{"id":539831,"date":"2026-04-04T05:40:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-04T05:40:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/539831\/"},"modified":"2026-04-04T05:40:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-04T05:40:14","slug":"sabres-seek-playoff-berth-against-capitals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/539831\/","title":{"rendered":"Sabres Seek Playoff Berth Against Capitals"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"submission-link-wrapper\"><a href=\"https:\/\/forms.nationaltoday.com\/news?location=Washington%2C+DC&amp;city=Washington&amp;type=Update+Existing+Story&amp;headline=Sabres+Seek+Playoff+Berth+Against+Capitals&amp;page=https%3A%2F%2Fnationaltoday.com%2Fus%2Fdc%2Fwashington%2Fnews%2F2026%2F04%2F04%2Fsabres-seek-playoff-berth-against-capitals%2F\" class=\"submission-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Got story updates? Submit your updates here. \u203a<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/69d072927eaf3.jpg\" alt=\"A cubist, geometric painting depicting the action of a hockey game, with players and the rink broken down into overlapping angular shapes and planes in shades of blue, red, and white.\" width=\"1344\" height=\"768\" class=\"news-image\"\/>The Sabres&#8217; long-awaited return to the NHL playoffs hangs in the balance as they face off against the Capitals in a crucial late-season matchup.Washington Today<\/p>\n<p>The Buffalo Sabres have a second chance to clinch a spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs when they visit the Washington Capitals on Saturday night. The Sabres missed their first opportunity to secure a postseason berth, but a win over the Capitals would officially end their lengthy playoff drought.<\/p>\n<p>      Why it matters<\/p>\n<p>The Sabres have not made the playoffs since the 2010-11 season, the longest active drought in the NHL. Ending this streak would be a major accomplishment for the franchise and its long-suffering fans, who have endured over a decade of disappointment.<\/p>\n<p>            The details<\/p>\n<p>The Sabres had a chance to clinch a playoff spot on Thursday night but fell short in their game against another opponent. Now they turn their attention to the Capitals, who will be a tough test as the Sabres look to punch their ticket to the postseason.<\/p>\n<p>      The Sabres&#8217; playoff drought dates back to the 2010-11 season.Buffalo will face the Capitals on Saturday, April 4, 2026.<\/p>\n<p>        The players<\/p>\n<p>        Buffalo Sabres<\/p>\n<p>An NHL hockey team based in Buffalo, New York that has not made the playoffs since the 2010-11 season, the longest active drought in the league.<\/p>\n<p>Washington Capitals<\/p>\n<p>An NHL hockey team based in Washington, D.C. that will host the Sabres on Saturday night.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/forms.nationaltoday.com\/news?location=Washington%2C+DC&amp;city=Washington&amp;type=Upload+Story+Photos&amp;headline=Sabres+Seek+Playoff+Berth+Against+Capitals&amp;page=https%3A%2F%2Fnationaltoday.com%2Fus%2Fdc%2Fwashington%2Fnews%2F2026%2F04%2F04%2Fsabres-seek-playoff-berth-against-capitals%2F\" class=\"submission-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Got photos? Submit your photos here. \u203a<\/a><br \/>\n            What\u2019s next<\/p>\n<p>If the Sabres defeat the Capitals on Saturday, they will officially clinch a spot in the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs, ending their 15-year postseason drought.<\/p>\n<p>        The takeaway<\/p>\n<p>The Sabres&#8217; long-suffering fans are eager to see their team return to the playoffs for the first time in over a decade. A win over the Capitals would be a significant milestone for the franchise as it looks to build momentum and compete for a championship.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Got story updates? Submit your updates here. \u203a The Sabres&#8217; long-awaited return to the NHL playoffs hangs in&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":539832,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5114],"tags":[191,5,4,190,109,5222],"class_list":{"0":"post-539831","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-washington-capitals","8":"tag-capitals","9":"tag-hockey","10":"tag-nhl","11":"tag-washington","12":"tag-washington-capitals","13":"tag-washingtoncapitals"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116344837146942255","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/539831","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=539831"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/539831\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/539832"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=539831"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=539831"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=539831"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}