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Buffalo Sabres missed the playoffs for 14 consecutive seasons, the longest postseason drought successful NHL past (Image via Reuters Photo)
The Buffalo Sabres are connected the verge of making NHL past positively, arsenic they tin extremity the league's longest playoff drought with a triumph implicit the Ottawa Senators successful their upcoming game.
This drought outlasted the erstwhile people held by the Florida Panthers from 2001 to 2011 by 4 afloat seasons. According to TSN, the Sabres volition punch their summons to the postseason with a triumph implicit the Ottawa Senators astatine the Canadian Tire Centre connected Thursday. Buffalo tin besides clinch with a constituent against the Senators if the Philadelphia Flyers decision the Detroit Red Wings and the Carolina Hurricanes decision the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The squad has been 1 of the hottest successful the league successful the 2nd fractional of the season, climbing the standings aft a beardown tally of signifier and putting themselves successful presumption to qualify. According to reports, the Buffalo Sabres person scored 46-21-8, for 100 points, and the Ottawa Senators person secured 38-26-10, for 86 points.
Buffalo Sabres' 1 triumph against the Ottawa Senators could extremity the NHL's longest playoff drought
The Buffalo Sabres are precise adjacent to securing a playoff spot aft 14 years without one, a streak that sets the NHL record.
This drought outlasts the erstwhile people held by the Florida Panthers from 2001 to 2011 by 4 afloat seasons. The squad saw this large turnaround this play aft they fired wide manager Kevyn Adams backmost successful December and replaced him with Jarmo Kekalainen. At the time, they had a 14–14–4 grounds and person gone 32-7-4 since.
As for their earlier performance, the Sabres seemed to miss the playoffs erstwhile again this twelvemonth arsenic the squad sat past successful the Eastern Conference successful December earlier going connected a 10-game triumph streak and posting a grounds of 35-7-4 since that streak began connected Dec.
8. Reports suggest that Buffalo past reached the playoffs successful 2011, during existent caput manager Lindy Ruff’s archetypal stint with the team. Next, Ruff rejoined the Sabres successful 2024 aft 12 years away, going 36-39-7 past season. The Buffalo Sabres request conscionable 1 triumph implicit Ottawa to clinch and erase a 1,151-game postseason absence, the longest progressive successful large North American pro sports. Besides, the Panthers' 10-year hold ended successful 2012, underscoring Buffalo's prolonged struggle. Meanwhile, the Sabres person conscionable a two-point pb implicit the Tampa Bay Lightning successful the Atlantic Division and are tied with the Carolina Hurricanes for archetypal successful the conference.According to reports, the Buffalo Sabres and the Ottawa Senators are going to fastener horns with each different connected Thursday, April 2, 2026, astatine the Canadian Tire Centre from 7 PM EST.
