The Buffalo Sabres went into this weekend looking to send a message to the Toronto Maple Leafs (their opponent Friday and Saturday) and the rest of the NHL, for that matter. And as of Sunday, that message – “We’re a different Sabres team, and we’re going to put up a fight” – was exactly what Sabres fans wanted to hear.
Taking on a Maple Leafs team that had been struggling, the Sabres handed Toronto a 5-3 loss in Buffalo, then salvaged a standings point the following night in Toronto in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Leafs. That’s three points out of a possible four points. That’s as close as you can get to an ideal showing.
So Sabres fans have to be pleased with what they saw. And specifically, they have to be happy with Buffalo’s resilience, even if it is apparent only in a small sample size.
Indeed, the Sabres pushed for that third standings point Saturday, nearly beating Toronto for the second straight game. In previous years, the Sabres would’ve been satisfied with winning the first game of a two-game series, and more or less laid down in easy defeat in the second game. Or worse – they would’ve lost both games.
Instead, the Sabres enter the new week with a 4-4-1 record – nothing to write home about, but much better than their 0-3-0 start to the year. And while it’s crazy early to make these kind of notes, the Sabres’ hot streak still doesn’t have them in a playoff position. That said, thanks to their current 4-0-1 clip, Buffalo is tied with the Leafs and Ottawa Senators for fourth spot in the highly-competitive Atlantic Division, only one point behind the third-place Florida Panthers, and three points behind the second-place Detroit Red Wings.
Double Dose Of Leafs Should Be Plenty Of Motivation For Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres kick off a two-games-in-two-nights showdown against the Toronto Maple Leafs, an Atlantic Division rival that, like the Sabres, has gotten out to a mediocre start to the 2025-26 season. Some would even say that the Maple Leafs are a vulnerable team right now — an assessment that puts pressure on Buffalo to not only get at least one win in the two games, but also salvage a standings point in the second game.
Thus, it’s an encouraging time right now for Sabres players, management and fans. But these days of positivity won’t last if Buffalo can’t keep winning more often than not. And in the week ahead, the Sabres have the opportunity to either stay strong, or to fall back into familiar losing patterns.
Buffalo’s next game comes Tuesday when they host the Columbus Blue Jackets, followed by a Thursday road game against the Boston Bruins. Then, the Sabres close out the week against the Washington Capitals before they take on the shockingly-good Utah Mammoth. If they don’t handle business against the Jackets and Bruins, it’s possible Buffalo slides back into the basement of the Atlantic.
The Sabres can’t afford another prolonged losing skid. This past week was a net positive for Buffalo, but without consistent wins, this past week will be squandered.
The living is good for the Sabres at the moment, but the NHL demands its playoff teams be above-average week-in and week-out. And that’s clearly the challenge for Buffalo right now. The Sabres have shown this past week they’ve got some fight in them, but the battle rages on, from now through mid-April, to demonstrate they can do it on the regular.
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