BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Sports bars across Buffalo echoed with applause Friday night as the Sabres secured their first playoff series win in 19 years with their 4-1 victory over the Boston Bruins.
The team’s victory is bringing back memories for many Buffalo hockey fans from when the Sabres last made it this far.
“I got this shirt when they first were in the playoffs last and still wearing it today, so I’m as happy as can be,” one fan said after the team’s win.
Fans welcomed the team home after their win in Boston, advancing to the second round for the first time since 2007, putting an end to a longstanding drought.
“Never give up hope, never,” one fan said.
“Unbelievable game, unbelievable way to win,” another fan added. “Sabres are moving on, I couldn’t be happier.”
Another fan said the team hadn’t won a playoff series since he was 14 years old. “It brings up all those songs from ’06 and ’07 runs, and you hear it now, it’s not just nostalgic, it’s celebratory in the moment,” he said.
Back then, the team was led by stars like Ryan Miller and Daniel Brière and held a spark that had the city believing. “I think we’re the new hockey town, that’s what I think it is,” Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff told WIVB News 4 in 2007.
Now, generations of fans are united in their support of the team, feeling the same spark again after the Sabres delivered a breakthrough nearly two decades in the making.
“I’ve been waiting almost 20 years for this,” one fan told News 4. “With all of these fans, this is absolutely amazing. I have no words, this is just incredible.”
“I was maybe five years old the last time the Sabres were at this moment, to be here with my brothers and my best friends in the world — unforgettable moment for us,” another hockey fan shared.
Many fans say the team’s playoff run is the start of something lasting. “They’re a wagon, baby! They’re a wagon! They’re a wagon!”
With the second-round matchups still to be set, the Sabres will face either the Montreal Canadiens or Tampa Bay Lightning at KeyBank Center in Game 1 on Wednesday.
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Angelica Gallagher is a Lancaster native who joined the News 4 team in 2025. See more of her work here.
Gabriella Baiano has been a digital producer with WIVB since November 2025. View more of her work here.
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