Wilson: Believing the prophecy

Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - In the history of sports, there have been some memorable predictions made that have resulted in either a moment for the ages, or the biggest of flops.

Who could forget Mark Messier's guarantee for a New York Rangers win Game 6 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Final against the New Jersey Devils? How about Muhammad Ali's numerous predictions in fights he fought during his heyday? There's also Joe Namath's infamous prediction years ago of the New York Jets winning Super Bowl III against the Indianapolis Colts.

And then there are the misses:

- ESPN NFL Draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. staking his reputation on quarterback Jimmy Clausen in the 2010 NFL Draft.
- Dan Gilbert believing his Cleveland Cavaliers would win a title before superstar LeBron James after he left for the Miami Heat.
- The Hockey News predicting Stanley Cup winners years-and-years in advance.

Those are just a few predictions to recollect on over the year.

However, one silly prediction that had me a skeptic for years now has me fully on the wagon and believing the future of Buffalo sports is riding high.

Let me take you back to July 18, 2018. I was still a producer at WGR and was working the phones into the afternoon hours.

Sitting in the producer's chair, one of our daily tasks is screening phone calls and being the gatekeeper to who gets on the air with a take, question, or comment relating to the Buffalo Sabres or Buffalo Bills. Like many producers and board operators before and after me, we have heard a number of interesting comments or takes relating to Buffalo sports, and it's our job to ensure some of the craziest of takes (or those who may fly off the rails) do not find their way on the air.

One caller that particular Wednesday - in the slow portion of the sports season locally - really tried his best to get on the airways. I'll admit, I can't even remember what his first two phone calls were about, but he tried his best with different names and different locations of where he was calling from to get on the air.

In this caller's third and final attempt to get on the air, he, once again, gave me a different name and location of his call, but then proceeded to inform me he was a "psychic". Then he told me of his prediction for the future with both Buffalo teams: It was that the Bills would win the Super Bowl in 2027, while the Sabres would win the Stanley Cup a year before in 2026.

Let's remember the state of both teams back in the summer of 2018.

The Bills had just drafted quarterback Josh Allen, who was seen by many as a huge gamble given his inaccuracies and "hero ball" tendencies as a prospect. And while the team had just made the playoffs, thus snapping a 17-season playoff drought, there were still so many questions surrounding the Bills going forward.

Then there were the Sabres, who finished dead-last in the NHL standings for the third time in five seasons, and had won the NHL Draft Lottery for the right to draft defenseman Rasmus Dahlin with the first overall pick. Not only that, but they had recently traded Ryan O'Reilly to the St. Louis Blues for a package that included a 2019 first-round pick (Ryan Johnson), Patrik Berglund (didn't want to be here), Vladimir Sobotka (don't get me started) and some former first-round pick in 2016 named Tage Thompson.

At the time, it was a pretty laughable prediction. Which is why I decided to take the prediction to Twitter (now known as "X", but does anyone really call it that anyway?) and post the prediction/vision of the "psychic" very tongue-in-cheek.

I've kept tabs on this tweet over the years, pinning it to my profile for a while, while also even tweeting out updates like, "Three years out from this prediction now!" It has been fun keeping this post in my back pocket, and seeing whether or not this "psychic" actually had any credence with this prediction for both the Sabres and Bills.

When this 2025-26 season began for the Sabres, it seemed very quickly that the hockey team was destined for a 15th-straight season of playoff-less hockey, thus proving this prediction dead wrong before it could garner any traction.

But as we know, the Sabres finally found their game under head coach Lindy Ruff in December and bought in, turning an 11-14-4 start through 29 games into an improbable 39-9-5 finish, an end to the longest playoff drought in league history, and an Atlantic Division title to boot. Following the Olympic break in February, Buffalo continued its winning ways with a league-best 18-4-3 finish in 25 games.

For the first time since the 1999-2000 season, the Sabres and Bills (why not throw the Buffalo Bandits in there too!) appeared in the playoffs in their respective sports.

This prediction all starts with the success of the Sabres. Whether or not they actually make a run to the Stanley Cup Final and win the whole damn thing in 2026 will then set up the hype surrounding the potential of the Bills finding their way to a Super Bowl win this coming February at SoFi Stadium in Southern California.

After gaining more-and-more momentum starting in January, the prediction started circulating like wild fire again, leading to posts of people placing bets on the Sabres and Bills actually winning championships in the coming months. (Do with your money as you please, but please gamble responsibly.)

But as the Stanley Cup Playoffs kicked off Saturday and the Sabres opening their first-round matchup with the Boston Bruins on Sunday, it seems like many pundits and fans around the league are quick to look past Buffalo and what they have accomplished this season.

When it comes to play at 5-on-5, the Sabres match up with some of the best teams in the entire league. Buffalo scored 193 goals at full strength, which was fourth-best in the NHL behind the Tampa Bay Lightning (195), Pittsburgh Penguins (201) and Colorado Avalanche (216). They've been capitalizing on their chances at full strength (10.65%) and getting the needed goaltending they haven't gotten in the past (.914 save percentage as a team), resulting in the fourth-best PDO rating (sum of the team's shooting percentage plus save percentage) during the regular season.

In terms of the other advanced stats relating to the Sabres, they have been respectable across the board, sitting somewhere in the middle of the league standings or better.

The Sabres also have one of the best penalty kill units in the entire league with a rate of 81.9%, which was fourth-best in the regular season.

Where this team's downfall could come in the playoffs is the lack of an efficient power play. Buffalo finished the regular season converting on just 19.5% of its chances with the man advantage. Since the Olympic break, the Sabres finished with the 10th-worst power play unit, converting just 18.1% of their opportunities.

When watching the power play, the entries are not often clean, and even when both units can establish some zone time in the offensive end, it tends to result in too many passed up opportunities or not enough quality shot attempts on goal. In fact, the Sabres failed to score a single power play goal in the final seven games of the regular season.

If the Sabres are to make a deep run this postseason, the power play has to find its groove, getting teams second guessing where players are moving around the ice, while also generating more quality chances instead of trying to find the perfect play.

Buffalo has done a great job getting bodies in-and-around the crease in all situations this season. That also has to continue in the playoffs if the Sabres want to cap off an already special season.

Where the Sabres have been relatively good this season is generating more quality shots on goal over quantity while playing at even strength. However, there are still instances at 5-on-5 - not quite to the magnitude of the power play - where players are trying to get a bit cute and make the perfect passing play over just firing the puck at the net and trying to create other scoring chances that way.

If the Sabres can find a way to continue the success they had in the regular season and hit their true stride in the playoffs, anything is possible for this hockey team, searching for its first Stanley Cup title in its 55-year history.

So why not believe the hype, at this point? Why not buy in to the prophecy of this, so called, "psychic" and pick the Sabres to actually win the Stanley Cup? What does anyone have to lose with this?

I'm buying in, and letting this ride continue for however long the prophecy decides to run its course.

As for my predictions:

- ROUND 1: Sabres in six games over the Bruins.
- ROUND 2: Sabres in seven games over the Canadiens.
- ROUND 3: Sabres in seven games over the Hurricanes.
- STANLEY CUP FINAL: Sabres in seven games over the Wild.

A grueling trek, but one that would surely provide so many fun storylines along the way.

Playoff hockey is finally back in Buffalo. Have fun with it, no matter what happens. Relish the moments every step of the way.