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Buffalo Sabres right wing Alex Tuch celebrates his goal with teammates (Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images)

Sabres’ Culture Has Finally Changed

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Ryan Womeldorf | Last updated Mar 9, 2026 11:15 AM ET

There is no atmosphere quite like KeyBank Arena when the Buffalo Sabres are playing meaningful hockey. After a furious comeback, the building was practically shaking as the Sabres defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday 8-7. The game was everything a hockey fan could want: 15 goals, 102 penalty minutes, and non-stop chaos.

More important than the two points in the standings and first place in the Atlantic Division, it marked the true arrival of the Sabres as a team to be reckoned with. It also showcased something bigger: a complete change in culture from what we have come to know of the Sabres in the past two decades.

Fighting from Underneath

Far too many times in the past 15 years, the Sabres would fall behind and fans on both sides knew that it was just a formality. Part of that had to do with a dearth of talent throughout the peak drought seasons, but it also had to do with a mentality permeating the Sabres’ dressing room.

According to Champs or Chumps, the Sabres are tied for ninth in the league with 15 comeback wins, including a pair in the third period. They aren’t relying on furious comebacks to win but have shown the ability to regroup and fight from underneath.

Of everything that went wrong during the height of the drought – and even some of the late stage Ryan Miller/Thomas Vanek/Jason Pominville teams – you could often point to the lack of desperation once the opposition grabbed a lead. That is no longer the case.

Not Being Pushed Around

The Sabres made a couple of trades at the deadline in order to solidify depth on the back end and make themselves tougher to play in the postseason. Those trades have already started to pay off and we haven’t even seen the new arrivals from the Winnipeg Jets yet.

What really jumped out in the Lightning game was the way in which the Sabres fought back. The Lightning tried right from the gates to intimidate and bully the Sabres. Brandon Hagel, Anthony Cirelli, and Darren Raddysh all attempted to have their way with various Sabres.

While it may not have been a Bob Probert-esqe showing, guys like Rasmus Dahlin, Bowen Byram, and Peyton Krebs all showed that they were not about to be bullied. The team, as a whole, matched Tampa Bay’s level of physicality and turned it up when the game mattered most.

Playing with Desperation

Traditionally speaking, when the going got tough, the Sabres folded like cheap origami. Pivotal moments like Dylan Cozens getting bullied by Garnet Hathaway jump to mind, a clear example of how the Sabres just couldn’t stand up to other teams who played a rougher style.

But as the Sabres showed on Sunday, they can play with the intensity and desperation needed to contend with the best of the best. They have done so on several occasions this season, backing down from no one, getting involved in scrums, and showing that they cannot be bullied.

Buffalo Sabres center Tage Thompson celebrates his goal with teammates (Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images)

For about 40 minutes of the Lightning game, they took the best punch the two-time Stanley Cup champions had to offer and gave it to them right back. Only during a stretch of about 14 minutes from the middle of the second period to the six-minute mark of the third period did the Lightning look like the better team. And with their backs on the ropes, the Sabres found another gear and took two pivotal points.

This is a Different Buffalo Sabres

This isn’t the Sabres team that saw their season destroyed by Milan Lucic train-wrecking Miller. This isn’t the same Sabres team that showed promise only to have it destroyed by one poor showing. This is a Sabres team that harkens to the unknown landscape of the 2004-05 lockout.

The Sabres now have much of what that team had: speed, skill, youth built from within, and everyone clicking at one time. The coach is even the same. This time, if there is a trip to the Stanley Cup Final on the line, you can bet the Sabres will have enough defensive depth to re-write the story.