Sabres in Driver’s Seat to Win the Atlantic

The Buffalo Sabres enter the final week of the 2025-26 National Hockey League regular season on a three-game winning streak. One of just two teams (the Anaheim Ducks are the other) who did not play on the NHL’s 15-game slate on Saturday, the Sabres have a rare late-season respite before they try to lock down first place in the Atlantic Division.

Winning the division would keep the Sabres away from having to play the dreaded divisional No. 2 vs. No. 3 matchup in the first round against the Tampa Bay Lightning or Montreal Canadiens. The Bolts and Habs would play each other. Meanwhile, the Sabres would draw one on the wildcard teams. As of this writing, it’d be the Ottawa Senators (the current upper wildcard teams via tiebreaker over the Boston Bruins.

What’s left for the Sabres and their rivals

With consecutive wins over Tampa Bay, the New York Rangers and Columbus Blue Jackets, the Sabres have peaked at the perfect time. Through 80 games, Buffalo (106 points, 41 regulation wins) holds a two-point lead over the Bolts (104 points, 40 RW) and Habs (104 points, 33 RW).

Come Sunday, the Sabres remain idle. The Lightning also have the day off. Meanwhile, the Canadiens visit the New York Islanders. The Sabres visit the Boston Bruins on Monday and then finish at home against the Dallas Stars on Wednesday. The Habs conclude on the road against the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday. The Lightning host the Detroit Red Wings on Monday and New York Rangers on Wednesday.

In a worst-case scenario, the Sabres will host their first playoff series in 15 years. The Sabres have already clinched the regulation wins tiebreaker against Montreal. 

Home ice edge

The crowds at Key Bank Center have been raucous in recent weeks as the club is truly playing meaningful games to close a regular season schedule for the first time in a very long time.  Having the home crowd behind them as a postseason series open would be a significant benefit for a team which has come together as a group in the second half of the season. Moreover, he club’s depth has been on display down the stretch. 

Goalie depth chart after Luukkonen

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who has emerged as the starter in recent weeks, played on Wednesday in New York.  With backup Alex Lyon sidelined with a lower body muscle strain, the team turned to rookie netminder Colten Ellis in the Blue Jackets contest on Thursday. 

The twenty-five year old goaltender, who started his first game since February 3rd delivered a thirty-six save shut out performance to help Buffalo secure the crucial victory. 

“He puts a lot of work in, “ said Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff of Ellis. “He’s the ultimate competitor. First guy to the rink a lot of times, almost every day. I think that’s part of a routine that leads to a lot of great habits. He felt comfortable. Knowing that  he was going to play and preparing to play really helped him out. Half way through the first period to me it just looked like he had himself in a great place. “

As the Columbus game wore on, it became clear that the team as a whole was committed to ensuring that Ellis recorded the shutout on the night. 

“It’s part of the culture, “ explained Ruff. “The players understood how well this kid played in front of them. They wanted to repay that with making sure pucks didn’t get to the net. He still had to make one unbelievable back side save, but I thought, there were a lot of shots that got through that our guys did a pretty good job of letting him see the puck.”

With his injury Lyon may well miss the start of the postseason. 

Having Ellis capable of performing at a high level benefits the Sabres significantly as the playoffs are just around the corner.