BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — As we approach Thanksgiving, the Buffalo Sabres are currently in a playoff spot thanks to their three-game win streak on the West Coast. With an 11-9-1 record, Buffalo is third in the Atlantic Division as of Monday, November 25.
Yes, I understand it is still very early in the season and this is hardly a major accomplishment, but it turns out it is not insignificant.
Fell asleep before the game ended. Magic Kingdom marathon can leave you pretty exhausted. But that’s a big win for the Sabres. With your backup goalie & no Tage kudos to them, especially on Thorton night. The ability to stack wins this year could prove to be the difference.
— Matthew Bové (@Matt_Bove) November 24, 2024
The numbers are pretty startling. On Monday morning, I listened to WGR 550 and Paul Hamilton mentioned a stat that shocked me. He said teams that sit in a playoff spot on Thanksgiving make the playoffs 77 percent of the time. I looked up the information and found this article from Emily Sadler at Sportsnet that breaks things down even further.
Last season, seven of the eight teams in the Eastern Conference in playoff spots at Thanksgiving ended up qualifying for the postseason. Detroit, who was in a Wild Card spot on Thanksgiving, missed the playoffs by a single point.
So no, this does not mean the Sabres will make the playoffs, but the math is on their side. And when you consider how slow they have been to start seasons in recent memory, this is a promising development in a bunched-up Eastern Conference.
