Sabres still can grab home‑ice
Buffalo missed a bit of short‑term help from the New York Islanders but still has a path on Monday to secure home‑ice advantage depending on how the league’s busy slate shakes out. Local analysis notes their fate ties into multiple games across a 10‑match day that can reshuffle playoff seeding and the draft‑lottery picture. (sabrenoise.com) (espn.com)
Buffalo can secure first-round home ice Monday night, even after Montreal’s Sunday win delayed the clinch by a day. (sabrenoise.com) The Sabres enter Monday at 106 points through 80 games, tied with Montreal on points but ahead on the regulation-wins tiebreaker, while Tampa Bay sits at 104 points through 80 games. (espn.com) Montreal beat the New York Islanders 4-1 on Sunday, which knocked the Islanders out of playoff contention and kept the Canadiens alive in the Atlantic race. (sabrenoise.com) That result changed Buffalo’s math for Monday, April 13: the Sabres clinch home ice in Round 1 with any regulation win over Chicago, or with at least one point if Tampa Bay loses to Detroit in regulation. (dailyfaceoff.com) Buffalo can do more than that on Monday. The Sabres can also clinch the Atlantic Division if they beat the Blackhawks and the Lightning lose to the Red Wings in any fashion, or if Buffalo wins in regulation and Tampa Bay gets no more than one point. (dailyfaceoff.com) The schedule lines the games up for a live scoreboard watch: Detroit hosts Tampa Bay 90 minutes before Buffalo’s 8:30 p.m. Eastern game at Chicago. Buffalo’s regular-season schedule then ends Wednesday, April 15. (sabrenoise.com) (nhl.com) The National Hockey League’s playoff format makes the race narrower than a full conference chase. The top three teams in each division qualify automatically, and a top-two finish in the Atlantic guarantees Buffalo home ice in the opening round. (nhl.com) As of Monday, the league’s “if the playoffs started today” bracket lists Buffalo as the Atlantic’s top seed against Boston, with Tampa Bay and Montreal in the other Atlantic series. Those matchups can still move before the regular season ends. (nhl.com) So Monday is simple for Buffalo even if the standings are not: beat Chicago and the Sabres can remove most of the suspense, or get help from Detroit and lock down home ice anyway. (sabrenoise.com)
