Sabres In Playoff Spot Heading Into Break

The Buffalo Sabres will be heading into the upcoming Olympic break in an Eastern Conference playoff position.

Holding down a postseason berth in February is no small feat for a club that just two months ago found itself at the bottom of the standings. Like many NHL clubs in this season’s compressed schedule, Buffalo has been fighting through the absences of key players, but the challenges associated with juggling the lineup have brought out the best in a team that has embraced a next-up mentality.

Injuries to Josh Norris, Jordan Greenway, Zach Benson, Ukko-Pekka-Luukkonen, Josh Dunne, Conor Timmins, Jiri Kulich and Justin Danforth haven’t slowed Buffalo’s climb up the standings. The club has bought into a tenacious commitment to a strong forechecking game and using team speed throughout the lineup. The Sabres have been among the league’s hottest teams since the dramatic turnaround began on December 9th.

The Atlantic division boasts a group of teams that continue to add to their point totals on most nights. Scoreboard watching is taking place each night as clubs jockey for position. Just six points separate the top four teams in the Atlantic. From night to night, teams can move from a top-three divisional spot to a wildcard slot.

The Sabres are in the thick of an intense battle for position and have also been able to put some distance between themselves and teams on the outside of the Eastern playoff picture.

The players have worked extremely hard to salvage the season. With 26 games remaining, the battle to reach the postseason will intensify down the stretch, particularly within the division.

We know that competition is stiff, said Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff. “I think everybody realizes that the Atlantic division is extremely tough. It seems just like every game every night now is a tight game.”