ARLINGTON,\u00a0Va. — Having come up short in their first attempt to clinch their first Stanley Cup Playoff berth since 2011 on Thursday, the Buffalo Sabres went back to work Friday to put themselves in a better position to succeed in their second try.<\/p>\n
The Sabres stressed doing everything faster at practice ahead of their game at the Washington Capitals on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; MNMT, MSG-B).<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought the energy was great,\u201d coach Lindy Ruff said. \u201cI thought the pace was great. I thought we skated better today than we did last night.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ruff then suggested the potential reason for the difference.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause we had nothing to gain today.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Sabres (46-22-8) perhaps were a little too aware of what was at stake in their 4-1 loss at the Ottawa Senators on Thursday. Knowing a victory would\u2019ve ended a 14-season playoff drought that is the longest in NHL history, they were a little tight.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe the pressure of being there, just a little bit of that caught up to the guys,\u201d Ruff said.<\/p>\n
Buffalo is still in a great position heading into its final six games of the regular season. The Sabres are second in the Atlantic Division behind the Tampa Bay Lightning, though tied with them in points (having played one more game), and two points behind the Carolina Hurricanes for first in the Eastern Conference (with the Hurricanes having a game in hand). So, it\u2019s seemingly only a matter of time before the Sabres clinch their spot in the postseason.<\/p>\n
In fact, it would happen before Buffalo takes the ice against Washington if the Detroit Red Wings lose in regulation at the New York Rangers in their 12:30 p.m. ET game on Saturday. Regardless, the Sabres know they need to elevate their play to set themselves up to have success once the playoffs begin.<\/p>\n
Since going 12-1-0 in their first 13 games after the break for the 2026 Winter Olympics, the Sabres have two wins in their past six (2-2-2). They\u2019ve given up at least three goals in five of those six games, including allowing four or more goals in four of them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI think for us it’s just making sure that our game is at its top level, and it definitely wasn’t last night, and just focusing on the day to day,\u201d forward Alex Tuch<\/a> said. \u201cWe’re in a race for the division and, obviously, we’re a couple points behind Carolina, too. So, there’s a lot of different things that go into it, but you\u2019ve just got to go play.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s been the Sabres\u2019 formula for success in turning their season around after going 11-14-4 in their first 29 games. Jarmo Kekalainen replacing Kevyn Adams as general manager on Dec. 15 might\u2019ve provided a needed spark, but Buffalo has put itself in this position with its play since then.<\/p>\n Ruff reminded the Sabres players of that before their practice Friday.<\/p>\n \u201cI told the team this morning, \u2018We’ve had the best record for four straight months, and it was from just we’re not changing,\u2019\u201d Ruff said. \u201cWe’re just trying to play our game and getting rewarded for our game. I think what’s really good about this part right now is we know it’s going to be hard.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe’ve got guys that understand how hard the playoffs are, we’ve got some guys that have never experienced it, but this is the time of year where things get really hard.\u201d<\/p>\n The Sabres have experienced that over the past two weeks. They\u2019re hoping it helps prepare them for what\u2019s ahead.<\/p>\n \u201cDuring these last few games, the game tightened up a lot,\u201d goalie Alex Lyon<\/a>\u00a0said. \u201cOttawa was a great example last night. Without a couple of their top guys and they played a fantastic game, managing the game, keeping pucks in front of them, limiting high-quality, high-danger chances. And that’s the name of the game in the postseason.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s not necessarily about who can create the most, but who can be the most patient.\u201d<\/p>\n