Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - To start the 2025-26 season, the Buffalo Sabres were in one-goal games, but weren’t playing well and probably deserved to be 0-3-0.
Since then, they’ve showed some maturity, improved their game in many areas, and are on a 4-1-1 stretch through six games.
Buffalo has nine points as of Monday, and is tied with the New York Islanders for the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot. However, the Sabres are officially in 10th place in the standings. Other teams with nine points in the conference include the Philadelphia Flyers, Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs.
The six-game streak is a .750 points percentage, which is fifth in the NHL during that time period. In that time, the Sabres are fourth in goal scoring at 4.17 goals per-game, and 12th in goals-against at 2.83.
When it comes to special teams, the Sabres are second in the league on the power play at 36.8%, and fifth on the penalty kill at 90.9%
Alex Lyon is 3-1-0 in that stretch with a 2.52 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage.
Meanwhile, Zach Benson leads the NHL with seven assists in six games played.
The sense I get from fans that have interacted with me is they’re not going to get all that excited after just nine games. Yes, Buffalo has gone 4-1-1 recently, but they’re still just 4-4-1 overall.
Last season before the Sabres had lost 13-straight games, picking up just three of a maximum 26 points, they went 11-9-1 for 23 points and were in the playoffs. That had them in third place in the Atlantic Division, two points behind the Florida Panthers and three points behind the Leafs for the division’s top spot.
After the 13-game winless streak, the Sabres went 25-20-3 for 53 points. That would not have been enough to make the playoffs at that pace. That pace during those 48 games had the Sabres in 10th place in the Eastern Conference, three points back of the Detroit Red Wings for the eighth and final playoff spot and one point back of the Panthers.
Getting back to this season, you can see why fans aren’t jumping on board after a 4-1-1 stretch.
Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff breaks the season down in five-game segments. Ruff tells his players if they win two games and lose one all season long, that gets you into the playoffs. The other way is there are 10 points available for every five-game segment.
In the first five games, the team fell behind, getting just four points. They’ll need to make up two points, which they’ll have the opportunity to do at home Tuesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
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In this five-game segment, they’re 2-1-1 for five points. They just need a win or a loser point to reach their intended goal.
As far as winning two of every three games, Buffalo started 0-3-0, then reached their goal and went 2-1-0, and again hit their goal, going 2-0-1.
Lyon had an interesting comment after he backstopped the Sabres to a 5-3 win over Toronto on Friday.
"We’re going to have to fight and claw for everything we get. For every point that we get, we’re going to have to fight every night, and sometimes it hardens a team," said Lyon on Friday. "I heard you asking questions about the first three, and you’ve got to let that scare you a little bit as well. And to have that fear of slipping back into that is really important, because that’s what drives your details and your daily habits."
The Sabres have gotten goaltending in probably every game except for Saturday in Toronto and maybe a little slip in Montreal against the Canadiens last week Monday.
You knew forward Tage Thomspon would catch fire, and he did, scoring three goals in the home-and-home series this past weekend against the Maple Leafs.
Thompson is now Buffalo’s leading scorer with four goals and four assists for eight points in nine games. Alex Tuch, Rasmus Dahlin and Benson are all one point behind.
Buffalo is a much better defensive hockey club, and Ruff says if Michael Kesselring got through practice OK on Monday, he’ll probably make his Sabres debut on Tuesday.
There’s one place where this team is still awful, and it’s because they still can't cover the middle of the ice in the defensive zone as a five-man unit.
In my mind, it’s been worse than bad. There have been too many goals scored this season where the opponent is standing in the middle of the ice with Sabres around them, and they don’t lift the player's stick, knock him down, or even pay attention to him until it’s too late.
I do like the maturity we've have seen from this team. They didn’t panic after losing the first three games, and even on the road in Toronto, they were playing a very good game in the third, doing a good job of not only protecting a 3-2 lead, but still playing hard in the offensive zone.
Ruff says they gave up one opportunity and it went in the net. First, Dakota Joshua was allowed by two Sabres just to come right through the middle of the ice, then, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen needs to make a save on the shot as it tipped his glove.
The big goalie admitted Nicolas Roy was right there, but said that’s not an excuse. He has to fight for his ice so he can see the puck.
Buffalo went for it in overtime and had possession of the puck almost the whole time. Jack Quinn led a 2-on-1 and has an elite shot, but chose to attempt a pass to Thompson that hit a skate. Right after that, the puck squirted to the slot where Owen Power was coming hard, and it was just him and goalie Cayden Primeau. All of a sudden, the puck rolled off his stick.
That led to a breakaway for John Tavares, and Luukkonen failed to make a big save.
I leave you with this: Are you happy the Sabres took 3-of-4 points from the Leafs, or are you mad that taking 4-of-4 was right there for them, but they couldn’t execute well enough for the win?
On the injury front, Ruff said Monday that winger Jordan Greenway may be ready to play his first game of the season this Thursday in Boston against the Bruins.
Meanwhile, goalie Colten Ellis was supposed to start Saturday’s game, and even went to Toronto early on Friday to get his rest. However, he woke up with a stiff back.
Ruff says he feels better, and was back at practice on Monday.
MONDAY’S LINES:
Forwards:
Benson - Kulich - Thompson
Doan - McLeod - Tuch
Zucker - Ostlund - Quinn
Dunne - Krebs - Malenstyn
Geertsen - Greenway
Defense:
Samuelsson - Dahlin
Power - Timmins
Byram - Metsa
Bryson - Kesselring
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