It was a season that gave Buffalo everything it had been waiting years for, and then broke its heart in the most gut-wrenching way possible. The Sabres entered the 2026 playoffs as the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed, and they had earned it. Their 50-23-9 record was good enough to top the Atlantic Division, marking a massive leap from the 36-39-7 finish they posted just one year earlier.