Know Your Enemy, Sabres Edition: Can Buffalo Beat The Playoff-Desperate Detroit Red Wings?

Ryan McLeod (center-left); Lucas Raymond (center-right) -- (Timothy T. Ludwig, USA TODAY Images) 

The Buffalo Sabres have completed most of their off-season moves this summer. We've examined the most-likely trade partners for Buffalo, and in this file, we're continuing our new THN.com series "Know Your Enemy, Sabres Edition". In this series, we're breaking down the Sabres' seven Atlantic Division rivals, focusing on what changes those seven teams have made, Buffalo's record against them last season, their games against each other this coming year, and our opinion of whether the team is one the Sabres should be beating next year.

"The Wraparound"

NEW RED WINGS PLAYERS: Mason Appleton, RW; James van Riemsdyk, LW; Jacob Bernard-Docker, D; John Gibson, G

2024-25 SERIES: Sabres 1-2-1, Red Wings 3-1-0

2025-26 GAMES AGAINST EACH OTHER:  October 22, at Buffalo; November 15 at Detroit; March 27 at Buffalo

CAN THE SABRES BEAT THIS TEAM?  The Sabres need many things to go their way if they're going to make the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in 15 years. Not only do they need at least one established playoff team to fall down the Atlantic standings, the Sabres also need to ensure no other up-and-coming team -- and/or every other desperate team that missed the playoffs last season -- to once again fall short of their goal. And that applies directly to the Red Wings, who haven't played playoff hockey since 2016.

Frustratingly for Red Wings fans, Detroit hasn't made many changes to the lineup that finished sixth in the division last season. Their biggest move was acquiring goalie Gibson from the Anaheim Ducks, and far beyond that, Wings GM Steve Yzerman has made only supplemental additions, including third-pair blueliner and former Sabre Bernard-Docker, and bottom-six wingers van Riemsdyk and Appleton.

You can see why Wings fans aren't blown away by those moves.

From Buffalo's perspective, the Red Wings are chief among the teams they need to beat in their three head-to-head games next year. Two of those games will be home games for the Sabres, and given that Buffalo had a 23-15-3 home record this past season, that has to be seen as a good thing. But the Wings' puny offense hasn't improved, and if the Sabres can jump on Gibson and his Detroit teammates early in games, the Red Wings don't really have the offense-minded talent needed to power back into games.

The Red Wings still have $12 million in salary cap space, so by the time the two teams square off in their final regular-season matchup at the end of March, Detroit's lineup could be significantly different. But as it stands, the Sabres have the more dynamic group when we're judging them versus the Red Wings. And while the Wings did have the clear edge over Buffalo in their four regular-season games last year, the challenge for the Sabres is to turn the page in this rivalry and help push Detroit back down in the standings once again.

When the 2025-26 season is finished, the difference between a team making and missing the playoffs could be only one or two standings points -- basically, one regulation win or a couple of overtime and/or shootout losses. That means the margin for error will be extremely tight for Buffalo. And that's why it's so crucial for the Sabres to handle their business with their Atlantic rivals.

It's true there are only three games between the Red Wings and Sabres this coming year, but that should make each game more of an attraction. Detroit and Buffalo both are determined to end their respective playoff droughts, but it's probable that only one of the two actually get the job done in that regard.

And if it's the Wings that do make the playoffs while the Sabres miss out on the post-season, Buffalo's record against Detroit next year could wind up being perceived as the reason why the Sabres once again have a letdown season.