The Buffalo Sabres are Atlantic Division champions.
The Sabres formally clinched their first division title since 2010 with a 5-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday. Tage Thompson scored his thirty ninth and fortieth objectives of the season within the victory.
Buffalo will personal home-ice benefit for its Round 1 playoff sequence, which shall be performed in opposition to whichever crew finishes within the prime wild card place between Boston and Ottawa. Boston at the moment holds that spot, one level forward of Ottawa with one recreation remaining for every crew.
The division title culminates what’s been a exceptional turnaround season for the Sabres, who completed seventh within the Atlantic final season. They have been in final place within the Eastern Conference this previous December earlier than a 10-game successful streak ignited one of many nice runs in franchise historical past, with 39 wins of their final 52 video games.
Buffalo has received 50 video games in a season for simply the third time in franchise historical past (becoming a member of the beloved 2005-06 and 2006-07 groups). Only 4 Sabres groups have completed with extra factors than the present squad’s 108.
The Sabres’ feat is much more spectacular when you think about the problem of the Atlantic, which options 5 playoff groups – every with 96 factors or extra. For context: The sixth-place crew within the Atlantic (Detroit) would at the moment rank first within the Pacific Division.
Buffalo now has seven division titles in its historical past. The most up-to-date was 2009-10, when the crew performed within the Northeast Division. The Atlantic Division in its present type started with the 2013-14 season following NHL realignment.
The Sabres end the common season at house on Wednesday in opposition to the Dallas Stars. It will be Fan Appreciation Night at KeyBank Center.
