Buffalo Sabres eradicated from NHL playoff rivalry for report 11th straight season

The Buffalo Sabres, who final certified for the Stanley Cup playoffs in 2011, set an NHL report for many consecutive seasons with out a postseason look after being eradicated from rivalry on Wednesday evening.

The Sabres had been mathematically eradicated with the Washington Capitals‘ victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning, extending the Sabres’ futility streak to 11 straight seasons.

Buffalo’s most up-to-date playoff look — a quarterfinal elimination to the Philadelphia Flyers in 2011 — occurred roughly two months after proprietor Terry Pegula bought the crew. Buffalo has but to return to the postseason underneath his possession.

The Sabres had been tied with the Florida Panthers (2001-11) and the Edmonton Oilers (2007-16) for essentially the most consecutive seasons with out a playoff look. They surpassed the Panthers on a technicality: Each groups did not seem within the playoffs for 11 straight years, however Florida’s streak was solely 10 consecutive seasons because of the 2004-05 NHL lockout, which canceled that season.

The Sabres’ streak consists of the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs, which had been expanded from 16 to 24 groups because of the COVID-19 pandemic’s interruption of the common season. Buffalo was the 13th-best crew within the Japanese Convention that season, lacking the minimize.

Buffalo is now tied for the third longest postseason drought within the 4 main sports activities. They path the MLB’s Seattle Mariners (20 seasons) and NBA’s Sacramento Kings (16 seasons) and are tied with the NFL’s New York Jets (11 seasons).

After they’re formally eradicated, the Detroit Red Wings can have the second-longest present NHL playoff drought at six consecutive seasons.

The Sabres’ playoff elimination comes at a time when the crew is lastly climbing the standings. Since March 1, Buffalo has the eighth-best report within the NHL (10-4-3).

“Our guys are displaying progress, and that is what we needed from Day 1,” coach Don Granato mentioned after Tuesday’s win over the Carolina Hurricanes. “We have to get higher. I am not going to fret about profitable. As some level, we will win extra constantly as a result of we received higher.”