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 (in this case, seven), 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 seven games for Buffalo:
Game 1: Sabres shut out the Islanders
The Sabres got this seven-game set off to a great start with a 5-0 shutout win over the New York Islanders.
After a scoreless first period, Jason Zucker broke the game open just 33 seconds into the first period with a rebound goal, followed by a goal from Tage Thompson off a sneaky pass from Zach Benson.
Zucker added another early goal to start the third period, and Rasmus Dahlin guided one into the empty net as the Islanders pulled their goalie early. Alex Tuch added another to bring the final score to 5-0.
Alex Lyon was stellar in goal for Buffalo, earning a 26-save shutout and his ninth-straight win.
While it wasn’t the most high danger game from the Islanders, Lyon’s ability to make timely saves really stands out. His veteran presence, combined with his style of play invoke a sense of confidence and comfortability for the team in front of him. He rarely seems to scramble or chase plays, his rebound control is effective, and he is always on time to the shot.
Lyon’s play in this one was crucial, because the game was much tighter than the final score indicated.
Many of Lyon’s best saves came off of poor puck decisions from the Sabres, which the Islanders turned against them – a theme that seems to be developing a bit when the Sabres struggle within games.
At times, it appears the Sabres are just looking to make the perfect play. They will pass up a clear opportunity to make a simple play, whether it’d be a breakout pass or a shot from the slot, looking for a sexier option. This hesitation allows the opposition to get a better read and get into position to make a play.
It’s a dangerous game to try and coach that out of players, because their creativity and ability to play free is crucial to their success. However, turnovers and missed opportunities often decide games, and a bad one at the wrong time can end your season.
Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff will need to find a fine line.
Game 2: Sabres take it to the Maple Leafs
This 7-4 trouncing of the Maple Leafs in Toronto was a Sabres fans’ dream come true: A road win to cap off a nightmare homestand, which sent their fans into a frenzy of rage, trade suggestions, and tears.
Toronto struck first after a disallowed Sabres goal when Matthew Knies cleaned up a rebound left by Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen at the side of the net.
The two captains then traded goals, as a Dahlin centering pass deflected in before Auston Matthews snuck one through Luukkonen’s five-hole.
Josh Doan got in on the action in the first period with a power play goal, and Thompson wired a low wrister in off the post from distance that wrapped up a wild first period that saw the Sabres up 3-2.
Bobby McMann and Dahlin traded goals in the second, before Tuch scored 16 seconds into the third to give the Sabres their first two-goal lead of the game. Jack Quinn and Max Domi scored dueling goals off the rush, before Dahlin added his third goal of the night into an empty net that made it a 7-4 final.
The Sabres effectively ended the Leafs’ season with the win. Heading into the game, the players, coaches, and fans alike in Toronto acknowledged the enormity of the game in the standings.
Buffalo came in knowing they had a chance to put their rivals into a bad spot, and their killer instinct was on display in the win.
Finding a way to win meaningful games like this is a great indicator of how a team may react to the higher pressure situations that you find yourself in more-and-more often as the year goes on.
Luukkonen did leave in the first period with a lower-body injury and was replaced by Colten Ellis, who made 16 saves on 18 shots in relief.
Dahlin put on one of his finest performances as a member of the Sabres in this one, scoring his first career hat-trick and adding two assists for a monster five-point night. His skating ability, vision, and skill with the puck on his stick were on display all over the ice. He was a play stopper in his own end, got the puck out his zone, and obviously added a ton of offense.
Dahlin sets the tone in many ways for these Sabres, and this was a truly elite performance that pushed his team over the top in a big spot.
Game 3: Sabres triumphant over the Kings
A second-straight hat-trick by a Sabres veteran pushed Buffalo to a 4-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings. This time, it was Tuch who left his mark.
Tuch found the first goal of the game on the power play 7:14 into the first period when a centering pass deflected off a Kings defender and through goaltender Darcy Kuemper. Samuelsson followed Tuch up a few shifts after with a booming one-timer to make it 2-0.
Tuch potted his second of the game with a slick tip on a Bowen Byram point shot. Adrian Kempe netted the Kings’ first of the game on the power play about a minute later.
That marked the final goal scored on a netminder, as Tuch capped off an effective third period with an empty-netter to bring the game to its final score, 4-1, and complete the fourth hat-trick of his career.
Lyon made 37 saves on 38 shots in the victory, earning his 10th-straight win and a new Sabres franchise record for consecutive wins by a goaltender. No easy feat in an organization with all-time greats like Ryan Miller and Dominik Hasek, who Lyon lifted the record off of.
Lyon’s game since returning from injury is similar to what we saw to start the season when he was among the top in the league in goals saved above expected.
Tuch was, obviously, superb as well. While he has not been the most consistent player on a night-in, night-out basis, he is a key cog in the machine that is the Sabres. His blazing speed, effective scoring touch, and elite penalty killing abilities make him a dream piece for any NHL club.
A little more consistency in his forechecking would be a bonus, but contract years tend to slow guys down heading into the corners.
Things still appear to be quiet on the Tuch extension front, and the trade deadline is fast approaching. It’s been debated all season what the Sabres should do if an extension isn’t in place prior to the deadline.
Letting the year finish with Tuch still on the team with no new deal almost guarantees he will be lost in free agency with nothing in return, but trading him away likely only nets future draft picks and prospects. No good for a team looking to break a playoff drought.
Though his performance on the ice and the contract situation are both major storylines to follow, his postgame comments made the biggest splash of all. Tuch spoke of something Sabres fans have been too embarrassed to think about in well over a decade:
“We’re not just gonna go for the playoffs – we’re gonna go for the [Stanley] Cup.”
It would be difficult to overstate the gravity that statement had throughout the Sabres fanbase. Not just for that goal to be explicitly stated, in January no less, but the fact that it felt real.
It feels possible.
Don’t trade that guy, extension or not.
Game 4: Canadiens halt Sabres’ streak
The Sabres’ puck luck finally ran out, as their five-game win streak was halted by a 4-2 loss at the hands of the Montreal Canadiens.
Juraj Slafkovsky got things started on the power play when he rifled a sweeping one-timer over Lyon’s shoulder about midway through the first period.
It took until 7:36 of the second period for Owen Power to score the next goal of the game on a delayed penalty to the Canadiens. Noah Ostlund then helped Buffalo take the lead with a power play goal with just 1:02 to go in the frame.
However, Cole Caufield netted a pair in the third period, thanks to some soft defensive zone coverage by the Sabres, and Oliver Kapanen sealed it at 4-2 with an empty netter.
Buffalo was effective for the majority of the game, winning just about every advanced metric you can look at. However, a hot goalie and a team ready to make you pay on your limited mistakes is a recipe to get beat.
Montreal goalie Jakub Dobes put on a show, making 36 saves on 38 shots faced. The 24-year-old has had an up-and-down year in the Canadiens’ crease, but has been on fire recently, following a goaltending coach change in Montreal.
Dobes made some very difficult saves look easy on the Sabres, and helped earned the Canadiens a massive two points in the standings for his team.
It was the little things that caught up to Buffalo in this loss. Getting caught looking on the penalty kill, leaving a stick unattended in front, a bad read on a puck retrieval, all of these things happen a hundred times in a hockey game.
What matters is where, and when they happen, and they were in the wrong spots against the Canadiens.
Similarly, some losses can hurt more than others. This one, against a divisional rival, certainly hurt.
Buffalo had a chance to get some separation from the Canadiens in a tight race for third place in the Atlantic Division, but with the loss, Montreal jumped into that slot.
The Boston Bruins also jumped the Sabres, as they earned a point in their shootout loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, dropping the Sabres all the way into the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Game 5: Sabres come back to beat Panthers
The Sabres banked a critical two points in the standings with an impressive 5-3 road victory over the Florida Panthers.
After a couple of bad bounces and a shaky start from Lyon that led to a pair of Panthers goals by Sandis Vilmanis and Evan Rodrigues, the Sabres were clearly chasing the game in a 2-0 hole just under six minutes into the game.
After Ruff held court on the bench during a TV timeout, the Sabres turned it on, and Thompson put on a shimmy move even Kobe Bryant would’ve appreciated before wiring a wrister into the top corner to make it 2-1.
A few shifts later, Dahlin made a great pass to Peyton Krebs as he crashed the back door, and the Sabres erased their early deficit before the first had even expired.
Benson took the lead for Buffalo 5:44 into the second period, but Florida tied it up on the power play thanks to a one-timer from Uvis Balinskis before the second came to a close.
Zucker then buried a sick pass from Doan on the power play early in the third period, and Buffalo grinded it out from there. Doan added an empty netter to make it 5-3, Buffalo.
The Sabres’ resiliency shined through in this one again. They got off to a brutal start, as Florida was dominating on the walls and Buffalo couldn’t hold the puck for a second.
However, after Ruff’s quick talk with his team, they completely turned it around and scored three unanswered.
Even from there, the Panthers didn’t make life easy. The third period was a flurry of desperate efforts from the Sabres to clear pucks, block shots, and defend their crease.
Lyon was great again in net, stopping 38-of-41 shots faced in the win. The most impressive part of this performance, though, was his ability to stabilize after a tough start.
As a goaltender, there are always games where you can feel your game isn’t there. Whether it’d be your tracking being off or your body not moving quite right, being an NHL goaltender demands your absolute best. When you feel yourself struggling, you know it, and it’s a terrifying feeling.
I’d bet Lyon was feeling that after the first half of the first period, but he dug in and found a way to get a win without his best stuff.
Krebs fit the same theme. After a brutal mistake leading to a Panthers goal early, he was clearly upset with himself. He found a way to turn it around, and put together one of his best performances in his pro career, scoring a goal and a pair of assists, winning battles, and breaking up plays in his own end. Krebs was a catalyst up front for an impressive comeback against the defending champions.
Game 6: Lightning beat Sabres in a close one
The Sabres let a point slip away in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Nikita Kucherov scored first for the Lightning off a defensive zone turnover, but Samuelsson scored before the first period expired with a sneaky shot from a bad angle that found its way through Andrei Vasilevsky.
Samuelsson went back-to-back after a scoreless second period to give the Sabres a 2-1 lead, blasting a wrister in on a zone entry.
The two teams then traded power play goals in the final frame, with Oliver Bjorkstrand scoring for Tampa Bay and Doan for the Sabres.
The Sabres were unable to cling to their one-goal lead, and Darren Raddysh tied the game up, 3-3, with just seconds remaining to send it to overtime.
Jake Guentzel then won the game for the Lightning on a clear-cut breakaway, thanks to Krebs getting caught puck watching and letting the forward sneak behind him.
The Lightning stole a pair of points off the Sabres late.
It was a disappointing finish to the first meeting between the two Atlantic Division teams. Buffalo put themselves into a great position with a third-period lead, a spot they’ve had a lot of good results in this season.
However, their process on the way to these results has not always been sound. They’ve had a handful of games in which they gave up late goals against, and it finally came back to bite them against one of the best teams in the league.
Buffalo seemed to get a little nervous when Tampa Bay pulled its goalie. The players drifted towards the middle of the ice, and allowed the Lightning the time and space needed to get the tying shot off.
It’s a good lesson to learn at this point of the year. Buffalo just needs to ensure they learn from it.
Ellis deserves some praise for what, I thought, may have been his best performance of the season. He made 31 saves on 35 shots, and looked as confident positionally as he has all season. His unique style has earned him his “Colten Chaos” moniker, but this chaos is not always conducive to getting consistent results. He looked a lot more under control in this game, save for a moment or two where he was scrambling.
If he can find a quieter presence and blend it with his high level athleticism and lateral quickness, he absolutely has a future as a high level netminder in the NHL.
The biggest difference between these two teams, at this point, is experience. The Lightning have been a top organization in the NHL for years, with a championship pedigree and high standards. They are the model of what the Sabres are striving to build towards.
Despite the frustrating finish, the Sabres showed they have what it takes to compete.
Game 7: Sabres fall flat against Penguins
This was an ugly one for the Sabres, as they struggled from puck drop to the final buzzer. A sloppy game right before a long break can be expected, but you’d hope for more in a game you have a chance to rise into second place in the Atlantic Division.
Zucker opened the scoring with a well placed wrist shot that beat Penguins netminder Arturs Silovs on the glove side 1:46 into the game.
Pittsburgh forward Avery Hayes took over the period from there, though, scoring a pair of goals in his NHL debut to put Pittsburgh in front, 2-1.
Fellow rookie Ben Kindel capitalized on a blown tire by Jacob Bryson by blowing a shot by Lyon on a 2-on-1 rush at the 7:44 mark of the second period.
Thompson made things interesting early in the third period when he roofed one on the power play, but the Penguins held on and sealed it with a late goal from Tommy Novak and an empty netter from Kindel.
Buffalo’s connectivity and snappy puck movement we’ve come to expect was notably absent in this loss. There were countless plays right there to be made for the Sabres, but everything seemed to be just off the mark.
There were countless dangerous opportunities the Sabres earned for themselves that were undone by a pass in the feet or just out of reach. Many of the passes that did connect sailed wide or over the net when they did result in shots.
Sometimes you just don’t have it, and this appeared to be one of those nights for the Sabres.
Buffalo’s habit of passing up on high quality chances was also a factor in the loss. There were countless times the Sabres held the puck in the slot for a beat, and tried to make an extra pass for a tap-in goal.
On a night where you aren’t connecting on as many passes cleanly, more of those pucks need to get to the net.
One bright spot to take away was the Sabres’ ability to make plays low in the offensive zone, specifically behind the net was top of mind watching this one. They consistently find a forward low in the zone on the cycle, and are effective both off the puck getting open, and with the puck finding a dangerous play.
It’s hard not to think their defenseman’s tendency to jump into the play and create chaos in the zone helps them find soft areas in these spots. Generating offense from non-threatening areas of the ice is a good sign for the sustainability of their offense.
Photo credit Al Bello – Getty Images
Highlight players:
Alex Lyon played 5-of-7 games for Buffalo in this stretch, going 3-2 and posting a .934 save percentage. The Sabres have been getting great results no matter who is in net, but Lyon brings a calming veteran presence to the Sabres crease not seen with his two younger partners. His game is built around his strong skating ability and high IQ that allows him to read plays early, and be in great position the vast majority of the time. If he can continue to build on this game and earn more-and-more trust from his teammates, it will go a long way for the consistency of this Sabres team.
Rasmus Dahlin has continued to prove why he is one of the best defensemen in the NHL through this set. He cruised to four goals and eight assists, including his first-career hat-trick against Toronto. He is as elusive a skater as there is in the league, and his ability to find the open man up and down the ice is elite. His leadership and commitment to playing the way Ruff demands set the tone for everyone else on the team.
Mattias Samuelsson was, once again, incredible in this set for Buffalo, scoring three goals and five assists. His two-way play is almost impossible to overstate. He continues to dominate play in his own end, eliminating any threat that dares to come near him both off the rush and in the zone, while also laying punishing body checks, at least, once a game. Combining that with this offensive output means if he were a bigger name in a bigger market, he would be getting Norris Trophy love.
Jack Quinn also is playing his best hockey of the season. With a goal and seven assists in the last seven games, his offensive production has picked up a bit. But I’ve been more impressed with his all around game. For the majority of the time the Sabres have been winning this season, Quinn has felt like a bit of an outlier in the forward group in that he was decidedly poor in his own end. Just about every other forward on the roster is, at least, effective back there, and Quinn has been downright bad in that area for most of his career. In this set though, there has been some noticeable improvement. He doesn’t blow his assignments as much, he’s working hard to get back, and he’s putting in work to win battles. If he’s able to continue to round out his game and continues to produce, he will be a nice piece to have in the middle-six of the lineup.
Sabres gain 9-of-14 points
Despite the downturn at the end of this slightly extended set of games, it was still an effective stretch where the Sabres continued to build their identity and bank crucial points.
The extended Olympic break provides the team with time to reset, refocus, and get healthy. Benson and Josh Norris should both return after the break, which along with some time away, should give the Sabres a nice boost for the home stretch.
The Sabres now find themselves in the top Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference, just two points back of both the Canadiens and Detroit Red Wings for second and third in the division, respectively. Their sights should now be set on chasing down home ice in the first round of the playoffs.
The most difficult stretch of the season still lies ahead, but these Sabres have earned the fanbase’s belief and trust in their ability to come back and get themselves into the playoffs for the first time in well over a decade.
After the break, the Sabres get back to it on the road against the New Jersey Devils, Panthers, and Lightning, before returning home to host the Vegas Golden Knights before wrapping up with an away game against the Penguins.