ARLINGTON, Va. -- Having come up short in their first attempt to clinch their first Stanley Cup Playoff berth since 2011 on Thursday, the Buffalo Sabres went back to work Friday to put themselves in a better position to succeed in their second try.
The Sabres stressed doing everything faster at practice ahead of their game at the Washington Capitals on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; MNMT, MSG-B).
“I thought the energy was great,” coach Lindy Ruff said. “I thought the pace was great. I thought we skated better today than we did last night.”
Ruff then suggested the potential reason for the difference.
“Because we had nothing to gain today.”
The Sabres (46-22-8) perhaps were a little too aware of what was at stake in their 4-1 loss at the Ottawa Senators on Thursday. Knowing a victory would’ve ended a 14-season playoff drought that is the longest in NHL history, they were a little tight.
“Maybe the pressure of being there, just a little bit of that caught up to the guys,” Ruff said.
Buffalo is still in a great position heading into its final six games of the regular season. The Sabres are second in the Atlantic Division behind the Tampa Bay Lightning, though tied with them in points (having played one more game), and two points behind the Carolina Hurricanes for first in the Eastern Conference (with the Hurricanes having a game in hand). So, it’s seemingly only a matter of time before the Sabres clinch their spot in the postseason.
In fact, it would happen before Buffalo takes the ice against Washington if the Detroit Red Wings lose in regulation at the New York Rangers in their 12:30 p.m. ET game on Saturday. Regardless, the Sabres know they need to elevate their play to set themselves up to have success once the playoffs begin.
Since going 12-1-0 in their first 13 games after the break for the 2026 Winter Olympics, the Sabres have two wins in their past six (2-2-2). They’ve given up at least three goals in five of those six games, including allowing four or more goals in four of them.
“I think for us it's just making sure that our game is at its top level, and it definitely wasn't last night, and just focusing on the day to day,” forward Alex Tuch said. “We're in a race for the division and, obviously, we're a couple points behind Carolina, too. So, there's a lot of different things that go into it, but you’ve just got to go play.”
That’s been the Sabres’ formula for success in turning their season around after going 11-14-4 in their first 29 games. Jarmo Kekalainen replacing Kevyn Adams as general manager on Dec. 15 might’ve provided a needed spark, but Buffalo has put itself in this position with its play since then.
Ruff reminded the Sabres players of that before their practice Friday.
“I told the team this morning, ‘We've had the best record for four straight months, and it was from just we're not changing,’” Ruff said. “We're just trying to play our game and getting rewarded for our game. I think what's really good about this part right now is we know it's going to be hard.
“We've got guys that understand how hard the playoffs are, we've got some guys that have never experienced it, but this is the time of year where things get really hard.”
The Sabres have experienced that over the past two weeks. They’re hoping it helps prepare them for what’s ahead.
“During these last few games, the game tightened up a lot,” goalie Alex Lyon said. “Ottawa was a great example last night. Without a couple of their top guys and they played a fantastic game, managing the game, keeping pucks in front of them, limiting high-quality, high-danger chances. And that's the name of the game in the postseason.
“It's not necessarily about who can create the most, but who can be the most patient.”
Although the Sabres didn’t play their best against the Senators, they were tied 1-1 until Lars Eller scored the winning goal on a deflection 5:55 into third period. Two late empty-net goals made the score more lopsided, but the Sabres recognized they were within reach of winning if they had played more to their identity.
“I think last night's game was we wanted it to be a little easier,” Ruff said. “We didn't come to the puck enough, we didn't play close enough together, and we were still right there in the second period. Their goalie made a couple of big saves. I think we generated enough to end up winning a hockey game.”
So, Buffalo will take what it learned in losing in Ottawa and try to utilize that lesson against Washington, another team battling to get back into the playoff picture. The Capitals (38-29-9) trail the Senators by three points for the second wild card into the playoffs from the East.
“Especially a team like Ottawa who's pushing for a playoff spot, who's right there on the edge, is going to be really desperate and we weren't able to match their desperation and we were outworked,” Tuch said. “I just know that we're going to get every team's best from here on out, so we have to be at our best.”
