Sabres Conquer The Sunshine State

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Bowen Byram skating

The Buffalo Sabres have been on a heater since returning from the Olympic break, winning three consecutive games. Buffalo has outscored their opponents 11-5 in the three-game span since returning to the ice. 

Most recently against the Tampa Bay Lighting, the Sabres electrocuted Tampa 6-2 on their home ice. Buffalo scored 4 goals in the first period, taking a comfortable lead very early in the game. 

Rasmus Dahlin got the party started scoring the first goal of the game, followed by Josh Norris who would double dip in the scoring sheet, and then Tage Thompson. The Sabres would then go on to score goals in each of the next two periods (Zach Metsa and Alex Tuch), before letting up a pair of goals to a disgruntled Lightning squad.

Buffalo left a sour taste in Tampa’s mouth, and things got chippy midway into this contest, but the Sabres would still prevail, easily defeating the Lightning 6-2 in this late February match. The season series is now split 1-1 between these two teams, however both will meet two more times before the end of the regular season.

Prior to the 6-2 beatdown of Tampa, Buffalo would also cause trouble for the defending champion Florida Panthers. Unlike the Lightning game, this was a much closer battle, which would end up favorable for Buffalo. 

The Sabres would steal this game from the Panthers, winning 3-2 in Sunrise, FL. This win gave Buffalo the season series crown against the Panthers, which was three wins to Florida’s one lonesome win.

Their February 27th matchup was the final occasion where both teams would meet in the 2025-26 regular season.

GettyZach Benson gets into scrum with Panthers player

What’s Next For Buffalo?

The Buffalo Sabres look to continue adding to their win streak, and remain as the hottest team in the NHL. While there is still plenty of hockey left to be played, Buffalo will look to keep their foot on the gas as the season comes to a close. 

While we are now into the later stages of the second half of this NHL season, there are still plenty of meaningful games that the Sabres should look to win. Buffalo still has 22 more games scheduled before the 2025-26 season wraps up.

Most notably, Buffalo will still have to face their Atlantic Division rivals Tampa Bay Lightning twice, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, Detroit Red Wings, and Boston Bruins. Other notable opponents include the Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, Vegas Golden Knights, Anaheim Ducks, and New York Islanders.

GettyBuffalo Sabres Tage Thompson, Peyton Krebs, and Alex Tuch celebrate a goal

Sabres Aim To Stay Red-Hot

The Buffalo Sabres have remained as one of, if not the league’s hottest NHL team this season. The Sabres have an impressive 35-19-6 record (along with 76 points) which is one of the best among the NHL. 

This Buffalo team is built different, and they look to continue their winning ways. Buffalo currently sits just outside of the top spot in their division, only behind the Lightning. 

They are also just ahead of the Montreal Canadiens for the second playoff spot in a very tight Atlantic Division. Buffalo aims to stack more wins to have a comfortable playoff spot, and to also make the playoffs for the first time since 2011, breaking their league-leading postseason drought.

Will Rath is a dedicated Heavy contributor, who specializes in coverage of the Buffalo Sabres, as well as the NHL. A graduate from Sacred Heart University with a B.A. in Sports Communications & Media, Will previously served as a Sports Writer for The Spectrum. Will currently contributes to his Buffalo Bills fan account on Instagram called Buffalo Sports Updater, where he provides content for the Buffalo Bills, embarking his passion for Buffalo sports and journalism. More about Will Rath