The Buffalo Sabres will wrap up their 2024-25 regular season with their match against the Philadelphia Flyers at KeyBank Center, hoping to finally earn head coach Lindy Ruff his 900th career victory after losing on their first four attempts. For golfer, their mid-April tradition is watching or going to the Masters; for hockey fans in Western New York, their mid-April tradition is Sabres locker cleanout and commiserating about another year without playoff hockey.
For their postseason fix, they will have to travel down the 90 to Rochester to see the Americans in the Calder Cup Playoffs. The Amerks are firmly nestled in second place in the AHL North with 91 points, and will have home-ice advantage in the first round, and will have a say in who their opposition will be in their best-of-five series. If the season ended today, Rochester would take on their closest geographic rival in the Syracuse Crunch, who eliminated them in the first round in five games last season.
Other Sabres Stories
Is Peterka In Prime Position For Big Payday?
Sabres Ownership Ranked Worst In NHL By Survey In The Athletic
Dahlin Refutes Assertion Of Wanting Out Of Buffalo
The Amerks finish their regular season with a home-and-home with the Toronto Marlies, which could have a bearing on their first-round playoff matchup. Toronto trails Syracuse by two points and could move into third. Cleveland trails the Crunch by three. It appears to be a schedule that favors Syracuse, who finish with a home-and-home with last place Utica, while Cleveland finishes out the schedule with two against Lehigh Valley and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
The playoffs will be a proving ground for a number of players who hope to earn a spot on the Sabres roster. Goalie Devon Levi has been excellent in his second AHL season (25-12-4, 2.20 GAA, .918 save %), and with his entry-level contract expiring this summer, his performance could determine whether Sabres management believes he is capable of being a primary starter in the NHL. Isak Rosen leads the Amerks with 28 goals and has had a number of callups to the Sabres this season, as well as 2022 first rounder Noah Ostlund, who is finishing the season with Buffalo and will be returned to Rochester for the playoffs.
Follow Michael on X, Instagram and Bluesky @MikeInBuffalo