The Buffalo Sabres are facing enormous pressure to end their 14-year Stanley Cup playoff drought next season, and it's not hyperbole to say that the Sabres can't afford so much as a single off-night if they're going to be a playoff team. Every game really counts, and Buffalo needs to beat many above-average squads if they're going to earn a playoff berth in the highly-competitive Atlantic Division.
As such, the Sabres will be worth watching every game, because every game matters. And so we're examining each of Buffalo's opponents next year — who each team has added, when they'll square off this year, and other relevant info — and we're now well into the Central Division, witht the St. Louis Blues. The Blues are a strong team that didn't play well against Buffalo last year, but with some notable changes, that could change in the Blues' favor this time around. So let's get down to business, and break down the Sabres/Blues rivalry.
BUFFALO SABRES VS. ST. LOUIS BLUES
NEW BLUES PLAYERS: Pius Suter, C, Nick Bjugstad, C; Logan Mailloux, D
2024-25 SERIES: Sabres 2-0-0, Blues 0-1-1
2025-26 GAMES AGAINST EACH OTHER: November 6 at Buffalo; December 29 at St. Louis
CAN THE SABRES BEAT THIS TEAM? There's a neat sense of deja vu when it comes to the Sabres and Blues playing each other this year and last year. On Dec. 29, 2024, Buffalo played St. Louis in St. Louis for their final game against each other. And on Dec. 29, 2025, the Sabres will be playing the host Blues. for their final game of next season. You don't see that every year.
In any case, the Blues came on strong late in the season last year to earn a Western Conference wild card playoff berth, but when they did get to the post-season, the Blues blew a late lead and lost Game 7 to the Winnipeg Jets, ending St. Louis' season in the first round. For as great a story as they were on that late-season run, the Blues showed their deficiencies in falling to the Jets.
So, armed with as much salary cap space as he could muster, Blues GM Doug Armstrong set out to bolster his lineup this summer. And he did just that, strengthening St. Louis down the middle, and giving an opportunity to a young defenseman he acquired at a fairly high price.
At center, Armstrong added two veterans — first and foremost, former Vancouver Canuck Pius Suter, and then, journeyman Nick Bjugstad. Both players combined cost Armstrong $5.875-million — not bad at all, especially given how this year's market for centers was a seller's market.
Elsewhere, Armstrong added 22-year-old defenseman Logan Mailloux in a trade with Montreal that sent 22-year-old winger Zac Bolduc to the Canadiens. Mailloux will start the season on the Blues' third defense pair, but he has the chance to work his way up the depth chart by quickly adapting to the NHL level.
So, the Blues team the Sabres will face this year is going to be much tougher than the one Buffalo faced in December of last year. Indeed, while the Sabres handled their business against St. Louis last year, the Blues were a tale of two teams — one that was inconsistent early in the year, and the other was a legitimate powerhouse that bulldozed its way into the playoffs. The Sabres managed to avoid that powerhouse Blues team, and this time around, they won't be so fortunate.
What we're ultimately saying here is that Buffalo will have a tall task trying to win both games against St. Louis next season. It's not out of the question that the Sabres can beat the Blues twice — and to be sure, that's exactly what Buffalo should be aiming to do — but if this St. Louis team is properly motivated, they're a handful for every NHL team, the Sabres included.
The Blues' many veterans won't forget that Buffalo beat them twice last year, and they'll want to avenge their losses to the Sabres. For that reason, St. Louis should expect to bounce back against Buffalo, and the Sabres need to prepare for a much tougher battle against the Blues next season.
