Sabres Acquire Defensemen, Boost Playoff Hopes

0:00This is Corey with NHL News Today, powered by the Daily News Now. Subscribe for daily updates on your team. The Buffalo Sabers keep rolling with the 5-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, putting them in a tie for first in the Atlantic Division with a Tampa Bay Lightning at 80 points each. After a rough start to the season, Buffalo is buying at the trade deadline to push for the playoffs. They just landed two defensemen from the Winnipeg Jets, Logan Stanley, and Luke Shen. Here this week, the Sabers thought they had a deal for St. Louis Blues defensemen, Colton Perraiko, but he used his no-trade clause to block it. That opened the door for this smarter swap with Winnipeg, avoiding a big salary commitment that Perraiko would have required. Fans and analysts see this as a win for Buffalo, getting two experienced playoff guys who can stabilize the blue line right away. Stanley and Shen offer depth up and down the line-up, unlike the more offense-focused Perraiko. Meanwhile, the Jets are sellers after a disappointing year, falling from last season's president's

1:02trophy winners to deadline fire sale mode. In return, they get Buffalo's 2027 second round draft pick, plus defensemen Jacob Bryson and Winger Isok Rosen. With the Stanley Cup playoffs about a month away, this bolsters the Sabers' chances to end their 14-year playoff drought. It's exciting to watch Buffalo finally act like contenders. We'd like to thank our sponsor for making this episode possible. No earbuds, no headbands, no awkward sleeping positions, just a pillow that plays your sound, S-O-L-L-I, solely pillow dot com.