The Buffalo Sabres have done it.They ended the longest playoff drought in NHL history Saturday.With the New York Rangers’ 4-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings Saturday afternoon at Madison Square Garden, the Sabres clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2011.It had been a long stretch of bad hockey in Buffalo prior to this season. They have had more than 90 points in a season just once in the last 14 seasons.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COMThey have been a mainstay at the top of the NHL Draft, owning the No. 1 and No. 2 selections twice each while owning a top 10 pick in 11 different drafts.At the beginning of December, it looked like this season would be no different than the others when the team started out with an 11-14-4 record. However, the team rattled off a 10-game winning streak after beating the Edmonton Oilers.JACK HUGHES DEBUTS NEW SMILE AT YANKEES HOME OPENER AFTER LOSING TEETH IN OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL GAMEAfter winning the third game of that streak, they fired general manager Kevyn Adams and hired Jarmo Kekäläinen. Since hiring Kekäläinen, the Sabres are an NHL-best 32-8-4.While the team has clinched a playoff berth, the Sabres are still playing for playoff seeding.They are tied for first place in the Atlantic Division with the Tampa Bay Lightning with 100 points, but the Sabres have played one more game. The Montreal Canadiens, currently in third place in the Atlantic Division, are right behind them with 98 points.The Sabres will take on the Washington Capitals at 7 p.m. ET Saturday as they look to shore up their seeding for the playoffs.Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Sabres end longest playoff drought in NHL history, clinching berth for first time since 2011

