight games.
“I think the winning streak is kind of something where you get three; you get four, and then you realize how good of a hockey team you are,” forward Zach Benson said. “I think once you get four wins, you're just like, you know, we can win forever. Obviously, we ran it up to 10.”
Internally, the win streak made the guys inside the locker room believe they were a contender. Admittedly, it took me a little while to realize this team was legitimate. But I remember exactly when my opinion changed.
On January 29, the Sabres hosted the Los Angeles Kings and won 4-1. Alex Tuch scored a hat trick in the game, but his performance after the game was arguably more impressive than what he did on the ice.
While talking with reporters after the win, he said an answer I’ve never heard from a Sabres player during my time covering the team. The actual words were impressive, but so was the confidence with which he said them.
“We're not just going to go for the playoffs; we're going to go for the cup,” Tuch said. “That's our goal to get better each and every day. That's it. That's the end goal, honestly. We're not in here just to squeak in. We're in here to try to keep winning.”
At this point, we don’t know who the Sabres will play in the playoffs or when the series will begin. The Sabres final regular season game is on April 15 at home against the Dallas Stars. The NHL playoffs are slated to begin three days later on Saturday, April 18.
Everything the Sabres want to accomplish is still in front of them. What they’ve already accomplished should be celebrated. But they insist they aren’t satisfied, which is exactly how they should feel as they prepare to begin for the real hockey season. See you in the playoffs.
