Story byBilly HeyenMon, March 2, 2026 at 8:51 PM UTC·1 min readSabres already know their likeliest first-round NHL playoff opponent originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here. The Buffalo Sabres haven't made the playoffs in any of the last 14 NHL seasons. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThey've got a great chance to end that drought this season. And with the way the standings are shaping up, the Sabres actually already have a pretty good idea of who they might play in the first round. MORE: Elias Pettersson breaks silence on Canucks benching before deadlineWhat are the Sabres' playoff odds?The Sabres have playoff odds of 96%, according to Conor Hurley. The analytics he shared on X show the Sabres to have a 6% chance of winning the Stanley Cup. MORE: The Connor McDavid reason the Oilers have to do somethingSabres' likeliest playoff opponentsHurley's analysis uses the current and projected standings to see what might happen in the first round. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Sabres are given a 39.9% chance to face the Montreal Canadiens. There are also double-digit percentage chances of facing the Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings or Tampa Bay Lightning. Here's how that looks in this graphic from Hurley:Buffalo will certainly want to ensure a heavy home-ice advantage for its first playoff series in more than a decade. More NHL news:Oilers want 2 positions before the NHL trade deadlineA salary cap rule may make 2 Flames trades difficultSidney Crosby breaks silence on injury, Olympics and rest of Penguins' seasonIt'll be complicated to trade for Steven StamkosAlex Ovechkin has shared an update on his retirement plansEvgeni Malkin gets big news on a possible future.