Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - Over the course of the 2025-26 Buffalo Sabres season, we’ll be looking back after every five games, inspired by head coach Lindy Ruff’s philosophy of gaining six points out of a possible ten in every five-game stretch. We will recap the previous segment of games, and share some thoughts on what was seen on the ice.
Here's a look back at the last five games for Buffalo:
Game 1: Byram leads Sabres over Senators
Buffalo got this five-game set started on the road for a Festivus matchup with the Ottawa Senators, who were riding a four-game winning streak of their own.
Both teams came out with some juice, generating chances back and forth forcing both Alex Lyon and Linus Ullmark into making some strong saves early.
Bowen Byram broke the game open for the Sabres 15:22 into the first period when Jordan Greenway slung a beautiful seam pass from the top of the circle down to a crashing Bowen Byram. It was a great display of vision from Greenway and Byram both to put the Sabres up 1-0.
Ridley Greig evened the score for the Senators a few minutes later, making a gorgeous move to his backhand to finish off a 2-on-1. The first came to an end tied at 1-1, an effective period for both teams in a big divisional matchup.
The second period started with more of the same, Buffalo threatened on a power play but were unable to convert.
They did take some momentum from the man advantage, and Noah Ostlund made it 2-1 Sabres with a nice deflection on a Byram point shot 6:11 in.
The Senators got a chance on the power play a couple shifts later, and Tim Stutzle capitalized on some undisciplined play by the Sabres. All four Sabres defenders got sucked into a battle in the corner, leaving the young German goal scorer alone in front of Lyon. Stutzle wired a wrister inside the post to tie the game at 2-2.
Stutzle’s goal 9:27 through the second was the last in regulation for the game, with the Sabres struggling to generate much on offense for the remainder.
Lyon played a strong back half to will the Sabres to overtime, with his best save coming with a little over two minutes remaining when he made a stunning glove save on Drake Batherson.
On the Sabres' first possession of overtime, Ryan McLeod rocketed into the zone and drove the halfwall before sending a seam pass up to Byram, who sent a knucklepuck one-timer on net that Ullmark missed as he slid across the crease.
It took Byram 31 seconds to put his final stamp on a signature game, as he factored in on all the Sabres goals of the night. His performance led the Sabres to their seventh-straight victory as they continue to try to dig themselves out of a hole in the jammed-up Eastern Conference.
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Game 2: Sabres Homecoming Smash’s Bruins
The Sabres ended the three-day holiday break with a Saturday night home game against division rival Boston Bruins. It was a perfect storm to create a rocking crowd in Buffalo, the team had won seven in-a-row, and the new boss seemed to have the office in order.
It was a back-and-forth affair to start the first, with both Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Joonas Korpisalo making a handful of saves before David Pastrnak blew a wrist shot past Luukkonen high on the short-side to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead.
There was much discussion pregame about the decision to start Luukkonen in this one. The team was coming off three days of rest, and Lyon had won his last seven. The Sabres decision costs them an early goal that should have been stopped, and now they have to dig themselves out.
Buffalo found their way to a few more chances before the first intermission, but failed to convert and the first came to a close with Boston up by one.
McLeod potted the Sabres' first of the game off the rush with a nice shot to beat Korpisalo. The whole play was made possible by Mattias Samuelsson though, who finished a big check in the defensive zone and led the rush up the ice before dishing it to McLeod.
Peyton Krebs tipped in a Tage Thompson wrister just 1:33 later to steal the lead and put the Sabres up 2-1. Suddenly, the Sabres were rolling, Keybank was rocking, and the Bruins looked to be in shock from the sudden onslaught.
The Sabres kept the pedal down, and Samuelsson’s great night got even better when he rifled in the Sabres' third goal of the game just 7:54 into the second period.
Boston chased the rest of the period, escaping to the locker room only down two, despite being outshot 13-2 in the period and 26-11 in the game.
The third began with a little over two minutes of power play time thanks to a double minor drawn by Samuelsson at the end of the third. The Sabres were unable to convert on the opportunity, but it was a nice way to ease into a period focused on eliminating chances against.
Buffalo was effective at eliminating any time and space for the Bruins, clogging up passing lanes and keeping Boston on the outside of the zone in the little possession time they did have.
Things got a little tense late as Boston made a push with the goalie pulled, but Luukkonnen and the team weathered the storm and got it over the line. Norris fired one into the empty net late and the Sabres earned themselves a strong 4-1 win.
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Game 3: Sabres stay resilient against Blues
Buffalo headed back out on the road for a quick trip that started in St. Louis as the team looked to keep on rolling and pick up an eighth-straight win.
Both teams got off to a strong start, but Ostlund struck first for the Sabres when he finished off a low 2-on-1 with Josh Norris 2:19 into the game. Tuch did a good job pressuring the Blues as they tried to exit the zone, forcing the turnover that led to the scoring chance.
The Blues tied the game just a couple minutes later with a wrist shot off the rush that fooled Lyon. It was the first goal in this winning streak that the team really would’ve liked a save on. Luckily, it came early and the Sabres had plenty of time to pick up their goaltender who’s done the same for them so often lately.
Unfortunately, Lyon had another hiccup with 11:51 to go in the first period when he let a Jimmy Snuggerud jam play squeeze its way through him to give the Blues a 2-1 lead. Now the Sabres found themselves chasing the game, but playing fine. They just needed to trust their process and stick to their game.
The Sabres picked it up for the rest of the first, but were unable to even the score before heading back to the room to regroup.
Alex Tuch thought he’d evened the score early in the second period, but the goal was called back due to Tuch kicking it in.
Buffalo didn’t let this slow them down though, as they really carried the play from that point on. Their patented forecheck and improved puck management frustrated the Blues and swung momentum in their favor.
Tuch would get his goal back late in the period when Samuelsson found him as the high guy on a zone entry. Tuch wired the puck past Hofer and tied the game at 2-2 and the Sabres went into the second intermission in good position.
Their tireless effort clearly wore the Blues down, and it didn’t take long into the third for Buffalo to take the lead. McLeod made a great play to swing the puck to the front of the net where Jack Quinn swatted it on net, and Zach Benson batted the rebound out of the air to make it 3-2 Sabres.
The Benson marker allowed the Sabres to once again lock things down and protect a third period lead, something they’ve shown an increasing capability to do. They executed to perfection, only allowing the Blues to muster two shots on goal for the entirety of the period.
Krebs potted an empty netter to seal the Sabres ninth straight win at 4-2 and Lyon was able to stabilize after a shaky start. Buffalo did well to stick with it and battle back.
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Game 4: Sabres slay the Stars
The Sabres head South for the next leg of their road trip to face off against a true contender in the Dallas Stars for a huge New Years Eve matchup.
Dallas popped out to a 1-0 lead just seconds into the game when Maverik Bourque roofed his own rebound over Luukkonen.
The Sabres were a bit sloppy to start but got their feet under them quickly. They generated some solid zone time and opportunities with their speed and tenacity.
Both teams' best chances came in the late stages of the period but neither team converted and the Sabres headed to the room down 1-0 after one, not feeling bad about the way they’d played but needing to find a goal.
They did well in carrying over momentum to start the second, and strung together some good shifts.
Thompson broke the game open for the Sabres with an assist that was an unbelievable display of puck protection, edgework, and vision. He held the puck below the goal line, buying time to let Josh Doan find a soft area in the slot where Thompson zipped a pass right on the tape. Doan made a great one-touch shot to beat Casey Desmith and tie the game at 1-1.
Thompson took the game over from this point on, every shift he drove the play and seemed to constantly have the puck on his stick.
He didn’t participate in the Sabres second goal though. Buffalo made it 2-1 when Byram snapped a wicked shot by DeSmith on a 2-on-1 created by a great defensive zone pass from Ostlund.
Buffalo withstood a push from the Stars and continued to set the pace for the game, playing the game on their terms until the second intermission.
Thompson’s dominance continued in the third, and he extended the Sabres lead about halfway through the frame when he cleaned up a rebound at the side of the cage generated by a point shot from Byram.
Now the Sabres had full control and found themselves in a familiar spot, protecting a lead in the third period.
Thompson made their lives even easier a couple minutes later when he unleashed one of his patented wrist shots that fooled DeSmith with ease. The incredible velocity and deceptive release on that shot make it the kind of shot goaltenders have nightmares about.
Buffalo comfortably rode their three-goal lead to their 10th-straight victory, completely smothering the Stars for the remainder of the game. A truly impressive road victory over a premier contender in the NHL. Now the Sabres look to make franchise history, an eleventh straight win would set the franchise record.
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Game 5: Blue Jackets halt Sabres' streak
The Sabres wrap up the road trip, and this five game set in Columbus with a Saturday matinee against the Blue Jackets as they try to make history.
They got off to a strong start, generating a handful of solid scoring chances in the first few minutes but it was Columbus who struck first.
Boone Jenner carried the puck over the line and kicked it out to Denton Mateychuk who sifted a shot on net which deflected off a stick right in front of Luukkonen. The deflection was enough to fool the Sabres netminder and rang off the post and in to make it 1-0 Blue Jackets with 17 minutes remaining in the first.
Tough bounce, but the Sabres were still controlling play and simply needed to stick to the same things that have led them to their recent success.
Luukkonen made a huge glove save on a breakaway when Damon Severson got out of the penalty box after an unsuccessful Sabres power play.
The Sabres got leaky from there, allowing the Blue Jackets a series of chances that Luukkonen did well to thwart.
After a stint of 4-on-4, Owen Power made a great play to keep the puck in the offensive zone and find Norris down low, who drove the net and slipped a nice pass to Doan who was smartly waiting at the back door. Doan chipped it past Columbus netminder Jet Greaves and tied the game at 1-1.
For the second time in the game, a Thompson blunder on the offensive blue line led to a prime scoring chance for the Blue Jackets. This time it was Brandan Gaunce on a breakaway, and he made no mistake blowing a shot underneath Luukkonen to take the lead back for Columbus.
The Sabres couldn’t avoid shooting themselves in the foot again before the end of the first. After a bad defensive zone giveaway Dmitri Voronkov tipped a point shot through Luukkonen to make it 3-1 Blue Jackets.
After a great start the Sabres got way too loose and allowed the Blue Jackets to gain a two-goal lead. If they want to keep this streak alive, they’d need to get back to the defensive minded style that’s brought them to this point.
The second period got off to a similar start though as it took less than a minute for the Sabres to give up a 2-on-1 against. Luukkonen made the save but it was not the start they were looking for.
The sloppy play continued, and Columbus capitalized again when Power couldn’t get a handle on a flip pass behind him and Mathieu Olivier chipped it through Luukkonen’s five-hole to give the Blue Jackets a 4-1 lead.
Buffalo avoided disaster for the rest of the second frame, and earned themselves a power play to start the third period. A perfect opportunity to give themselves a chance and start a comeback attempt.
The power play faltered, failing to score for the fourth time in the game and the team was unable to get much going against a Blue Jackets team sitting on a lead.
Midway through the final frame, Benson and Ivan Provorov took offsetting penalties making for some 4-on-4 action.
Lindy Ruff and the staff decided to gamble and pull the goaltender with more than nine minutes remaining down 4-1.
The gamble did not pay off when a Thompson one-timer whizzed wide and the Blue Jackets worked their way down the ice with Cole Sillinger eventually firing it into the empty net to make it 5-1 Columbus.
The Sabres showed good fight for the remainder of the game, all you could ask for after an off night like this. Columbus snapped the Sabres winning streak at ten and Buffalo headed home without the franchise record.
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Highlight players
Bowen Byram has really picked it up as of late, and his point totals are reflecting his improved play. Byram tallied three goals and three assists for six points in this set of games, including a performance against Ottawa in which he single handedly lifted the team to the win. Byram is an often overlooked piece of this blue line for Buffalo, and needs to score to offset some of the defensive blunders he is prone to, but when he’s on his game he’s extremely valuable.
Noah Ostlund has found a nice role playing beside veterans Tuch and Norris in the Sabres middle-six and has really flourished in the role. His scoring has been good with two goals and two assists for four points, but it’s his 200-foot awareness that’s really caught my eye. Ostlund is only 21, but plays the game like a seasoned veteran. He’s consistently on the right side of the puck, understands defensive assignments, and makes good puck decisions. All combined with a strong level of compete and good skating he is shaping up to be a nice piece for the Sabres moving forward.
Sabres continue rolling by gaining 8-of-10 points
The winning streak was always going to come to an end, but what matters is they’ve proven they’re capable of playing incredibly strong hockey and they can compete with anyone in the NHL. They’ve revived a city of fans that’s been waiting to erupt for a team they can cheer for.
Now they look ahead as they find themselves in the thick of a packed playoff race that is shaping up for a photo finish. Their focus now should be on playing the game the way they did in this streak that brought them success. If they can do that, they will be in it all the way and have a good look at snapping the playoff drought and bringing playoff hockey back to Buffalo.
What a sight that would be.
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