BUFFALO – Almost fittingly, you must go back 20 years, to the first half of the 2005-06 season, to find the last time the Sabres won 12 times in a 13-game stretch.

Inevitably, whenever the Sabres get hot – and they’re scorching entering tonight’s contest against the Anaheim Ducks at KeyBank Center, the start of a five-game home stand – comparisons materialize to that beloved post-lockout team that will be honored before Thursday’s game.

Heck, when the Sabres rehired Lindy Ruff in April 2024 following a disappointing season, he laid it out, saying he saw strong similarities between the team he had inherited and that special group that took the NHL by storm.

Twenty-one months ago, Ruff said like in 2005-06, a deep, talented team needed to learn how to play the right way. While it took them about 110 outings this time around, it appears the Sabres, who just enjoyed a 10-game win streak, have figured things out and developed a mature style.

But comparing teams from different eras is often difficult and foolish.

The Sabres, who own the Eastern Conference’s second wild card spot, have enjoyed a dynamic month. It possibly signals they’ve ascended to a new level and can end the franchise’s embarrassing 14-year playoff drought. That, of course, is significant.

Still, in the grand scheme of things, it’s just 13 games. That stacked team from 20 years ago fell one game shy of reaching the Stanley Cup final.

The current group has a long way to go.

But both teams overcame middling starts before something clicked out of seemingly nowhere.

The 2005-06 team began 8-9-0 before rattling off 15 wins in 17 games, including 12 victories in 13 tries. This season, the Sabres stood an underwhelming 11-14-4 before their 4-3 overtime win Dec. 9 in Edmonton, a game in which they blew a late 3-0 lead to the Oilers, ignited them.

They haven’t let up for the last month.

– The dagger in Thursday’s 5-2 road win over the New York Rangers came from defenseman Mattias Samuelsson, who’s nifty short-handed goal 14:38 into the third period restored the Sabres’ two-goal lead.

More than halfway through the season, Samuelsson’s offensive contributions are no longer surprising. After scoring and creating winger Josh Doan’s early goal in New York, he has registered seven goals and 22 points in 40 games this season.

That’s a 14-goal, 45-point pace over a full campaign. He had never surpassed the four-goal or 14-point mark before this season.

Now, the slick way in which Samuelsson, 25, put the Sabres up 4-2 was a little shocking. From the bottom of the left circle, a difficult angle, he whistled the puck over goalie Jonathan Quick’s right shoulder.

“Well, it was probably as good as any goal scorer,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff told reporters following the game in New York. “He might be getting a label as a goal scorer now if he keeps those up.”

Samuelsson said he was aiming for the short side.

“I think everyone kind of knows Quick’s style,” he told reporters. “I grew up watching him and stuff. He’s more of a down-low goalie, for sure.”

Samuelsson earned the primary assist on Doan’s goal, grabbing the puck after his shot broke an opponent’s stick and dishing it out front from below the goal line.

“When he has the rock right now, we kind of trust him and let him do his thing,” Doan told reporters.

– Since starting the season 0-5-2 on the road, the Sabres are 10-5-0. Remember, they did not register their first road victory until Nov. 15. They earned their first regulation road win Dec. 11.

In becoming a top road team, the Sabres have showcased a more mature style, grabbing leads and grinding out wins.

While the Rangers scored 51 seconds into the third period and had the first 11 shots on goal, the Sabres still weathered the storm.

“There’s a little bit of a different style you got to play on the road,” Doan said. “When you play a game like tonight and the momentum gets rolling, and you got to pack ‘er down. I think that was something early on in the year we didn’t do a very good job of defending.

“So it’s something that as a group we worked on and talked about. I think you have to take that little bit of a villain mentality when you come on the road and want to silence the crowd.”

Notes: The Sabres on Friday sent defenseman Zac Jones back to the Rochester Americans. … Doan has scored in four straight games, the longest stretch of his career. … Ruff on goalie Colten Ellis, who made 30 saves against the Rangers in his first action since suffering a concussion Dec. 9: “A-plus game, for sure,” he said. “But we know when we put him in, he’s been ready to play.” … The Sabres had Friday off. … The Ducks are 0-7-1 in their last eight games.