Buffalo Sabres

KeyBank Center holds about 19,070 for hockey and sits on the Buffalo waterfront on the shore of Lake Erie. The arena is consistently ranked as one of the better mid-size NHL venues for sight lines and atmosphere. Buffalo fans are among the most loyal in professional sports given what the team has put them through over the decades - the 1999 Stanley Cup Finals, where Brett Hull scored the Cup-winning goal while standing in the crease in a play the league controversially allowed to stand, remains a defining grievance for anyone who lived through it in Buffalo.

Chippewa Street near downtown is the traditional bar and nightlife district that serves as the pregame destination for Sabres games. Pearl Street Grill on Pearl Street has been a Buffalo institution for decades and the wings are what you'd expect from the city that invented them. The waterfront location makes the arena walkable from hotels in the Delaware Avenue and downtown neighborhoods. The Canalside development a few blocks away has added outdoor dining and activity options in warmer months.

The Sabres have been in a building cycle for several years and the fan base has maintained genuine interest in the rebuild. Jack Quinn, JJ Peterka, and a developing roster have given Buffalo something to watch. If you're a hockey fan who wants to see a team on the rise in a market that appreciates the game, the price of admission here is reasonable.

Find Sabres tickets through Evil Tickets and see what home games are coming up at KeyBank Center.