The Buffalo Sabres missed out on a spot in the 2025 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, but they ended their 2024-25 season on a high note with a 5-4 win over the Philadelphia Flyers at KeyBank Center. The win snapped a four-game losing streak for the Sabres and marked a major milestone for head coach Lindy Ruff, who earned his 900th career NHL coaching victory. Ruff entered the night with 899 total wins—606 of those with Buffalo—and now becomes just the fifth coach in NHL history to reach the 900-win mark, with his totals climbing to 900 overall and 607 with the Sabres.
Only Scotty Bowman, Joel Quenneville, Paul Maurice, and Barry Trotz have more career wins than Lindy Ruff, who celebrated his 65th birthday in February. The Sabres acknowledged Ruff’s achievement with a post on X.
Ruff and the Sabres endured a back-and-forth battle against the Flyers before ultimately securing the win. Buffalo jumped out to an early lead with two goals in the first period and held a 3-1 advantage heading into the second. However, Philadelphia clawed back, scoring two of the next three goals, including one by Tyson Foerster just 15 seconds into the third period to make it a one-goal game. Ryan McLeod gave the Sabres a crucial insurance goal in the final minute of regulation, and although Bobby Brink responded for the Flyers with 20 seconds left, Buffalo held on. The Sabres, who haven’t reached the playoffs since 2011, wrapped up the season with a 36-39-7 record and 79 points.