Buffalo Sabres fans — tonight (Thursday) could be the night.
After Tuesday’s 4 to 3 win over the New York Islanders — combined with losses by Detroit, Ottawa, Columbus, and Philadelphia — the Sabres’ magic number to clinch a playoff berth dropped all the way down to two. That means a win tonight is all it takes to officially end the longest active playoff drought in the NHL.
Buffalo also moved back ahead of Tampa Bay for first place in the Atlantic Division and sits tied with Carolina atop the entire Eastern Conference at 100 points. This isn’t just a team sneaking into the playoffs — the Sabres could go in as the top seed in the East.
Tage Thompson and Jack Quinn led the offense Tuesday, with Peyton Krebs earning first star honors. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was solid between the pipes all night.
Tonight Buffalo heads to Ottawa for a 6 o’clock Central puck drop against the Senators. A win clinches it. The last time the Sabres played a playoff game was April 2011 — fifteen years ago. That drought ends tonight if the Sabres take care of business in Ottawa.
Sabre Nation — this is it.
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