Sabres’ dream seeding, matchup scenarios for 2026 NHL Playoffs

It has been a long time coming, but the Buffalo Sabres are one of the best teams in the NHL. They have not made the playoffs since the 2010-11 season, but they are on track to finish with the best record in the Atlantic Division and they could top the Carolina Hurricanes for the best record in the Eastern Conference.

They have a little bit of distance to travel to top the Colorado Avalanche for the best record in the league, but that is something of a longshot. Considering how poorly Presidents Trophy winners fare in the Stanley Cup playoffs, that’s probably an honor that head coach Lindy Ruff’s team does not need.

Much has been made of the “hot streak” the Sabres have been on since the middle of December. That’s when GM Jarmo Kekalainen took over from predecessor Kevyn Adams. Since that point, the Sabres have played the best hockey in the league. They have a record of 29-6-2 since December 15 and there’s no reason they can’t continue to show that kind of dominance once the playoffs begin in mid-April.

That does not mean there won’t be pitfalls and it will be easy. Once the regular season ends for the Sabres with a home game April 15 against the Dallas Stars — a Stanley Cup Finals preview? — the Sabres’ outstanding regular-season record will be frozen. They will start the playoffs with a 0-0 record as will their seventh- or eighth-seeded opponents. The pressure will be on the Sabres to demonstrate how good they really are and that they are not “frauds.”

They are clearly not the latter description, but that’s what great regular-season teams are often labeled as when they don’t win in the playoffs.

Sabres must come out flying

The Sabres have legitimate stars in Tage Thompson (35 goals, 71 points), Rasmus Dahlin (62 points) and Alex Tuch (28 goals, 58 points) who have help from a sharp supporting cast that includes Jason Zucker, Jack Quinn and Josh Doan. They will be capable of displaying both their timely and explosive offense no matter whom they play in the postseason, but they will have significant pressure the moment they face any adversity.

Their 15-year absence from the playoffs means they don’t know how to deal with the subtleties of a best-of-7 series. If the Sabres face a team with a long playoff history like the Boston Bruins (with the exception of last season), they could be subject to an upset if the Sabres lose a game at home.

However, if they play the Detroit Red Wings — another team that has had a long postseason absence — neither team would have that playoff experience. The Sabres might react a bit better to an unexpected loss early in the series.

Once the Sabres win a series, their lack of playoff experience becomes a much lesser factor. Assuming they get through two rounds, it won’t matter at all because they will have serious postseason momentum and a playoff craze will take over the Buffalo area.

Sabres showing off all-around ability

As the Sabres face the home stretch of the regular season, they may be playing their best hockey of the season. They are currently on a four-game road trip throughout the Western Conference. They have already played the Vegas Golden Knights and the playoff-hopeful San Jose Sharks, with the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks to follow. They have consecutive shutout wins over the Golden Knights and Sharks.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen blanked the VGK by stopping all 27 shots that he faced and Alex Lyon followed that up with his 23-save effort against the Sharks.

After a scoreless first period, the Sabres took control of the game with three goals in a span of 1:43 in the second period. Noah Ostlund, Sam Carrick and Dahlin rifled pucks past Sharks goalie Alex Nedeljkovic.

Dahlin explained why the Sabres were able to take sudden control of the game. “When we got one or two goals, we started to relax a bit and handle the puck,” Dahlin said after the victory. “The first period, we kind of whacked it around. It was a solid game.”

That is how great teams play, they get one goal or one quick break and they build off it quickly.

Self-imposed pressure is biggest issue for Sabres

The start of the playoffs will coincide with the greatest pressure the Sabres feel during this year’s postseason. The dream scenario is that they meet up with a team like Detroit, Columbus or possibly the New York Islanders because those teams do not have much (or any) postseason experience.

Teams that have experience may be more difficult opponents even though they don’t have the same kind of talent as the Sabres. As the playoffs continue, the experience factor becomes less important. Buffalo has become a wagon this season, and if they can get past the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, they will continue to prove it as they advance in each round.

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