Fifteen years and 1,151 games later, the day has finally arrived.
The Buffalo Sabres’ magic number is just two, meaning if they defeat the Senators on Thursday in Ottawa, they will clinch their first berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs since April 8, 2011.
Repeating: the Sabres, whose stunning run of futility ranks as the longest in NHL history, are on the precipice of securing that coveted playoff spot.
A heck of lot has transpired – way too much to list in this space – over their record 14-year playoff drought. The official end will lift the black clould that has hung over the franchise.
In previous years, simply making the postseason would’ve been the accomplishment. If they got swept in the first round or eliminated early, so be it. They could call themselves a playoff team again.
But in the winter – probably when they roared out of the Olympic break by winning eight straight games – the season became about much more than cracking the playoffs.
The Sabres, the same team that ranked dead last in the Eastern Conference (26 points) after losing 7-4 on Dec. 8 in Calgary, reached the 100-point mark Tuesday by defeating the New York Islanders 4-3 at KeyBank Center.
They rank first in the Atlantic Division and are tied with the Carolina Hurricanes for first place in the conference.
Since Dec. 9, the Sabres own eye-popping, NHL-best 35-7-4 record. They’re legitimate Cup contenders.
Whenever they secure their playoff spot – Thursday or perhaps Saturday against the Washington Capitals – they will almost certainly take a little time to enjoy their achievement.
But it’s just one step toward their ultimate goal.
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During the toughest days, as Sabres winger Jordan Greenway searched for answers to combat “terrible” mid-body pain, he thought his season might be over.
“There’s a lot of things that went through my mind, man – a lot of things,” he said following Monday’s practice. “Shutting it down for the end of the season? Hell yeah, that was … a real possibility in my head for a long time.”
On Tuesday, Greenway, 29, played for the first time since Jan. 22, skating 11 minutes, 13 seconds against the Islanders. During his 23-game absence, he found a rehab program that allows him to be pain-free.
He spent about six weeks working out on and off the ice for about eight hours a day. He’s still using a modified version of the program.
“I stayed pretty even-keeled, did what I could do, didn’t focus on the things that I couldn’t control,” Greenway said. “I’m happy that I was able to keep that positive mindset through most of it, kind of just do that work that was necessary. Well, here we are.”
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Center Sam Carrick, a versatile asset since the Sabres acquired him from the New York Rangers before the trade deadline, left Tuesday’s game after injuring his left arm when he fell to the ice fighting Anders Lee.
Carrick challenged Lee to start the third period after the captain hit Sabres center Josh Norris hard into the boards late in the second. Norris returned to the game.
Ruff, whose Sabres had Wednesday off, had no update on Carrick following the game.
“You look at what Carrick’s done for us, don’t think I can say enough about him,” he said. “He’s fought, he’s scored goals. He’s been a big, big part of our team, and for him to challenge a guy that hit Norris from behind, I just hate to lose him.
“But I think the team rallied around that a little bit, seeing him go off.”