After being eliminated from playoff contention on Wednesday night, the Buffalo Sabres, who last qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs in 2011, set an NHL record for the longest straight seasons without a postseason appearance.
When the Washington Capitals beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3 on Wednesday, Buffalo (26-34-11) was knocked out of the playoff race. The Sabres haven’t made the playoffs since a seven-game loss in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals to the Philadelphia Flyers in 2011. The Sabres were tied for the longest postseason drought with the Florida Panthers (2001-11) and Edmonton Oilers (2007-16).
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The franchise’s most recent playoff trip, a quarterfinal loss to the Philadelphia Flyers in 2011, came just two months after Terry Pegula bought the team. Under his ownership, Buffalo has yet to reach the playoffs.
The Sabres were tied for the longest consecutive seasons without a playoff berth with the Florida Panthers (2001-11) and Edmonton Oilers (2007-16). They edged out the Panthers on a technicality: both teams went 11 years without making the playoffs, but Florida’s streak was cut short due to the NHL lockout in 2004-05, which was cancelled that season.
The Carolina Hurricanes beat the Buffalo Sabres 5-3 on Thursday night to secure a playoff berth. Sebastian Aho and Jordan Staal each scored two goals as the Hurricanes rallied from two-goal deficits.
With 8:21 remaining, Aho’s game-winning goal put the Hurricanes over the 100-point barrier (46-17-8) for only the second time in team history. They still have 11 games to play.
The Hurricanes’ Teuvo Teravainen also scored, and Staal’s second goal was an empty-netter with 54.3 seconds left. Antti Raanta won for the first time since March 26 by stopping 18.
The Sabres fell in regulation for the second time in their previous 11 games, with Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch, and Victor Olofsson scoring. Buffalo’s first two goals were set up by former Hurricanes forward Jeff Skinner. Craig Anderson had a total of 27 saves.
Goalie issues affected Sabres
Due to injuries, Buffalo had to deploy six goalies this season. Due to a lower-body injury, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen hasn’t played for the Sabres since January 11 and has been playing for Rochester of the American Hockey League since February 9.
Craig Anderson was out for three months with an upper-body injury, and Dustin Tokarski was out for two months with a COVID-19-related sickness. Malcom Subban, who was acquired in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks on December 2, played four games before suffering an upper-body injury and was ruled out for the season. Both Aaron Dell and Michael Houser have started for the Sabres this season.
