Mike Harrington: Sabres get lots of love, open busy week with an instructive loss
Gary Bettman: "It's great to see what's happening in Buffalo from a sports standpoint for the fans, the Sabres and the Bills as well. There's a good buzz here for sports right now."
There was a lot of love for the Sabres around KeyBank Center on Monday, and it should continue all week.
The draft is coming in June. Gary Bettman was in the house for that announcement and further opened his bag of tricks to release the nugget that an outdoor game is likely coming in 2028 to the new Highmark Stadium.
Said the Commish: "I have to go for a tour, which I will do. But we're coming for an outdoor game in the new stadium. Just a question of when.”
I've asked Bettman multiple times at Stanley Cup finals and again at October's season opener how concerned he was about the Sabres' playoff drought, which has now stretched to an all-time record 14 years. So it was only fair to ask him on Monday what his thoughts were about this team's torrid play for the last month.
He was ready to shower the deserved praise.
"(Owner Terry Pegula) was as frustrated as any fan would be, because he's first and foremost a fan," Bettman said. "But it's nice to see the club on the run, where they won 13 out of the last 14. It's great to see, and it's great for the fans, most importantly. As commissioner, I want all the teams to win every game and be successful. That's not possible, but it's great to see what's happening in Buffalo from a sports standpoint for the fans, the Sabre,s and the Bills as well. There's a good buzz here for sports right now."
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, left and Buffalo Sabres owner Terry Pegula hold up a jersey at KeyBank Center during a press conference on
Jan. 12, 2026, after announcing the 2026 NHL Draft will be hosted in Buffalo on June 26. Joed Viera/Buffalo News
Some of that buzz got silenced with a 4-3 loss to the Florida Panthers in a 50-50 game where the defending Cup champions got a power-play goal and better goaltending in a game that was up for grabs at 2-2 through two periods.
"It was a hard game," said coach Lindy Ruff. "When the urgency gets up, you're going to see a lot of that. Not a lot of ice. You gotta make the other team pay for the mistakes they make."
The Sabres couldn't do that Monday. Maybe they can do more of it on Wednesday, when more love will undoubtedly get spread their way during a nationally televised game with the Philadelphia Flyers. TNT analyst Paul Bissonette is scheduled to be in the house and working his first career game in the Rob Ray seat between the benches. (Note to Biz: You're retired. No trash talking. No getting in the scrums, no matter how tempting it may be).
And the lovefest should continue Thursday with the 2006 Sabres alums in the house for the showdown with Montreal.
Just before the second period on Monday, there was another drum-banging like we see every night before the game, with the crowd saluting Dion Dawkins and Tre'Davious White of the Bills doing the honors from a suite. White, you may recall, was famously the director of the "Tre White Goalie Academy" from a Sabres social media skit a few years ago.
The crowd roared.
"As a father and grandfather, I love all my children," a smiling Bettman joked of his 32 teams. "It's great to see the fans engaged. It's great to see a team that's been through a rebuilding process have success. If you ask fans in other cities, they couldn't care less what happens here. But I look at all of it, and I think it's great to see this team playing again the way it's capable of."
Panthers coach Paul Maurice, who has won the last two Stanley Cups, had plenty of praise for the Sabres as well before the game. What happens when you get hot?
"Any team in the NHL to get that confidence in their game, everything happens faster for them," Maurice said. "The puck moves quicker. Their reaction time is right on, they're feeling good, and they come to the rink full of hope and excitement."
The Sabres couldn't find a lot of open ice in this one. They had only 23 shots on goal and missed on 20 other attempts, while 14 more were blocked. The game has looked simple for them of late. The Panthers complicated things on Monday.
Buffalo Sabres center Josh Dunne (44), Florida Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola (77) and Panthers center
Evan Rodrigues (17) chase the puck in the third period at KeyBank Center on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. Joed Viera/Buffalo News
"When the game's going right, you see less time and events of chaos in your game, and then the game is actually easier to read," Maurice said of the Sabres. "You get more repetitions in the right way that you're playing, and you have less video as a coach that you gotta fix. The repetition of good things and then the reinforcement of good things becomes easier."
This was a game that was far from easy. Goalie Colten Ellis said it was a learning experience and rued giving up AJ Greer's unscreened snapshot late in the first period. Zach Benson, who got some time on the top line with Tage Thompson and Josh Doan, quickly rewarded the Sabres with a tying goal with 2:03 left in the second.
But Benson admitted the Sabres struggled in the face of the Panthers' wall play, and the champs were harder on pucks all night.
"It's a hard game, and it's a good lesson," Benson said. "They compete and work and play their system to a tee. We got away from our game a little bit too much."
The Sabres haven't strayed much lately. The fans were again into the game. The praise is pretty universal. This is a rugged week, with four home games in six days. It's on to the next. The next three months will be like this.