Why the Dallas Stars could crush the Buffalo Sabres' playoff hopes next season
Photo credit: WGRZ
The Buffalo Sabres are desperate to end their 14-year Stanley Cup playoff drought, but standing in their way next season is one of the NHL's most complete and dangerous teams, the Dallas Stars.
These two franchises share history dating back to the 1999 Stanley Cup Final, but their paths since then couldn't be more different.
Dallas has remained a Western Conference powerhouse, reaching the Cup Final in 2020 and the Western Conference Final in three of the last four years.
Buffalo, meanwhile, has been stuck at the bottom of the standings for most of the past decade and a half.
Their 2025-26 meetings could carry serious weight for both clubs, the first on December 31 in Dallas, the second on April 15 in Buffalo, the Sabres' regular-season finale.
Dallas Stars hold the upper hand in this matchup versus the Buffalo Sabres
Last season, the series was split 1-1, with each team winning by the same 4-2 score before the end of 2024.
This time around, the gap between the rosters is even clearer.
Dallas boasts a deep forward group led by Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz, Wyatt Johnston, and Mikko Rantanen, with new addition Radek Faksa bolstering the depth.
On the blue line, Miro Heiskanen anchors a defensive unit built for playoff hockey, while Jake Oettinger gives the Stars a major edge in goal.
As Yahoo Sports noted in a Sabres fan preview, Dallas's mix of young stars and proven veterans makes them one of the hardest teams in the league to beat.
Personally, I think Buffalo would need near-perfect execution to take both games, and if they fail, those dropped points could be what keeps them out of the playoffs.
For Dallas, winning both meetings could be the difference between securing home-ice advantage in the Central or slipping into a tougher first-round matchup.
| POLL | ||
AOUT 10 | 28 ANSWERS Why the Dallas Stars could crush the Buffalo Sabres' playoff hopes next season Will the Dallas Stars win both games against the Buffalo Sabres next season? | ||
| Yes | 25 | 89.3 % |
| No | 3 | 10.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
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