Is there ever going to be a light at the end of the dark tunnel in Buffalo? The Sabres have missed the playoffs in eight straight seasons and in that time frame have won just 230 of their 622 games — 23 fewer than Edmonton, the next worst team. In that span, Buffalo has finished 19th, 23rd, 30th, 30th, 23rd, 26th, 31st and 27th. That’s seven straight seasons in the league’s bottom third and five of the last six seasons in which the team finished in the league’s bottom five.



On both accounts, the Sabres are in a league of their own. Not a single other team shares their standings pain. In fact, that miserable run transcends the NHL. No team in the NBA, the NFL or MLB has shared the same level of consistent futility as the Sabres have shown over the last seven seasons. (The New York Knicks were the closest with five straight seasons in the bottom 10, with the previous two landing just outside, while the Phoenix Suns have been in the bottom five in four...