Sabres already know their likeliest first-round NHL playoff opponent
Sabres already know their likeliest first-round NHL playoff opponent originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Buffalo Sabres haven’t made the playoffs in any of the last 14 NHL seasons.
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They’ve got a great chance to end that drought this season.
And with the way the standings are shaping up, the Sabres actually already have a pretty good idea of who they might play in the first round.
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What are the Sabres’ playoff odds?
The Sabres have playoff odds of 96%, according to Conor Hurley.
The analytics he shared on X show the Sabres to have a 6% chance of winning the Stanley Cup.
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Sabres’ likeliest playoff opponents
Hurley’s analysis uses the current and projected standings to see what might happen in the first round.
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The Sabres are given a 39.9% chance to face the Montreal Canadiens.
There are also double-digit percentage chances of facing the Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings or Tampa Bay Lightning.
Here’s how that looks in this graphic from Hurley:
The Canadiens are currently the overwhelming favorite to be the Sabres’ first round opponent. Here’s hoping the Sabres ticket office is already well ahead in the process of geofencing ticket sales from Quebec. pic.twitter.com/W575LE8B22
— Conor Hurley (@CHurls13) March 2, 2026
Buffalo will certainly want to ensure a heavy home-ice advantage for its first playoff series in more than a decade.