Sabres Week Ahead: Schedule & Storylines – Playoff Hockey Is Underway & More

Here is the latest news and updates about the Buffalo Sabres and their schedule for the week of April 13 to April 19, 2026.

NHL Playoffs Are Underway

The Sabres hosted the Boston Bruins on Sunday in Game 1 of their first-round series in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Buffalo came away with a 4-3 victory after rallying late in the third period on the back of Tage Thompson’s two goals scored within 3:42. It was the team’s first playoff game since 2011 and first win since Game 5 of their first-round series against the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Sabres will look to take a 2-0 series lead on Tuesday night in Buffalo before the series heads to Boston for Game 3.

Sabres Injury Updates

Alex Lyon has been out since April 8 due to a lower-body injury he tweaked in practice. He started skating with the team on April 18 and backed up Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in Game 1 on Sunday.

Sam Carrick has been out since March 31 after he fought New York Islanders captain Anders Lee. Per head coach Lindy Ruff, he is “more than likely” to miss Round 1 vs the Bruins.

Noah Ostlund suffered an upper-body injury vs the Bruins on March 25. He returned to practice with the team on April 18, and Ruff said he is “knocking on the door” of being ready to play.

Jiri Kulich has missed most of the season due to a blood clot that was made public on Nov. 10. He has continued non-contact skating; however, he is expected to miss the remainder of the season.

Justin Danforth left the game on Oct. 15 with a lower-body injury and later underwent surgery. He’s been skating over the last two months, but he is still dealing with some pain from the injury.

Sabres Schedule

Here is the Sabres’ playoff schedule for the week of April 20 – April 26, 2026.

Game 2 – Tuesday, April 21 vs Boston Bruins @ 7:30 pm ET

Game 3 – Thursday, April 23 @ Boston Bruins @ 7:30 pm ET

Game 4 – Sunday, April 26 @ Boston Bruins @ 2:00 pm ET