The Buffalo Sabres play in the NHL's toughest division in the Atlantic Division — but the 2025-26 schedule isn't going to do them any favors. THN.com's Sabres site has been publishing a team-by-team look at Buffalo's opponents next year — and in today's file, we're continuing our look at the Sabres' chances against the Central Division-juggernaut Colorado Avalanche.
The Avalanche were an elite team last season, even if they finished just third in the Central. But if the Sabres are going to end their 14-year Stanley Cup playoff drought, they're going to have to beat very good teams like the Avs. So let's explore Buffalo's chances against Colorado next season, and see if we can't accurately predict how well the Sabres will play versus the Avalanche.
BUFFALO SABRES VS. COLORADO AVALANCHE
NEW AVALANCHE PLAYERS: Brent Burns, D
2024-25 SERIES: Sabres 0-1-1, Avalanche 2-0-0
2025-26 GAMES AGAINST EACH OTHER: October 13 at Buffalo; November 13 at Colorado
CAN THE SABRES BEAT THIS TEAM? The Sabres did not fare well against the Avalanche last year, losing both games by a combined score of 11-9. Buffalo did squeeze out one standings point in the two games, losing by a shootout in their last game against each other Jan. 2. But the Avalanche team they'll be facing this year is just as good, if not better than the Avs team that played last year.
To wit: Colorado will have a full season with captain Gabriel Landeskog, and that's more or less a trade acquisition given that they still played well without Landeskog last year. Meanwhile, the Avalanche's defense corps — already one of the strongest groups in the league — got even better with the signing of greybear blueliner Brent Burns.
At 40 years old, Burns is the oldest player in the NHL, and while his offensive stats have ebbed in recent years, he's likely going to be very valuable in limited action on Colorado's third defense pairings. And Burns' snarl and size will also make the Avalanche even tougher to battle in their own zone.
Meanwhile, the Avalanche still will be dominant because in center Nathan MacKinnon and defenseman Cale Makar, they have two of the top-five players in the league. That made it more palatable to trade former Avs winger Mikko Rantanen, and with the money Rantanen was making, Avalanche GM Chris MacFarland acquired Martin Necas from Carolina and Brock Nelson from the New York Islanders.
And after all those moves, MacFarland still has $3.3 million in cap space. That's a masterclass in cap management. And that's going to make it extremely difficult for the Sabres to beat the Avalanche.
The intriguing wrinkle in Buffalo's games against Colorado is that they both come at the beginning of the year. The first game they go head-to-head will be the Sabres' third game of the regular-season, while the remaining game will be played exactly one month later. That could open up a potential quick-strike action on the Sabres' behalf, with the Avalanche vulnerable as they potentially experiment with lines and chemistry early in the season. Playing the Avalanche early is far better for Buffalo's chances to beat Colorado than they would be if their games came later in the season, after a trade deadline that almost certainly will see the Avs spend every bit of their cap space.
As it stands, Colorado is a top-10 team in the league right now. They may even be a top-five team in the league when firing on all cylinders. So the Sabres have their work cut out for them in trying to win at least one of the two games they have against the Avalanche. Buffalo wasn't able to beat the Avs last year, so a statement game or two against Colorado could be just what the doctor ordered for Buffalo's playoff chances.
And if the Sabres get knocked around again by the Avs, they could miss out on playoff action because they didn't make the most of their opportunites against one of the game's best squads. Time will tell how Buffalo ultimately fares against Colorado, but the challenge is clear — let the Avalanche know the Sabres are a different team by pushing back and avenging their losses to the Avs last year, or fall again into the same unfortunate pattern and lose both games to Colorado.
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