Buffalo Sabres Playoff Tickets

The Sabres made their first run to the Stanley Cup Final in 1975, just five years after the team entered the league. The legendary French Connection line, consisting of forwards Gilbert Perreault, Rick Martin, and Rene Robert, was the driving force behind the team’s success. The Sabres played the Philadelphia Flyers in the Stanley Cup Final and won a memorable game in which the hot outside temperature caused a thick fog to cover the playing surface. The Sabres won the next game and tied the series, but the Flyers ultimately won the Stanley Cup in six games.

Buffalo acquired goalie Dominik Hasek in 1992 and became one of the hardest teams to score against. Hasek had one of his best seasons in 1998-99, when he averaged just 1.87 goals against per game and won one of his many Vezina trophies as the league’s top goalie. Hasek and the Sabres reached the Stanley Cup Final and faced the Dallas Stars. The Sabres won Game 4 at home to tie the series, but Dallas won the next two games to win the Stanley Cup. Game 6 was especially controversial: Stars forward Brett Hull scored the series-winning goal in triple overtime, but replay clearly showed that Hull’s skate was in Hasek’s crease. Though the NHL has said that the officials on the ice made the right call, many Sabres fans feel that the goal should not have counted.

The Sabres were the NHL’s best team during the 2006-07 regular season, and their strong play continued into the playoffs. In the first round, they defeated the New York Islanders in five games. In round two, they beat the New York Rangers four games to two. The Sabres’ promising run came to an end in the Eastern Conference Final, where they were defeated in five games by the Ottawa Senators. In what would be his last season as a Sabre, Daniel Briere—who was known for his playoff performances—scored 15 points in 16 playoff games.

NHL Playoff Format

The NHL is split into an Eastern Conference and a Western Conference. Both conferences are made up of two divisions. The Sabres play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The top three teams from each division automatically qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Both conferences also send two wild card teams to the playoffs. A total of 16 teams—eight from both conferences—make the playoffs.

There are four rounds in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The winner of each round is decided by a best-of-seven series. The first two rounds of the playoffs pit division rivals against each other and give wild card teams a chance to pull off an upset.

Round 3 is the Conference Final. The winners of the Eastern Conference Final receive the Prince of Wales Trophy, and the winners of the Western Conference Final are awarded the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl.

The winners of the Eastern Conference and Western Conference Finals face each other in the Stanley Cup Final.