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2017–18 Buffalo Sabres season

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2017–18 Buffalo Sabres
Division8th Atlantic
Conference16th Eastern
2017–18 record25–45–12
Home record11–25–5
Road record14–20–7
Goals for199
Goals against280
Team information
General managerJason Botterill
CoachPhil Housley
CaptainVacant
Alternate captainsZach Bogosian
Jack Eichel
Kyle Okposo
Ryan O'Reilly
ArenaKeyBank Center
Average attendance18,563[1]
Minor league affiliate(s)Rochester Americans (AHL)
Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL)
Team leaders
GoalsJack Eichel
Sam Reinhart (25)
AssistsJack Eichel (39)
PointsJack Eichel (64)
Penalty minutesJordan Nolan (69)
Plus/minusCasey Mittelstadt (+1)
WinsRobin Lehner (14)
Goals against averageRobin Lehner (3.01)

The 2017–18 Buffalo Sabres season was the 48th season for the National Hockey League 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.

Standings

[edit]
Atlantic Division
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
Source: National Hockey League[3]
x – Clinched playoff spot; z – Clinched conference
Eastern Conference Wild Card
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
Source: National Hockey League[4]
x – Clinched playoff spot

Off-season

[edit]

General manager Tim Murray and head coach Dan 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 the Pittsburgh Penguins, was hired as general manager, while Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman Phil Housley, at the time defensive coordinator for the Nashville 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 pick Casey Mittelstadt, won the tournament.[5] The team will host its third annual Prospects Challenge in September; the tournament will expand to four teams, with the Pittsburgh Penguins joining the returning Sabres, New Jersey Devils and Boston Bruins in the tournament.[6]

Schedule and results

[edit]

Preseason

[edit]

The Sabres released their preseason schedule on June 19, 2017.[7]

Regular season

[edit]

The team's regular season schedule was published on June 22, 2017.[8]

2017–18 game log

Legend:   Win (2 points)   Loss (0 points)   Overtime/shootout loss (1 point)

Player statistics

[edit]

Final stats.[9]

Skaters
Goaltenders
Regular season[11]
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.

Transactions

[edit]

The Sabres have been involved in the following transactions during the 2017–18 season.

Trades

[edit]
Date Details Ref
June 17, 2017 (2017-06-17) To Montreal Canadiens
3rd-round pick in 2017
To Buffalo Sabres
Nathan Beaulieu
[12]
June 21, 2017 (2017-06-21) To Vegas Golden Knights
6th-round pick in 2017
To Buffalo Sabres
Expansion draft considerations[a]
[13]
June 30, 2017 (2017-06-30) To Minnesota Wild
Tyler Ennis
Marcus Foligno
3rd-round pick in 2018
To Buffalo Sabres season
Jason Pominville
Marco Scandella
4th-round pick in 2018
[14]
October 4, 2017 (2017-10-04) To Montreal Canadiens
Nicolas Deslauriers
To Buffalo Sabres
Zach Redmond
[15]
December 4, 2017 (2017-12-04) To Detroit Red Wings
5th-round pick in 2019
To Buffalo Sabres
Scott Wilson
[16]
February 26, 2018 (2018-02-26) To San Jose Sharks
Evander Kane
To Buffalo Sabres
Danny O'Regan
Conditional 1st-round in 2019
Conditional 4th-round pick in 2020
[17]
June 14, 2018 (2018-06-14) To Arizona Coyotes
Hudson Fasching
To Buffalo Sabres
Rights to Brandon Hickey
Rights to Mike Sislo
[18]

Notes:

  1. The Vegas Golden Knights selected William Carrier in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft. The draft pick was exchanged so that the Golden Knights would not select Linus Ullmark.

Player signings

[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]

Draft picks

[edit]

Below are the Buffalo Sabres' selections at the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, which was held on June 23 and 24, 2017 at the United Center in Chicago.

Round # Player Pos Nationality College/Junior/Club team (League)
1 8 Casey Mittelstadt C United States United States Green Bay Gamblers (USHL)
2 37 Marcus Davidsson C Sweden Sweden Djurgårdens IF (SHL)
2 541 Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen G Finland Finland HPK U20 (Jr. A SM-liiga)
3 892 Oskari Laaksonen D Finland Finland Ilves U20 (Jr. A SM-liiga)
4 99 Jacob Bryson D Canada Canada Providence College (Hockey East)
7 192 Linus Weissbach LW Sweden Sweden Tri-City Storm (USHL)

Draft notes:[53]

  1. The Minnesota Wild's second-round pick went to the Buffalo Sabres as the result of a trade on March 2, 2015 that sent Chris Stewart to Minnesota in exchange for this pick.[54]
  2. The Washington Capitals' third-round pick went to the Buffalo Sabres as the result of a trade on February 23, 2016 that sent Mike Weber to Washington in exchange for this pick.[55]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "2017-2018 NHL Attendance". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
  2. ^ National Hockey League (2010). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book/2011. Triumph Books. p. 27. ISBN 978-1-60078-422-4.
  3. ^ "2017-2018 NHL Hockey Standings". NHL.com.
  4. ^ "2017-2018 NHL Hockey Standings". NHL.com.
  5. ^ "Sabres Notebook: Mittelstadt's team wins 3-on-3, Housley talks coaching staff, Stephens sits & more".
  6. ^ Hoppe, Bill (July 13, 2017). "Sabres prospect Marcus Davidsson wishes he attended NHL Draft". Buffalo Hockey Beat: Olean Times Herald. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  7. ^ "Sabres announce 2017 preseason schedule". NHL.com. June 19, 2017. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  8. ^ Ryndak, Chris (June 22, 2017). "A deeper look at the Sabres' 2017-18 schedule". NHL.com. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  9. ^ "Buffalo Sabres Stats - 2017-2018". NHL.com. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  10. ^ "2017–18 Regular season – Buffalo Sabres Stats – Skaters". NHL.com. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  11. ^ "2017–18 Regular season – Buffalo Sabres Stats – Goalies". NHL.com. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  12. ^ "Sabres acquire defenseman Beaulieu". June 17, 2017. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
  13. ^ "2017 NHL expansion draft results: All the Golden Knights' trades". SB Nation. June 21, 2017.
  14. ^ "Sabres acquire Scandella, Pominville from Wild". June 30, 2017. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
  15. ^ "Sabres acquire Redmond from Montreal". NHL.com. October 4, 2017. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  16. ^ "Sabres acquire Scott Wilson". NHL.com. December 4, 2017. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
  17. ^ "Sabres acquire O'Regan, picks from Sharks". NHL.com. February 26, 2018. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
  18. ^ "Sabres acquire Hickey from Coyotes". NHL.com. June 15, 2018. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
  19. ^ "Buffalo Sabres sign forward Kyle Criscuolo to two-way deal". sportsnet.ca. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
  20. ^ "Sabres sign forward Seth Griffith to one-year contract". sportsnet.ca. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
  21. ^ "Sabres sign goaltender Chad Johnson to one-year contract". sportsnet.ca. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
  22. ^ "Sabres sign Josefson to 1-year deal". nhl.com. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
  23. ^ "Buffalo Sabres sign forward Kevin Porter to two-way deal". sportsnet.ca. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
  24. ^ "Benoit Pouliot signs one-year deal with Buffalo Sabres". sportsnet.ca. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
  25. ^ "Sabres ink Matt Tennyson to two-year deal". sportsnet.ca. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
  26. ^ "Buffalo Sabres sign goalie Adam Wilcox". sportsnet.ca. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
  27. ^ "Sabres sign forward Andrew Oglevie". NHL.com. April 11, 2018. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
  28. ^ "Sabres, Pilut agree to entry-level deal". NHL.com. May 15, 2018. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  29. ^ Tampa Bay, Lightning (July 1, 2017). "Lightning sign defenseman Mat Bodie to one-year, two-way contract". Tampa Bay Lightning. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
  30. ^ "Jets sign Dmitry Kulikov". NHL.com. July 1, 2017. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
  31. ^ "Wild Agrees to Terms with Forwards Ferraro, O'Reilly". nhl.com. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
  32. ^ "Rangers Agree to Terms With Cole Schneider". nhl.com. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
  33. ^ "Marlies Sign Jean Dupuy". marlies.ca. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
  34. ^ "EVERBLADES SIGN FORWARD KEA". echl.com. Retrieved July 22, 2017. [permanent dead link]
  35. ^ Schlager, Brandon (October 18, 2017). "A peak at Pyeongchang: USA Hockey announces roster for pre-Olympic tournament". The Sporting News. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
  36. ^ "Jacob Josefson är klar för Djurgården". difhockey.se (in Swedish). Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  37. ^ "REDMOND RETURNS ON TWO-YEAR AHL CONTRACT". amerks.com. Retrieved June 11, 2019. [permanent dead link]
  38. ^ "SABRES CLAIM NOLAN OFF WAIVERS". Buffalo Sabres PR. September 27, 2017. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
  39. ^ "Sabres, Taylor Fedun agree to two-year, two-way deal". sportsnet.ca. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
  40. ^ "Sabres, Larsson agree to 2-year contract". nhl.com. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  41. ^ "Sabres sign Lehner to 1-year contract". nhl.com. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
  42. ^ "Sabres sign Rodrigues to 2-year contract". nhl.com. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  43. ^ "Sabres, Beaulieu agree to 2-year contract". nhl.com. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
  44. ^ "Girgensons signs two-year contract with Sabres".
  45. ^ "Sabres, Eichel agree to terms on extension". NHL.com. October 4, 2017. Retrieved October 4, 2017.
  46. ^ "Sabres sign Pu to entry-level contract". NHL.com. October 23, 2017. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
  47. ^ "Sabres sign Borgen to entry-level contract". NHL.com. March 25, 2018. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  48. ^ "Sabres, Mittelstadt agree to entry-level deal". NHL.com. March 26, 2018. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  49. ^ "Sabres sign Viktor Olofsson". NHL.com. April 24, 2018. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
  50. ^ "Sabres sign Nelson to 2-year deal". NHL.com. May 2, 2018. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  51. ^ "Sabres sign Asplund to entry-level contract". NHL.com. May 23, 2018. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
  52. ^ "Sabres ink Luukkonen to entry-level contract". NHL.com. June 14, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  53. ^ "2017 NHL Entry Draft Pending Transactions Transactions". Pro Sports Transactions. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
  54. ^ "Wild acquire Stewart from Sabres for 2017 pick". March 2, 2015. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  55. ^ "Sabres trade Weber to Caps for third rounder". February 23, 2016. Retrieved February 23, 2016.