Buffalo had an opportunity to secure a berth in the Stanley Cup playoffs on Thursday night. It didn’t happen. So, what comes next?
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo Sabres had an opportunity to secure a berth in the Stanley Cup playoffs on Thursday night.
It didn’t happen. The Sabres must wait to end their postseason drought, which dates back to the 2010-11 season, following their 4-1 road loss to the Ottawa Senators.
The Sabres entered the day with a 46-21-8 record and 100 points, sitting atop the Atlantic Division, two points up on Tampa Bay. The Lightning also played on Thursday night, beating Pittsburgh Penguins 6-3 and climbing back into a first-place tie in the division.
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Buffalo’s next chance to punch its postseason ticket comes Saturday night at Washington.
The Sabres’ last postseason game happened on April 26, 2011, when they lost a Game 7 in an Eastern Conference quarterfinal series in Philadelphia. The Flyers scored the first four goals and eliminated Buffalo that night.