After playing poorly enough and consistently enough to get their GM fired earlier this month, the Buffalo Sabres [http://thn.com/buffalo] have done something that nobody could have predicted — going on a nine-game win streak and climbing up the standings. With a 20-14-4 record, Buffalo's hot run hasn't put them in a Stanley Cup playoff position just yet. But the Sabres, who were dead-last in the Eastern Conference on Dec. 8, are now in fifth place in the Atlantic Division, tied with the same number of points as the Florida Panthers for the final wild-card spot. Which raises the question: how did they turn things around and get back into the playoff race? As with every NHL team, it's a combination of things that has Buffalo where it is in the standings at the moment. Since their current win streak began on Dec. 9, the Sabres have taken care of business against subpar teams, such as the Vancouver Canucks [http://thn.com/vancouver], Seattle Kraken [http://thn.com/seattle] and St. Louis Blues [http://thn.com/stlouis]. But they've also won against teams that are in a playoff position, including the Edmonton Oilers [http://thn.com/edmonton], Philadelphia Flyers [http://thn.com/philadelphia] and New York Islanders [http://thn.com/nyislanders]. During their win streak, the defense has really stepped up. In the three games preceding their winning streak, Buffalo allowed 16 goals. Since then, Buffalo has allowed 17 goals in nine games. In seven of those wins, the Sabres have allowed two goals or fewer. Buffalo's offense has also been thriving. The Sabres, who were averaging 2.97 goals per game prior to their winning streak, have scored three or more goals in each of their wins. Tage Thompson, who leads the Sabres in scoring this season, has been on fire with five goals and 11 points in the past nine games. Jack Benson and Noah Ostlund each have four goals during this winning streak, while Josh Norris and Peyton Krebs have three goals each. Meanwhile, defenseman Rasmus Dahlin and center Ryan McLeod each have eight points in nine games. If there had been a weakness for Buffalo this season, it was their away record. Before the winning streak, the Sabres had gone 2-9-2 on the road. But of their last nine wins, six came on the road. With three of their next four games on the road, that's a promising sign. Brace Yourselves, Sabres Fans: One Way Or Another, 2026 Will Be A Fascinating, Feast-Or-Famine Year For Buffalo [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/4ab960e9-da21-4fec-bdb4-8ae5bd56dee5.jpeg] Brace Yourselves, Sabres Fans: One Way Or Another, 2026 Will Be A Fascinating, Feast-Or-Famine Year For Buffalo Playoffs or bust: The Buffalo Sabres face a stark 2026 – either they make a thrilling, successful Stanley Cup playoff push, or they continue a decade-and-a-half-long playoff drought and management blows up their roster. It's going to make for compelling Sabres hockey. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/buffalo-sabres/latest-news/brace-yourselves-sabres-fans-one-way-or-another-2026-will-be-a-fascinating-feast-or-famine-year-for-buffalo] That said, there's still room for improvement in other areas of the Sabres' game. Buffalo currently has the NHL's third-best penalty kill at 84.8 percent, but its power play ranks 16th at 19.1 percent. During their winning streak, the Sabres have gone 5-for-26 (19.2 percent). Still, it's been a true team effort to pull Buffalo out of the East’s basement and back to respectability. And while the Sabres will have to be much more consistent if they're going to end their 14-year playoff drought, this current hot streak has given Buffalo fans something that's been in short supply in recent years: genuine hope. Sabres Predicted To Make 2 Big Moves [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/29b36af7-91ca-4bd2-b768-984b5f65fdbe.jpeg] Sabres Predicted To Make 2 Big Moves Could the Sabres have some big moves on the way? [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/buffalo-sabres/latest-news/sabres-predicted-to-make-2-big-moves] The Sabres may be a long way off from being a true front-runner to do damage in the post-season, but after starting the year so poorly, their current string of success means new GM Jarmo Kekalainen has some delicate decisions to make. Does he leave this roster alone and let them continue to build together as they have of late? Or does he make changes to put his group over the top and into a playoff position? The answer could be the difference between Buffalo finally ending their post-season woes, and continuing to let their fans down for another year. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Image [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/09e5783c-b383-4b7c-a422-db351c0210a1.webp] For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription?_gl=1*1nk5yhc*_ga*NDAxOTY4NTMuMTc1NTg5NTA0Mg..*_ga_ZET34ZFCGX*czE3NjcxMTQ2NjEkbzQ3OCRnMSR0MTc2NzExNDY5OCRqMjMkbDAkaDA.]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. 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