Sabres' last playoff team, revisited: Who played for Buffalo 15 years ago before postseason drought? originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
It has been 5,471 days since the Buffalo Sabres last played a playoff hockey game.
The drought is over. The Sabres are back in the postseason.
From April 26, 2011 to the return on April 19, 2026. Nearly 15 years on the dot, one week shy.
The improbability is everywhere. The Sabres just missed multiple No. 1 picks of generational talents and had to settle for No. 2. They had years when it seemed they'd finally make it in but didn't.
They made trades, and they opted not to make trades. They beat good teams and lost to bad teams. They went on a historic losing streak.
It's all happened in this decade-and-a-half. But now, they're back.
And that's as good an excuse as any to look back at that 2010-11 Sabres team, which was fittingly also coached by this year's coach Lindy Ruff.
MORE: How Lindy Ruff made it back to Sabres for another playoff run
The Sabres' last playoff game before 2026 was on April 26, 2011.
They lost in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference first round to the Philadelphia Flyers, 5-2.
MORE: This Connor Hellebuyck trade rumor should scare the rest of the NHL
The Sabres' last playoff team featured four players who scored at least 20 goals.
Thomas Vanek led the way with 32 goals and 41 assists.
They also had the likes of Tim Connolly, Tyler Myers, Derek Roy, Jordan Leopold, Nathen Gerbe, Jochen Hecht, Andrej Sekera and Mike Grier.
In goal was the reliable Ryan Miller, who that season had a 2.59 goals against average and a 91.6 save percentage.
MORE: Porter Martone makes the most of hockey's unique timeline
Myers most recently played for the Dallas Stars after being traded at this season's deadline from the Vancouver Canucks.
The 6-foot-8 defenseman hasn't played for Buffalo since 2015, more than a decade.
It's been so long that Mike Grier has since ascended to the role of general manager of the San Jose Sharks after playing for that season's Sabres team.