“Capitals Are Eastern's Elite—Can the Sabres Finally Put Them to the Test?”

Sonny Milano (left);  Owen Power (right) -- (Timothy T. Ludwig, USA TODAY Images)

The Buffalo Sabres want nothing more than to qualify for the 2025-26 Stanley Cup playoffs. Ending Buffalo's 14-year drought without any playoff games is a gigantic stain on the organization, but there's no assurace the Sabres will be able to vault over many solid teams and grab a playoff berth.

Indeed, with all but a few Eastern Conference teams having legitimate designs on being in the next post-season, Buffalo has almost zero room for error this coming season. If they don't start strong coming out of the gate, it could be impossible for them to dig out of the crater they leave and knock off a top-level Atlantic Division rival like the Toronto Maple Leafs or Tampa Bay Lightning. The Atlantic standings could feature five teams getting into the playoffs next year, but that would have to come at the expense of the Metropolitan Division's slew of teams that will be vying for a post-season spot. So the Sabres need to play well against the Metro's teams.

"The Wraparound"

To that end, we've been going team-by-team through the Metro and the Eastern Conference in general to examine all the rivalries the Sabres will be immersed in next year. In today's file, we're finishing up the East with a look at the best team in the conference this past season -- the Washington Capitals, who finished first in the Metro last season.

The difference between making and missing the playoffs could come down to a few points, so the Sabres need to win more series than they lose -- and that will be difficult against a Capitals team that was dominant last season. But let's break things down in our usual format, and figure out if Buffalo really has a legitimate shot at winning their series against the Caps.

NEW CAPITALS PLAYERS: Justin Sourdif, RW; Declan Chisholm, D 

2024-25 SERIES: Sabres 2-1-0, Capitals 1-1-1

2025-26 GAMES AGAINST EACH OTHER:  November 1 at Buffalo; March 12 at Buffalo; April 4 at Washington 

CAN THE SABRES BEAT THIS TEAM?  The Sabres actually did fairly well against the Capitals last year, winning a 4-3 shootout game, then smacking Washington 8-5 in their final game of the season. That said, the Caps did win their first game against the Sabres, and they were on cruise control for a good portion of the latter part of the regular season, so Buffalo shouldn't be cocky that they can win two of three games against Washington this coming season.

The Capitals made very few changes to their roster this summer, adding only fringe players Sourdif and Chisholm. If either of those players sees significant time, it will mean one of two things: either the Caps find a way to play so well, they can affort to rest their regulars, or Buffalo has so many injuries and/or underwhelming performances from their veterans, Capitals coach Spencer Carbery has no choice but to play the two players.

We don't expect the Capitals will get to that point, though. And while Buffalo can point to their two wins over Washington last season as a building point for future showdowns against the Capitals, the truth is that the Caps didn't need to make many moves this summer, and that they match up very well against the Sabres on paper.

To wit: Washington's defense corps performed very well last season, and while Buffalo may have more high-end depth on 'D' than the Capitals, the Sabres' overall play in their defensive end was a major stumbling block to their success, in a way that obviously wasn't what we saw from the Caps. And the Caps have many skilled, experienced players to help them be not only a playoff team, but a top team in their division and conference, and the league in general. 

Buffalo has two of its three games against Washington at home this coming year, and as we saw last season, the Sabres were a much better home team than they were on the road. And again, the NHL's playoff race could come down to one or two standings points. So having that second home game against the Capitals could be the difference between Buffalo making and missing the post-season next year.

So, to answer the above question -- can the Sabres beat this Capitals team? -- the answer is "Yes, they absolutely can". And if Buffalo does lose out on playoff hockey for a 15th consecutive season, and they lose the season series against Washington, their play against the Caps will underscore significant problems with the Sabres, problems that will be addressed next summer with many roster changes.

But if Buffalo wins their series against the Capitals, and they do get into the playoffs, the Sabres will be able to point to their play against Washington as one of the reasons they got into the post-season. There's no more excuses for Buffalo, and their performance against the Caps needs to prove to skeptics that this Sabres team is at long last ready to take the next competitive step.