Sabres hold Atlantic lead
The Buffalo Sabres kept control of the Atlantic Division lead, a notable development as division titles remain very much in play with only days left in the regular season. (NHL coverage flagged the Sabres maintaining that edge over the Canadiens as proof that even division crowns aren’t settled.) (nhl.com) That kind of tight race makes every head‑to‑head late in the schedule feel like a playoff game. (nhl.com)
Buffalo went from a three-way tie to the top of the Atlantic Division in 48 hours, and on April 10 the Sabres were still there with 106 points while Montreal sat at 104 and Tampa Bay at 102. The National Hockey League’s own playoff tracker called the division race unsettled with only days left in the season. (nhl.com) (espn.com) The jump started on April 8, when Buffalo, Montreal, and Tampa Bay all had 102 points with four games left. Buffalo then beat the New York Rangers 5-3 on April 9 to grab sole possession of first place. (nhl.com 1) (nhl.com 2) One night later, Buffalo crushed the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-0, and rookie goaltender Colten Ellis stopped 37 shots for his first National Hockey League shutout. That win is the one that kept the Sabres in front instead of letting Montreal pull even. (nhl.com) (nytimes.com) Montreal did not go away. By April 11, the Canadiens had won 10 of their past 11 games and were still only two points back of Buffalo, with three games left for Montreal and two for the Sabres. (nhl.com) That is why this race feels different from a normal late-season standings glance. Buffalo controls first place, but Montreal has one extra game to make up the gap, so every Sabres result now changes both the division banner race and the first-round playoff bracket. (nhl.com) (espn.com) The reward for finishing first is simple: you avoid opening the playoffs as the second- or third-place team in a crowded Atlantic group. As of April 11, Tampa Bay was sitting third with 102 points, which means the difference between first and second could decide who gets home ice and who gets a much tougher opening path. (espn.com) (nhl.com) Buffalo’s own team site put the math in plain terms after the Columbus win: if the Sabres win their last two games, at Chicago on April 13 and home against Dallas on April 15, they win the Atlantic Division outright. No scoreboard watching, no tiebreaker drama, no help needed. (nhl.com 1) (nhl.com 2) So the story is not just that Buffalo is in first on April 11. It is that the Sabres turned a three-team deadlock into a lead they can still protect themselves, while Montreal is close enough that one bad night could erase it immediately. (nhl.com 1) (nhl.com 2)
