Wild Falls to Sabres

Thanks to the Minnesota Wild, if the season ended today, the Buffalo Sabres would make the playoffs.

With a 3-1 victory over Minnesota at First Niagara Center on Saturday night, the Sabres moved into the top eight in the Eastern Conference for the first time since Dec. 19.

That’s two days after the Wild fell from the tippy-top of the NHL standings, meaning the Sabres’ upswing has been about as astonishing as the Wild’s downswing.