| 2017–18Buffalo Sabres | |
|---|---|
| Division | 8thAtlantic |
| Conference | 16thEastern |
| 2017–18 record | 25–45–12 |
| Home record | 11–25–5 |
| Road record | 14–20–7 |
| Goals for | 199 |
| Goals against | 280 |
| Team information | |
| General manager | Jason Botterill |
| Coach | Phil Housley |
| Captain | Vacant |
| Alternate captains | Zach Bogosian Jack Eichel Kyle Okposo Ryan O'Reilly |
| Arena | KeyBank Center |
| Average attendance | 18,563[1] |
| Minor league affiliates | Rochester Americans (AHL) Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL) |
| Team leaders | |
| Goals | Jack Eichel Sam Reinhart (25) |
| Assists | Jack Eichel (39) |
| Points | Jack Eichel (64) |
| Penalty minutes | Jordan Nolan (69) |
| Plus/minus | Casey Mittelstadt (+1) |
| Wins | Robin Lehner (14) |
| Goals against average | Robin Lehner (3.01) |
The2017–18 Buffalo Sabres season was the48th season for theNational Hockey League (NHL) franchise that was established on May 22, 1970.[2] The Sabres missed the playoffs again, finishing last in the division for the second straight year and last overall in the league.
| Pos | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | ROW | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | z –Tampa Bay Lightning | 82 | 54 | 23 | 5 | 48 | 296 | 236 | +60 | 113 |
| 2 | x –Boston Bruins | 82 | 50 | 20 | 12 | 47 | 270 | 214 | +56 | 112 |
| 3 | x –Toronto Maple Leafs | 82 | 49 | 26 | 7 | 42 | 277 | 232 | +45 | 105 |
| 4 | Florida Panthers | 82 | 44 | 30 | 8 | 41 | 248 | 246 | +2 | 96 |
| 5 | Detroit Red Wings | 82 | 30 | 39 | 13 | 25 | 217 | 255 | −38 | 73 |
| 6 | Montreal Canadiens | 82 | 29 | 40 | 13 | 27 | 209 | 264 | −55 | 71 |
| 7 | Ottawa Senators | 82 | 28 | 43 | 11 | 26 | 221 | 291 | −70 | 67 |
| 8 | Buffalo Sabres | 82 | 25 | 45 | 12 | 24 | 199 | 280 | −81 | 62 |
| Pos | Div | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | ROW | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ME | x –Columbus Blue Jackets | 82 | 45 | 30 | 7 | 39 | 242 | 230 | +12 | 97 |
| 2 | ME | x –New Jersey Devils | 82 | 44 | 29 | 9 | 39 | 248 | 244 | +4 | 97 |
| 3 | AT | Florida Panthers | 82 | 44 | 30 | 8 | 41 | 248 | 246 | +2 | 96 |
| 4 | ME | Carolina Hurricanes | 82 | 36 | 35 | 11 | 33 | 228 | 256 | −28 | 83 |
| 5 | ME | New York Islanders | 82 | 35 | 37 | 10 | 32 | 264 | 296 | −32 | 80 |
| 6 | ME | New York Rangers | 82 | 34 | 39 | 9 | 31 | 231 | 268 | −37 | 77 |
| 7 | AT | Detroit Red Wings | 82 | 30 | 39 | 13 | 25 | 217 | 255 | −38 | 73 |
| 8 | AT | Montreal Canadiens | 82 | 29 | 40 | 13 | 27 | 209 | 264 | −55 | 71 |
| 9 | AT | Ottawa Senators | 82 | 28 | 43 | 11 | 26 | 221 | 291 | −70 | 67 |
| 10 | AT | Buffalo Sabres | 82 | 25 | 45 | 12 | 24 | 199 | 280 | −81 | 62 |
General managerTim Murray and head coachDan Bylsma were both fired at the end of the previous season. Two former Sabres players were hired in their places:Jason Botterill, at the time a front office executive with thePittsburgh Penguins, was hired as general manager, while Hockey Hall of Fame defensemanPhil Housley, at the timedefensive coordinator for theNashville Predators, was named head coach.
The Sabres once again held a summer development camp during the second week of July. In contrast to the previous two seasons, no full Blue/White game was played; the four-team three-on-three tournament was reprised. Team White, led by 2017 first-round draft pickCasey Mittelstadt, won the tournament.[5] The team will host its third annual Prospects Challenge in September; the tournament will expand to four teams, with thePittsburgh Penguins joining the returning Sabres,New Jersey Devils andBoston Bruins in the tournament.[6]
The Sabres released their preseason schedule on June 19, 2017.[7]
| 2017 preseason game log: 1–4–1 (Home: 1–2–1; Road: 0–2–0) | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Date | Visitor | Score | Home | OT | Decision | Attendance | Record | Recap | |
| 1 | September 18 | Carolina | 3–2 | Buffalo | OT | Ullmark | 16,310 | 0–0–1 | Recap | |
| 2 | September 19[a] | Pittsburgh | 3–4 | Buffalo | OT | – | – | 1–0–1 | Recap | |
| 3 | September 22[b] | Buffalo | 0–3 | Toronto | – | – | 1–1–1 | Recap | ||
| 4 | September 23 | Toronto | 3–1 | Buffalo | Lehner | 17,345 | 1–2–1 | Recap | ||
| 5 | September 27 | Buffalo | 4–5 | Pittsburgh | Johnson | 17,693 | 1–3–1 | Recap | ||
| 6 | September 29 | NY Islanders | 3–1 | Buffalo | Lehner | 16,967 | 1–4–1 | Recap | ||
Notes: | ||||||||||
The team's regular season schedule was published on June 22, 2017.[8]
| 2017–18 game log | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Legend: Win (2 points) Loss (0 points) Overtime/shootout loss (1 point) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Final stats.[9]
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| Player | GP | GS | TOI | W | L | OT | GA | GAA | SA | SV% | SO | G | A | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robin Lehner | 53 | 50 | 2,852:01 | 14 | 26 | 9 | 143 | 3.01 | 1,560 | .908 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Chad Johnson | 36 | 29 | 1,773:32 | 10 | 16 | 3 | 105 | 3.55 | 962 | .891 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Linus Ullmark | 5 | 3 | 240:18 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 2.00 | 123 | .935 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Adam Wilcox | 1 | 0 | 38:39 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 14 | 1.000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Sabres. Stats reflect time with the Sabres only.
‡Denotes player was traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with the Sabres only.
Bold/italics denotes franchise record.
The Sabres have been involved in the followingtransactions during the 2017–18 season.
| Date | Details | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 17, 2017 (2017-06-17) | ToMontreal Canadiens 3rd-round pick in2017 | To Buffalo Sabres Nathan Beaulieu | [12] |
| June 21, 2017 (2017-06-21) | ToVegas Golden Knights 6th-round pick in2017 | To Buffalo Sabres Expansion draft considerations[a] | [13] |
| June 30, 2017 (2017-06-30) | ToMinnesota Wild Tyler Ennis Marcus Foligno 3rd-round pick in2018 | To Buffalo Sabres season Jason Pominville Marco Scandella 4th-round pick in2018 | [14] |
| October 4, 2017 (2017-10-04) | ToMontreal Canadiens Nicolas Deslauriers | To Buffalo Sabres Zach Redmond | [15] |
| December 4, 2017 (2017-12-04) | ToDetroit Red Wings 5th-round pick in2019 | To Buffalo Sabres Scott Wilson | [16] |
| February 26, 2018 (2018-02-26) | ToSan Jose Sharks Evander Kane | To Buffalo Sabres Danny O'Regan Conditional 1st-round in2019 Conditional 4th-round pick in2020 | [17] |
| June 14, 2018 (2018-06-14) | ToArizona Coyotes Hudson Fasching | To Buffalo Sabres Rights toBrandon Hickey Rights toMike Sislo | [18] |
Notes:
Free agents acquired[edit]
| Free agents lost[edit]
|
Claimed via waivers[edit]
| Lost via waivers[edit]
|
| Date | Player | Contract terms (in U.S. dollars) | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 26, 2017 (2017-06-26) | Taylor Fedun | 2-year, $1.3 million, two-way contract | [39] |
| July 8, 2017 (2017-07-08) | Johan Larsson | 2-year, $2.95 million | [40] |
| July 25, 2017 (2017-07-25) | Robin Lehner | 1-year, $4 million | [41] |
| July 27, 2017 (2017-07-27) | Evan Rodrigues | 2-year, $1.3 million | [42] |
| July 31, 2017 (2017-07-31) | Nathan Beaulieu | 2-year, $4.8 million | [43] |
| August 17, 2017 (2017-08-17) | Zemgus Girgensons | 2-year, $3.2 million | [44] |
| October 4, 2017 (2017-10-04) | Jack Eichel | 8-year, $80 million contract extension | [45] |
| October 23, 2017 (2017-10-23) | Cliff Pu | 3-year, $2.775 million entry-level contract | [46] |
| March 25, 2018 (2018-03-25) | Will Borgen | 3-year, $2.775 million entry-level contract | [47] |
| March 26, 2018 (2018-03-26) | Casey Mittelstadt | 3-year, $4.475 million entry-level contract | [48] |
| April 24, 2018 (2018-04-24) | Victor Olofsson | 2-year, $1.85 million entry-level contract | [49] |
| May 2, 2018 (2018-05-02) | Casey Nelson | 2-year, $1.625 million contract extension | [50] |
| May 23, 2018 (2018-05-23) | Rasmus Asplund | 3-year, $2.775 million entry-level contract | [51] |
| June 14, 2018 (2018-06-14) | Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen | 3-year, $2.775 million entry-level contract | [52] |
Below are the Buffalo Sabres' selections at the2017 NHL entry draft, which was held on June 23 and 24, 2017 at theUnited Center inChicago.
| Round | # | Player | Pos | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | Casey Mittelstadt | C | Green Bay Gamblers (USHL) | |
| 2 | 37 | Marcus Davidsson | C | Djurgårdens IF (SHL) | |
| 2 | 541 | Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen | G | HPK U20 (Jr. A SM-liiga) | |
| 3 | 892 | Oskari Laaksonen | D | Ilves U20 (Jr. A SM-liiga) | |
| 4 | 99 | Jacob Bryson | D | Providence College (Hockey East) | |
| 7 | 192 | Linus Weissbach | LW | Tri-City Storm (USHL) |
Draft notes:[53]