After two decades of pain, it is over.
On Friday night, the Buffalo Sabres ripped away years of pain and torment to defeat the Boston Bruins in Game 6 to win their first postseason series since 2007.
Buffalo has made the playoffs only twice since 2007, and both times, they were eliminated quickly in the first round.
After 19 years of heartbreak, the Sabres took down one of their biggest northeastern rivals to make it to the second round. The last time they did that, the Sabres went all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals before eventually losing to the Ottawa Senators.
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How much has the NHL changed since Buffalo’s last playoff series win?
The Detroit Red Wings were still a Western Conference team.
The Atlanta Thrashers were still an NHL franchise before moving to Winnipeg.
Sidney Crosby was 19 years old and in his second year in the league, winning the points title with 120, the most of his entire NHL career.
That Sabres team was led by the likes of Daniel Briere, Chris Drury, and Thomas Vanek, all players long gone from the NHL.
Now, with a new cast of characters propelling them forward, the Sabres aren’t satisfied with just a single playoff win — they want more.
Buffalo will play either the Tampa Bay Lightning or the Montreal Canadiens in the Eastern semifinals, as those two teams are deadlocked and are heading to a Game 7 over the weekend.
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