Sabres Clinch Playoff Berth

“I’m not going to lie, starting the first 10 games around .500 definitely had me worried. The teams in our division were firing right out of the gate and we were barely holding our head above water.” Roberto may have felt that way, but then the Sabres proceeded to win 9 straight which put them towards the top of the Atlantic. They’ve bounced around a couple of spots overall, but have comfortably held a top 3 spot in the Atlantic since the quarter mark of the season.

The Sabres have now clinched a playoff spot and will once again try to make a deep run as the defending Stanley Cup champions. “I am extremely happy to have clinched a playoff spot, that’s what we’re here for. We saw what it took last year to finish the job and this year will be no easier.”. The Eastern Conference is once again loaded up with teams playing at the top of their game. “You can’t afford to have a few bad games in a row, that could be the difference between making or missing the playoffs”.

When discussing the strength of the conference, GM Martucci was asked about his quiet season and deadline and he had this to say: “After bringing in Alex (Iafallo) and Scott (Wedgewood) we felt like we addressed where our team was lacking. We were struggling with our depth and getting out of our own zone. We also felt Spencer (Knight) was much better suited for the Americans this year and Scott came in and stabilized the backup role for us. We got this deal done earlier to hopefully get ahead of deadline prices and give us more time to build chemistry. Most of the group is the same as last year so we know what we have, there was no need to get too antsy and start making moves for the sake of it”.

The Sabres are hoping for another deep run this year, but it definitely won’t be easy. Buffalo’s final positioning is still up in the air so the possibility of who they may face in round 1 is still unknown. Whoever it is, they know it’s not going to be an easy one.