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Sabres 'Last 5': Soaring highplay icon
Sabres

Sabres 'Last 5': Soaring high

Buffalo continues to churn away at clinching a playoff spot for the first time in 15 years

Owen Parker
By Owen ParkerMar 17, 2026
Owen Parker
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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 10 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:

Buffalo SabresMicheline Michaelina (@MiMiV4682)

Game 1: Sabres top Predators

The Sabres opened up a five-game homestand with a 3-2 win over the Nashville Predators in a relatively sleepy Saturday afternoon affair.

It would have been an easy game to overlook with the Lightning coming to town the next day for a massive divisional game, but the Sabres committed to winning a tight game with solid team defense.

Both squads eased into the first period, with Nashville carrying play for a good stretch.

The Predators did strike first when Zachary L'Heureaux found a soft spot in Buffalo's coverage and rifled a shot over Alex Lyon's shoulder.

This spurred the Sabres into finding their legs, and they charged back, scoring a pair to steal a 2-1 lead after 40 minutes.

Lyon was called on to make a handful of impressive saves before Tage Thompson wired a wrist shot past Predators goalie Juuse Saros at the 12:39 mark of the second period. Jason Zucker then finished off a Jack Quinn shot that leaked through a couple minutes later.

Then just 16 seconds into the third period, Josh Norris sent a beautiful seam pass to Josh Doan, who swept it into the net and made it 3-1, Sabres.

Buffalo sat on their lead and defended well for the majority of the period, until their bad habit popped up again. Jack Quinn took an interference penalty late, and with 3:52 remaining, Matthew Wood tipped in a point shot to make things tight.

Once again, though, the Sabres didn't let the late mistake snowball. Lyon and his teammates halted the Predators' attack, and finished the game off to earn their sixth win in-a-row.

This was another great example of the Sabres finding a way to win a game that may not have been their best effort. Despite some sloppy play to start and a 1-0 deficit, they put their heads down and found their way to a win.

Lyon was stellar once again, making 23 saves on 25 shots faced.

There was a stretch in the middle of the second period where the Predators were pushing hard, and earned a power play where Lyon made a few really difficult saves look remarkably easy. This was a pivotal moment of the game, and Lyon turned the temperature down with ease.

Lyon's ability to stay cool in big spots has been impressive all year, and it could be a good sign for his playoff ability.

Sabres beat Predators on home ice for sixth-straight win

Game 2: Sabres beat Lightning on 'Fight Night'

The Sabres and Lightning clashed in, what should go down as, the best game of the 2025-26 NHL regular season.

The Atlantic Division foes entered the game tied for the division lead with 80 points. In addition to the obvious stakes in the standings, the Sabres' 6-2 thumping of the Lightning in recent memory surely inspired even more passion from both squads.

It was a true spectacle to behold, featuring 15 goals and a combined 102 penalty minutes, all played out in front of a crowd that's been waiting for a game of this magnitude for well over a decade.

In the end, the Sabres escaped with an 8-7 win that vaulted them into the division lead all by themselves, and set the entire NHL on notice once again.

It took less than five minutes into the game for the Lightning to take a run at Thompson. A pair of Tampa Bay players blasted Thompson from behind, setting off the first melee of the game and setting the tone for the rest of the night.

Buffalo didn't convert on that power play, but they did on their next chance with the man advantage when Doan roofed one over Lightning goaltender Jonas Johansson.

After a handful more scrums and another fight, the arena was on fire and the Sabres left the first period with a 1-0 lead and a standing ovation.

The second period followed suit, opening up with another pair of fights off the opening draw.

After the chaos settled, the Sabres found themselves on the man advantage again, and 2:15 into the period, Jason Zucker hammered home a feed from captain Rasmus Dahlin for the Buffalo's second power play goal of the night.

The Lightning were unwilling to let the violent side of the game go, and winger Brandon Hagel earned himself a double minor for roughing, and later a $5,000 fine from the NHL when he jumped Dahlin from behind in gutless fashion.

Buffalo made Tampa Bay pay on the power play once again, as Tuch tipped in a Thompson wrist shot to extend the lead to 3-0.

Corey Perry buried a nice backhand goal to beat Lyon to cut the Sabres' lead to 3-1 a few minutes later.

Tuch scored an impressive shorthanded goal on a breakaway soon after that, but the Lightning charged right back.

It started with a fanned shot from Nikita Kucherov on the power play that pinged its way in with 7:34 remaining in the second period. Then former Sabres forward Zemgus Girgensons got on the board with a strong wrist shot, followed up by defenseman JJ Moser late in the period to tie the game at 4-4.

Kucherov and Brayden Point both scored to start the third period, and suddenly Tampa Bay had a 6-4 lead.

The Sabres could have easily wilted, accepted defeat to a group of champions, and it still would have been a great story.

But they fought, kept playing, and used their speed to stay on top of the Lightning at every turn.

Sam Carrick buried his first goal as a member of the Sabres with a well-placed shot off the rush to draw the Sabres back to within a goal.

After another Lightning goal to make it 7-5, Dahlin was able to use some slick moves to cut to the Tampa Bay net and close the gap again, this time to 7-6.

Dahlin then later sprung Zucker on a breakaway with less than six minutes left in the game, and he put on a slick move to his backhand and buried the tying goal, 7-7.

Pandemonium. KeyBank Center went berserk.

A true magic sports moment.

The Sabres then topped it, once again, on the power play to pull ahead for good with 4:17 to go.

It was Dahlin working the blue line and letting a shot fly towards the net. It rang off the post, right to a waiting Doan, who deposited the game-winning goal.

Despite a flurry from the Lightning, the Sabres held on and got the game over the finish line for one of the most impressive wins that fans in Buffalo have ever seen.

It was the type of scene that Sabres fans will remember for the rest of their lives. The energy in the building, even before puck drop, was at a fever pitch, and the game jammed the throttle down and never let up.

It was a volatile, symbiotic relationship - the crowd fueling the team to start, the team returning the favor two-fold. Back-and-forth it went right down to the scrum following the final buzzer.

It was an unbelievable display of what inspires fans everywhere: Speed, skill, toughness, and relentless passion.

The Lightning came into Buffalo and tested the Sabres. While the acts on the ice weren't exactly honorable or by "the code", Tampa Bay's decision to challenge the Sabres like they did is a sign they see what's coming. They see that the Sabres are serious, and they understand the significance of the game.

This is a highly respected, multi-Stanley Cup winning group that felt they needed to send a message to Buffalo and see how they would respond. The Sabres stepped up, answered the bell, and came out on top.

Quite a statement of their own.

Sabres alone atop Atlantic Division standings following wild win over Lightning

Hamilton: Sabres never gave up, beat Lightning to claim top spot in Atlantic Division

Game 3: Quinn leads Sabres over Sharks

There was no dip in energy, nor excitement for Buffalo in their 6-3 win over the San Jose Sharks that extended their winning streak to eight-straight games.

Jack Quinn shot the Sabres out to an early lead with a strong shot off a savvy pass from Zucker. Then Tuch made it 2-0 a little over a minute later with a gorgeous tip on a Dahlin shot.

The Sabres' speed and tenacity was clearly overwhelming the Sharks at this point, but wunderkind Macklin Celebrini cut into the Buffalo lead after a bad giveaway in their own end.

After letting the Sharks build some momentum with some sloppy play, Beck Malenstyn stole the energy right back for Buffalo. He hounded down a loose puck, making use of his deceptive speed and bullish strength to get to the net, where he beat young Sharks goalie Yaroslav Askarov.

Zucker added another to make it 4-1 when he cleaned up a rebound left by a heavy Quinn one-timer.

Kiefer Sherwood buried a laser over Lyon's shoulder late in the second period, but Quinn opened the final frame with his second goal of the game just 42 seconds in, making it 5-2, Sabres.

Alexander Wennberg made it interesting, scoring a power play goal with 13:04 remaining, but San Jose was unable to generate anything more.

The Sabres defended well from there, before Quinn added an empty netter to seal the game away and earn his first-career NHL hat-trick.

Quinn deserves some serious props for persevering through an up-and-down season, and coming up with the best performance of his NHL career in this contest. While he can be a maddening player to watch, his scoring touch and offensive abilities are undeniable. If he's able to sort out his defensive shortcomings and build up the offensive production, he could be an 'X' factor for Buffalo down the stretch.

The Sabres' speed was front-and-center watching this game. As much as they have embraced the physical, gritty side of the game that is absolutely key, their true strength lies in their speed. Even a young talented team like the Sharks looked overwhelmed, at times, by how quickly the Sabres closed space defensively, and how fast they transitioned the puck offensively.

When you add this pure speed with the willingness to play hard and commit to the details, it makes for an extremely strong team.

One of the ways the Sabres have been able to leverage this speed is their use of the high cycle in the offensive zone.

Buffalo is as aggressive with their defensemen as anyone across the league, and a big part of that is this high cycle, where they bring a forward up above the top of the circles and slide a defenseman down on the opposite side. This creates confusion for the opposition, and the ability to outnumber defenders high in the zone. If you can beat the high defender, or find a seam to the streaking player on the backside, you open up a huge list of dangerous offensive options.

With the Sabres' speed and skill, they are able to take advantage of this strategy regularly - as seen on the Tuch and Zucker goals in this game.

What's most exciting is these factors that bring the Sabres success should only continue to build. The more time you have in a dynamic offensive system like this, the better the unit becomes at executing it. It allows the players to play with more confidence and a higher speed.

Jack Quinn leads way for Sabres in win over Sharks to secure eighth-straight win

Game 4: Capitals snap Sabres' winning streak

Well, they couldn't win all the games.

The Sabres had their eight-game winning streak snapped by the Washington Capitals with a low event 2-1 loss.

Many Sabres fans' focus was set on the new additions, most of which were making their first appearance. Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn made up the third defensive pair, while Tanner Pearson joined up with Malenstyn and Carrick to make up the fourth line. The first three players mentioned were all acquired from the Winnipeg Jets ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline.

The Sabres did come out with a good start, and the fresh fourth line made their mark early.

Carrick opened the scoring thanks to an all-world backhand pass from Malenstyn, who continues to have a knack for making jaw-dropping plays despite his place deep in the lineup.

The remainder of the first period was back-and-forth, forcing both Luukkonen and Capitals goaltender Charlie Lindgren into a handful of very strong stops.

Just 2:14 into the second period, the new defensive pairing made their presence known, but not in a positive light.

Schenn sent a bad pass across the blue line to Stanley that was intercepted, and Stanley's lack of footspeed afforded Capitals forward Ryan Leonard a clear 2-on-1 that he blew by Luukkonen to tie the game at 1-1.

The Capitals did well from there to muddy up the middle of the ice and slow down the Sabres' speed that was giving them issues early. They began to frustrate Buffalo over the course of the second period, and even the chances they did generate were halted by Lindgren.

Washington stayed patient, and got their opportunity late in the third period.

After a scrum at the side of the net, a low-to-high pass found defenseman Jakob Chychrun uncovered, and he wired it over Luukkonen with just 1:33 remaining.

The Sabres were unable to rally with such limited time remaining, and were handed their first loss since the Olympic break.

This was a fun one to watch, as both Luukkonen and Lindgren played very well in net and kept their teams in the game.

However, I think both goaltenders showed why they may not be built for consistent playoff success, despite their high ceilings. To play that position at a high level year-in and year-out, it is far more effective to play a quiet style that allows the game to come to you. Neither Luukkonen or Lindgren fit that mold.

They attack the puck aggressively and chase plays outside of their net, which can be great when you're on your A game, but nobody is on their A game every night. When goaltenders like these two are even just slightly off, their entire game falls apart.

It was not a bad effort from the Sabres. Their recent success and borderline unprecedented hot streak may have made us all forget, but the NHL season is long, and it's a game of bounces. Sometimes, even on nights where you play your game and play it how you want to, you'll get beat.

Lindgren played a strong game, making 29 saves on 30 shots faced, and came up with some crucial saves.

The Capitals were able to do the one thing these Sabres feel vulnerable to: Slowing them down. They jammed up the middle of the ice, and broke up their signature high cycle effectively.

Capitals score late, end Sabres' winning streak

Hamilton: Luukkonen solid, but Sabres' winning streak ends at eight

Game 5: Sabres edge Maple Leafs in shootout

The Sabres bounced back two nights later with a 3-2 shootout win over the floundering Toronto Maple Leafs to wrap up their five-game homestand.

Buffalo jumped out to a quick start again, which is becoming a bit of a habit for the team.

Zach Benson drove behind the net hard, and made an absurd one-handed pass right to Owen Power. Power wired it by Maple Leafs goalie Joseph Woll and put the Sabres up 1-0 just 2:01 into the contest.

The Sabres carried play for the remainder of the first, but the Stanley-Schenn pair struck again with a brutal giveaway in their own end that Dakota Joshua worked past Lyon to tie the game, 1-1.

Schenn went on to then fight Joshua a few minutes later, hoping to make up for his blunder.

Toronto came out quick to start the second period, and William Nylander turned a giveaway into a 2-on-1 rush. Nylander slid a patient pass under Dahlin's stick to Max Domi, who snuck it around Lyon to give the Leafs a 2-1 lead.

Quinn tied the game up at 11:21, thanks to a nasty no-look pass from Noah Ostlund on the power play.

Both Lyon and Woll took over from there, going back-and-forth, save-for-save, taking the game all the way through a scoreless third period and 3-on-3 overtime.

After a relatively boring overtime period, the game went to a shootout, where Lyon stopped both of Toronto's attempts. After Quinn scored on his attempt in Round 2, Tuch put on a gorgeous deke that fooled Woll and earned Buffalo a nice bounce back win.

While the win was solid, there is more to dive into from this one.

Specifically what the Sabres have gotten themselves into with their new blue liners, Stanley and Schenn. It was just their second game together in Buffalo, but they had played much of the season together in Winnipeg as a pair. Despite this familiarity, they have already been plagued with giveaway issues, and have been on the ice for more goals-against than Zach Metsa has since October.

There are attributes to like about both players, namely their physicality and experience. Those positives will not outweigh the negatives, if they remain playing at their current level.

The other factor hurting the towering pair of depth defenseman is the play of the undersized rookie Metsa. He was paired with Dahlin in this game, in for Samuelsson who was taking a game off for maintenance.

Metsa was his usual steady, quiet self, and even jumped into a few plays when it was appropriate.

There is a real debate to be had on whether the smarts and skill of Metsa serve the Sabres better than the physicality of his larger counterparts Schenn and Stanley. Metsa's results speak for themselves, and head coach Lindy Ruff's decision on who to use may just depend on the opponent.

Sabres beat Maple Leafs in shootout

Hamilton: Lyon propels Sabres to ninth win in 10 games

Jack QuinnMicheline Michaelina (@MiMiV4682)

Highlight players

Alex Tuch has kicked his game up another gear, scoring three goals and adding an assist, as well as a shootout winner in his four games in this set. He did miss the Capitals game out of an abundance of caution, but returned for the game against the Maple Leafs, scoring the shootout winner. Tuch continues to show up in clutch moments, while his goal scoring and penalty killing are a massive piece of the Sabres' success.

Rasmus Dahlin continues to get better-and-better as the season goes on for Buffalo. The captain recorded a goal and six assists in this set, along with a plus-8 rating. I typically pay very little attention to +/- stats, but when you're approaching double digits through just five games, it is worthy of note. Dahlin's leadership and play on the ice is top class. The Sabres and their fans should be excited to see what he does when he reaches the postseason. Something tells me he's the type to bring it up another level.

Jack Quinn went a long way to silencing his many critics through these five games. He put up four goals and two assists, plus a shootout goal for good measure. Quinn's talent is apparent with a wicked shot and solid offensive instincts, but his work to round out his game is becoming obvious. He even went out and laid a few solid body checks in this set, a real rarity for the young forward. If he is able to find a bit more consistency, he could supercharge the Sabres roster with scoring and push this team even further into the playoffs.

Buffalo SabresMicheline Michaelina (@MiMiV4682)

Sabres keep rolling with 8-of-10 points gained

The Sabres continue to build and grow as a group, while winning more than almost anyone across the entirety of the league.

The buzz around the city just continues to grow, and a game like the instant classic against the Lightning only supercharges the fanbase. This group feels like they crossed a threshold after that win. They seem to have proven to the fans, and even themselves that they can hang in there, no matter the circumstances.

That internal belief, reinforced by the fans, can go a long way for a team like this. It will be exciting to see how far this group can take it, because the city will be behind them the whole way.

LISTEN: Ruff on Sabres' mantra: 'Just got to win one more'

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