I don’t hate the Sabres and their fans (yet)

Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

I don’t hate the Sabres and their fans (yet)

Originally posted on Dose.ca | Last updated May 6, 2026 1:32 PM ET

Is It 7 PM on October 7 Yet?

All NHL playoff series have been underway for at least 36 hours, and the Canadiens' series doesn't start until 7:00 PM tonight. To think there are already two series where it's 2-0…

If the Avalanche and the Hurricanes keep up their demolition run, both teams could go about ten days without playing a single game, assuming the other two series drag on. That wouldn't be ideal, Gary!

Whatever. I'm not going to whine this morning; the Habs are just a few hours away from starting their second-round series. We get to celebrate playoff wins in Montreal, while in Toronto, they're celebrating lotteries (possibly rigged with the guy from the views).

I won't dwell on the lottery that took place last night. I'll just say this: damn, it's fun when the Canadiens are still playing hockey in May. We can gently mock the lottery and we don't spend two months twiddling our thumbs waiting for the draft and the opening of the free-agent market.

You know what else is fun
right now? All the games in the Canadiens vs. Sabres
series will be played 48 hours apart. No more of those endless 72-hour gaps between games!

I don't hate the Sabres enough; I actually feel sorry for them

In the playoffs, it's “fun” to hate the other team.

Nikita Kucherov, Yanni Gourde, Brandon Hagel, Corey Perry… there were more players to “dislike” on the Lightning. Plus, there's been a rivalry since the 2021 Stanley Cup Final. In short, the series against the Lightning was almost personal for both sets of fans.

Against the Sabres, it will be different. The team hasn't made the playoffs since 2011, and the two teams haven't faced each other in the playoffs since 1998.

The Sabres swept the Habs, for those who are curious…

There won't be any Quebecers on the opposing team to fuel the rivalry, just as there won't be any players I hate even before the first game. Maybe Jordan Greenway, who got into a scuffle with Brendan Gallagher last January and had a run-in with Jakub Dobes in March 2025?

Greenway got hit hard into the boards and Dobeš had some chirps for him pic.twitter.com/CDcua8ZHSs

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 2, 2025

This is a far cry from the “hatred” Montrealers have harbored toward Nikita Kucherov since 2021…

This is shaping up to be some good hockey and should provide a better show than the game against the Lightning.

I almost feel sorry for the Sabres fans this morning. (Credit: Getty Images)

However, I'm convinced we'll learn to hate certain players as the series goes on. And that a certain rivalry will quietly develop with the Sabres and their fans…

We should also see Sabres fans heckling our players tonight around the arena (just as they've done to Bruins players in recent weeks).

Except that they sing “O Canada” before the games…

Who will be the player I hate the most in a few days? Possibly Josh Doan. Or Tage Thompson.

Is it 7 PM yet?

This article first appeared on Dose.ca and was syndicated with permission.

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