NHL Playoff Race Update: Sabres, Red Wings and Ducks Eye Drought-Breaking Berths

The three NHL teams who've gone the longest without qualifying for the Stanley Cup Playoffs have put themselves in prime position to end their droughts heading into the stretch run of the regular season.

The Buffalo Sabres currently hold the longest dry spell in NHL history, going the past 14 seasons without a playoff appearance.

Thanks to a 21-5-2 stretch since Dec. 9, however, the Sabres hold the first wild-card spot from the Eastern Conference, one point ahead of the Boston Bruins.

Tage Thompson has been the model of consistency for Buffalo, scoring eight goals in each of the past three months to give him 30 on the season.

The Detroit Red Wings have failed to qualify for the postseason the past nine years, but they've climbed into third place in the Atlantic Division, two points ahead of the Sabres.

The Red Wings acquired veteran goalie John Gibson in the offseason and he's rewarded them by going 22-12-2 with a 2.62 goals-against average, his best mark since the 2017-18 season.

The Anaheim Ducks are hoping to end a seven-year playoff drought.

Anaheim exits the three-week pause for the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics in the second wild-card spot from the Western Conference.

The Ducks rebounded nicely from a nine-game losing streak to win nine of the 11 heading into the Olympic break.

Anaheim is tied in points with the Seattle Kraken, who own the tiebreaker because they have three more wins in regulation than the Ducks.

Seattle has missed the playoffs the past two seasons.

On the other end of the spectrum, the Florida Panthers won the past two Stanley Cup Championships and have qualified for the playoffs each of the past six seasons, but they sit last in the Atlantic Division, eight points out of the final playoff spot.

The Panthers lost five of six heading into the Olympic break.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are also in jeopardy of seeing their nine-year playoff run come to a halt.

They're one just one spot and two points better than the Panthers in the Atlantic.

Should the Maple Leafs miss out on the playoffs, the Colorado Avalanche would take over the lead for the longest active playoff run.

The Avalanche lead the Central Division by five points, putting them in good position to qualify for the postseason for a ninth straight year.

Colorado got off to a phenomenal 31-2-7 start, but is just 6-7-2 in its past 15 games.

The Minnesota Wild, meanwhile, won five in a row before the Olympic pause and the Dallas Stars won six straight, both making up considerable ground on the Avalanche in the Central Division.