After getting back into the Stanley Cup playoff picture with their current eight-game win streak, the Buffalo Sabres still have to navigate their way through the rest of the season, and if you look ahead at the teams they’ll be facing in the next month or so, you’ll find that the Sabres’ entire year could come down to the way they play in a two-week schedule.

Here’s what we mean: the Sabres’ schedule includes three of its next four games coming against soft-touches in the St. Louis Blues, Columbus Blue Jackets and Vancouver Canucks. But after that – from Jan. 8-through Jan. 19 – Buffalo is going to get serious tests against some of the best teams in the NHL. 

Starting on the 8th, the Sabres will take on, in order, the New York Islanders, Anaheim Ducks, Florida Panthers, Philadelphia Flyers, Montreal Canadiens, Minnesota Wild and Carolina Hurricanes are all going to give Buffalo a run for their money. And unless the Sabres can keep their head above water, they’re going to see this solid stretch of games ostensibly wasted.

Now, winning eight games in a row is quite the feat. Eight games is 10 percent of the season. So to get the maximum 16 standings points is something Buffalo can take pride in. But the NHL game is a constant grind, and who knows – maybe the Sabres lose eight games in a row. And really, any considerable stretch of time where Buffalo is not making the most of their opportunities, is going to erase any gains they make prior to their losing skid.

Patience, Sabres Fans – World Junior Success Doesn't Guarantee Buffalo's Prospects A Successful NHL FutureThe Buffalo Sabres will have four players at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship. But success at the World Junior tournament offers little guarantee prospects of NHL success. While World Junior glory would be great, the Sabres' youngsters need more time and patience to develop.

Certainly, the Sabres’ strong play has saved the job of coach Lindy Ruff – for now, at least. But by finding ways to eke out victories in games they would previously have found ways to eke out losses. Buffalo’s players are confident, and why wouldn’t they be – in their eight-game winning streak, the Sabres have beaten high-end teams including the Flyers, New Jersey Devils and Edmonton Oilers. And Buffalo has taken care of business in beating teams that aren’t so strong. 

Consequently, the Sabres are back in the thick of the playoff race. But think of how they had to beat the odds just to be on the fringe of the playoff picture. This is why Buffalo has to put its nose to the grindstone, and survive these upcoming games while keeping pace in the Atlantic Division.

For A Christmas Present, Sabres Fans Need This More Than Anything ElseFans of the Buffalo Sabres could use more than a few presents this holiday season. But there's one thing Sabres fans crave more than run-of-the-mill holiday cheer – they're seeking genuine hope.

If the opposite happens and the Sabres lose for most, if not all of their games, you can point to this stretch as the place where their season began to swirl down the drain.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The Columbus Blue Jackets scored a pair of third-period goals in just over a minute and rallied to beat the New York Islanders 4-2 on Sunday for their second straight win.

Kirill Marchenko scored his second goal of the night with 3:19 left in the game, just over a minute after Ivan Provorov knotted the score at 2-2. Cole Sillinger added an empty-netter, and Denton Mateychuk and Sean Monahan both had two assists. Jet Greaves stopped 24 shots.

Max Shabanov and Bo Horvat scored for New York, and David Rittich made 31 saves for the Islanders, who seemed to have the win in hand but instead dropped the first game of their two-stop road trip to end 2025.

Marchenko buried a breakaway at 8:09 of the first period to open the scoring, and Shabanov pulled the Islanders even with 2:44 left in the period when a puck deflected off his knee and slid past Greaves.

The second period started in chaos when Mat Barzal reacted to a Mason Marchment tripping penalty by taking a two-handed chop to Marchment’s right foot, resulting in a major penalty and a game misconduct ejection. Columbus then failed to score on a 3-on-4 power play following Adam Pelech’s tripping penalty on Miles Wood.

Horvat gave New York the lead with 6:36 left in the second period on a wrist shot that marked his first goal since missing five games with a lower-body injury.

Columbus fought back to tie the score on Provorov’s goal with 4:33 left in the third period before Marchenko put the Blue Jackets ahead and Sillinger sealed the win.

Up next

Islanders visit Chicago on Tuesday.

Blue Jackets visit Ottawa on Monday.

The Athletic recently published an article that discussed one player that each NHL team should target after the holiday freeze. 

When it came to the Montreal Canadiens, Arpon Basu urged the Canadiens to target Calgary Flames forward Blake Coleman. 

"The Canadiens nabbed No. 9 on the list when they acquired center Phillip Danault from the Kings one hour before the holiday trade freeze, but they still have trade capital and Coleman plays a hard game, kills penalties, can pitch in on the power play and has Stanley Cup pedigree. But the real beauty is he has one year left on his contract after this one, same as Danault, Brendan Gallagher and Josh Anderson," Basu wrote. 

With the Canadiens being a team on the rise, it is easy to understand why Basu views Coleman as a potential fit for the Original Six club. When looking at the Canadiens' current roster, Coleman could be an excellent fit in their middle six. This is especially so when noting that he can play multiple forward positions, which adds to his appeal. 

Coleman would also serve as a nice mentor for the Canadiens' younger players if acquired due to his high amount of experience. 

In 38 games so far this season with the Flames, Coleman has recorded 11 goals, seven assists, 18 points, 94 hits, and a plus-11 rating With numbers like these, the 34-year-old forward provides a bit of everything and would have the potential to be a strong pickup for a Canadiens club looking to continue to head in the right direction. 

Yet, with Coleman being signed until the end of next season and being exactly the kind of play contenders love to have, the Canadiens would likely need to give up a good amount to land him. 

A positive story surrounding the Vancouver Canucks his season has been the play of Max Sasson. After helping the Abbotsford Canucks capture a Calder Cup Championship last year, the 25-year-old has become a key member of Vancouver's lineup. With eight goals and 10 points in 34 games, Sasson continues to deliver in a bottom-six role. 

While Sasson played 29 games in the NHL last season, his game has taken a step forward in 2025-26. He has already set new career highs in goals and points, while his 10:56 of average ice time is 36 seconds more than in 2024-25. Sasson's strong play has already earned him an extension, as he signed a two-year contract worth $2 million in mid-December. 

"It means a ton, said Sasson. "It's a big vote of confidence and belief in what the organization see in me. I feel really excited about it, and really happy to be in Vancouver. It means the world to me to get another contract."

As mentioned, Sasson is already up to eight goals on the year. As of writing, that is tied for fifth on the current roster. When asked if he had a goal total in his mind before the season started, Sasson mentioned that playing the game the right way was more of a focus in the off-season. 

"I try not to think about that stuff. I always hear Nick Saban talking about process, and you have no clue what the results gonna be, but I feel like if you stick to the process long enough, good things will happen, and you got to continue to stick to the process."

One of the players Sasson is tied with in goals is Linus Karlsson. The two were key parts of Abbotsford's run in the playoffs last year and have developed a strong friendship. Sasson was asked about what he has seen from Karlsson this year and the goal-scoring ability both have shown in the NHL. 

"Hopefully we both have a bunch, and we keep trying to help the team win, no, but obviously it's fun seeing Linus having success. You know, one of my best friends over the last couple of years in the organization. So it's really fun playing with him and excited to see his success."

When it comes to Sasson, one of the most noticeable parts of his game is speed. According to NHL EDGE, he has hit a maximum speed of 23.15 MPH, which is the second-highest recorded speed on the team. When asked about developing that part of his game, Sasson mentioned that it has been something he has focused on in past off-seasons. 

"Honestly, when I got to pro, I kind of thought of the things I'm good at and I want to be elite at them. I don't think you can ever be fast enough. So, the last couple of summers, I've been working on that part of my game. I want to continue to get faster. I want to really be great at my strengths and obviously continue to work on my weaknesses. I think if I can be elite at a few things, it'll really help me."

Recently, Sasson also crossed a significant milestone in his career as he is no longer waiver eligible. This means that he would need to pass through waivers if Vancouver wanted to send him to the AHL. While this milestone may not seem significant, it is a sign that the Canucks have been happy with his play and see him as a consistent part of their lineup for the rest of the season. 

"I still always even have the mindset of every day in the NHL is a blessing. I'm never gonna take it for granted. But no doubt, when I was well aware of when I hit 60 games, I'm not gonna lie. I'm happy about it, but at the end of the day, it's day by day still, and I'm looking forward to the next game."

Sasson is the perfect example of hard work paying off. He went from signing as an undrafted free agent to becoming a key part of Vancouver's lineup. If Sasson can keep developing his game, he could be in store for a bigger role later this season. 

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The Chicago Blackhawks currently have a 14-17-6 record and are at the bottom of the Central Division. They have also been struggling big time as of late, losing eight out of their last 10 games. 

If the Blackhawks do not turn things around quickly and are out of the playoff race near the 2026 NHL trade deadline, they will likely be sellers again. If the Blackhawks do decide to sell, pending unrestricted free agent (UFA) defenseman Matt Grzelcyk could be a popular target. 

Due to this, let's look at two teams that could target Grzelcyk if the Blackhawks make him available. 

Colorado Avalanche 

The Avalanche are simply fantastic this season, as evidenced by their 28-2-7 record. With this, they should be buyers this season, and one area they could look to improve is their blueline depth. If they acquired Grzelcyk, he would give them another option to consider for their bottom pairing. Grzelcyk has also been connected to the Avalanche in the past. 

Detroit Red Wings 

The Red Wings could very well look to add another experienced left-shot defenseman to their roster by the deadline, and Grzelcyk could make sense for them because of it. Grzelcyk would have the potential to provide the Red Wings' defensive group with a nice boost and could be a nice mentor for their younger players.