2017–18 Buffalo Sabres season

2017–18 Buffalo Sabres
Division	8th Atlantic
Conference	16th Eastern
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
Minor league affiliate(s)	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)

The 2017–18 Buffalo Sabres season was the 48th season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on May 22, 1970. The Sabres missed the playoffs again, finishing last in the division for the second straight year and last overall in the league.

Standings

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
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
x – Clinched playoff spot

Off-season

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. 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.

Schedule and results

Preseason

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

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	Pittsburgh	3–4	Buffalo	OT	–	–	1–0–1	Recap
3	September 22	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: a Game was played at Pegula Ice Arena in University Park, Pennsylvania. b Game was played at Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto, Ontario.

Regular season

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

2017–18 game log
October: 3–7–2 (Home: 1–3–1 ; Road: 2–4–1) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 1 October 5 Montreal 3–2 Buffalo SO Lehner 19,070 0–0–1 1 Recap 2 October 7 Buffalo 3–6 NY Islanders Lehner 15,234 0–1–1 1 Recap 3 October 9 New Jersey 6–2 Buffalo Johnson 17,697 0–2–1 1 Recap 4 October 12 Buffalo 2–3 San Jose Lehner 17,402 0–3–1 1 Recap 5 October 14 Buffalo 2–4 Los Angeles Lehner 18,230 0–4–1 1 Recap 6 October 15 Buffalo 3–1 Anaheim Johnson 15,821 1–4–1 3 Recap 7 October 17 Buffalo 4–5 Vegas OT Johnson 17,617 1–4–2 4 Recap 8 October 20 Vancouver 4–2 Buffalo Johnson 18,050 1–5–2 4 Recap 9 October 21 Buffalo 5–4 Boston OT Lehner 17,565 2–5–2 6 Recap 10 October 24 Detroit 0–1 Buffalo Lehner 16,882 3–5–2 8 Recap 11 October 25 Buffalo 1–5 Columbus Johnson 14,383 3–6–2 8 Recap 12 October 28 San Jose 3–2 Buffalo Lehner 18,892 3–7–2 8 Recap
November: 3–8–2 (Home: 2–5–0 ; Road: 1–3–2) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 13 November 2 Buffalo 5–4 Arizona Lehner 11,477 4–7–2 10 Recap 14 November 4 Buffalo 1–5 Dallas Lehner 18,236 4–8–2 10 Recap 15 November 7 Washington 1–3 Buffalo Lehner 17,146 5–8–2 12 Recap 16 November 10 Florida 4–1 Buffalo Lehner 17,812 5–9–2 12 Recap 17 November 11 Buffalo 1–2 Montreal OT Johnson 21,302 5–9–3 13 Recap 18 November 14 Buffalo 4–5 Pittsburgh OT Lehner 18,438 5–9–4 14 Recap 19 November 17 Buffalo 1–3 Detroit Lehner 19,515 5–10–4 14 Recap 20 November 18 Carolina 3–1 Buffalo Johnson 18,028 5–11–4 14 Recap 21 November 20 Columbus 3–2 Buffalo Lehner 16,551 5–12–4 14 Recap 22 November 22 Minnesota 5–4 Buffalo Lehner 17,418 5–13–4 14 Recap 23 November 24 Edmonton 1–3 Buffalo Lehner 19,070 6–13–4 16 Recap 24 November 25 Buffalo 0–3 Montreal Lehner 21,302 6–14–4 16 Recap 25 November 28 Tampa Bay 2–0 Buffalo Lehner 17,569 6–15–4 16 Recap
December: 4–5–4 (Home: 2–2–1 ; Road: 2–3–3) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 26 December 1 Pittsburgh 4–0 Buffalo Lehner 19,070 6–16–4 16 Recap 27 December 2 Buffalo 1–5 Pittsburgh Johnson 18,582 6–17–4 16 Recap 28 December 5 Buffalo 4–2 Colorado Lehner 13,258 7–17–4 18 Recap 29 December 8 Buffalo 2–3 Chicago OT Lehner 21,542 7–17–5 19 Recap 30 December 10 Buffalo 2–3 St. Louis OT Lehner 17,310 7–17–6 20 Recap 31 December 12 Ottawa 2–3 Buffalo Lehner 17,454 8–17–6 22 Recap 32 December 14 Buffalo 1–2 Philadelphia Lehner 19,508 8–18–6 22 Recap 33 December 15 Carolina 5–4 Buffalo OT Johnson 17,610 8–18–7 23 Recap 34 December 19 Boston 3–0 Buffalo Lehner 17,811 8–19–7 23 Recap 35 December 22 Philadelphia 2–4 Buffalo Lehner 18,222 9–19–7 25 Recap 36 December 23 Buffalo 2–4 Carolina Johnson 14,470 9–20–7 25 Recap 37 December 27 Buffalo 2–3 NY Islanders OT Lehner 15,027 9–20–8 26 Recap 38 December 29 Buffalo 4–3 New Jersey OT Lehner 16,514 10–20–8 28 Recap
January: 4–7–1 (Home: 1–3–1 ; Road: 3–4–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 39 January 1 NY Rangers 3–2 Buffalo OT Lehner 41,821 (outdoors) 10–20–9 29 Recap 40 January 4 Buffalo 2–6 Minnesota Lehner 19,017 10–21–9 29 Recap 41 January 5 Buffalo 3–4 Winnipeg Johnson 15,321 10–22–9 29 Recap 42 January 7 Buffalo 1–4 Philadelphia Lehner 19,662 10–23–9 29 Recap 43 January 9 Winnipeg 7–4 Buffalo Johnson 17,398 10–24–9 29 Recap 44 January 11 Columbus 1–3 Buffalo Ullmark 18,071 11–24–9 31 Recap 45 January 18 Buffalo 3–4 NY Rangers Lehner 18,006 11–25–9 31 Recap 46 January 20 Dallas 7–1 Buffalo Lehner 19,070 11–26–9 31 Recap 47 January 22 Buffalo 2–1 Calgary OT Johnson 18,349 12–26–9 33 Recap 48 January 23 Buffalo 5–0 Edmonton Lehner 18,347 13–26–9 35 Recap 49 January 25 Buffalo 4–0 Vancouver Lehner 18,340 14–26–9 37 Recap 50 January 30 New Jersey 3–1 Buffalo Lehner 17,460 14–27–9 37 Recap
February: 6–6–2 (Home: 3–5–1 ; Road: 3–1–1) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 51 February 1 Florida 4–2 Buffalo Johnson 16,707 14–28–9 37 Recap 52 February 3 St. Louis 1–0 Buffalo Lehner 18,777 14–29–9 37 Recap 53 February 6 Anaheim 4–3 Buffalo OT Lehner 16,788 14–29–10 38 Recap 54 February 8 NY Islanders 3–4 Buffalo Lehner 16,872 15–29–10 40 Recap 55 February 10 Buffalo 4–2 Boston Johnson 17,565 16–29–10 42 Recap 56 February 11 Colorado 5–4 Buffalo Lehner 17,646 16–30–10 42 Recap 57 February 13 Tampa Bay 3–5 Buffalo Johnson 16,530 17–30–10 44 Recap 58 February 15 Buffalo 2–3 Ottawa OT Lehner 13,371 17–30–11 45 Recap 59 February 17 Los Angeles 4–2 Buffalo Lehner 18,632 17–31–11 45 Recap 60 February 19 Washington 3–2 Buffalo Johnson 18,228 17–32–11 45 Recap 61 February 22 Buffalo 3–2 Detroit OT Lehner 19,515 18–32–11 47 Recap 62 February 24 Buffalo 1–5 Washington Lehner 18,506 18–33–11 47 Recap 63 February 25 Boston 1–4 Buffalo Johnson 18,522 19–33–11 49 Recap 64 February 28 Buffalo 2–1 Tampa Bay OT Johnson 19,092 20–33–11 51 Recap
March: 5–8–1 (Home: 2–6–1 ; Road: 3–2–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 65 March 2 Buffalo 1–4 Florida Lehner 12,759 20–34–11 51 Recap 66 March 5 Toronto 3–5 Buffalo Johnson 18,705 21–34–11 53 Recap 67 March 7 Calgary 5–1 Buffalo Johnson 17,773 21–35–11 53 Recap 68 March 8 Buffalo 4–3 Ottawa SO Lehner 13,377 22–35–11 55 Recap 69 March 10 Vegas 2–1 Buffalo SO Lehner 19,070 22–35–12 56 Recap 70 March 15 Toronto 5–2 Buffalo Lehner 19,070 22–36–12 56 Recap 71 March 17 Chicago 3–5 Buffalo Johnson 19,070 23–36–12 58 Recap 72 March 19 Nashville 4–0 Buffalo Ullmark 17,507 23–37–12 58 Recap 73 March 21 Arizona 4–1 Buffalo Johnson 17,029 23–38–12 58 Recap 74 March 23 Montreal 3–0 Buffalo Ullmark 18,594 23–39–12 58 Recap 75 March 24 Buffalo 1–5 NY Rangers Lehner 18,006 23–40–12 58 Recap 76 March 26 Buffalo 3–2 Toronto Johnson 19,108 24–40–12 60 Recap 77 March 29 Detroit 6–3 Buffalo Johnson 18,493 24–41–12 60 Recap 78 March 31 Buffalo 7–4 Nashville Johnson 17,551 25–41–12 62 Recap
April: 0–4–0 (Home: 0–1–0 ; Road: 0–3–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 79 April 2 Buffalo 2–5 Toronto Johnson 18,846 25–42–12 62 Recap 80 April 4 Ottawa 4–2 Buffalo Johnson 18,919 25–43–12 62 Recap 81 April 6 Buffalo 5–7 Tampa Bay Johnson 19,092 25–44–12 62 Recap 82 April 7 Buffalo 3–4 Florida Wilcox 16,254 25–45–12 62 Recap
Legend:   Win (2 points)   Loss (0 points)   Overtime/shootout loss (1 point)

Player statistics

Final stats.

Skaters

Regular season

Player	GP	G	A	Pts	+/−	PIM
Jack Eichel	67	25	39	64	−25	32
Ryan O'Reilly	81	24	37	61	−23	2
Sam Reinhart	82	25	25	50	−24	26
Kyle Okposo	76	15	29	44	−34	40
Rasmus Ristolainen	73	6	35	41	−25	48
Evander Kane‡	61	20	20	40	−14	57
Jason Pominville	82	16	18	34	−17	8
Evan Rodrigues	48	7	18	25	−10	14
Marco Scandella	82	5	17	22	−15	37
Benoit Pouliot	74	13	6	19	−8	22
Johan Larsson	80	4	13	17	−30	49
Zemgus Girgensons	71	7	8	15	−12	26
Scott Wilson†	49	6	8	14	−17	8
Jake McCabe	53	3	9	12	−11	26
Viktor Antipin	47	0	10	10	−9	18
Nathan Beaulieu	59	1	8	9	−19	36
Jordan Nolan	69	4	4	8	−13	69
Casey Nelson	37	3	5	8	−14	8
Nicholas Baptiste	33	4	2	6	−4	14
Casey Mittelstadt	6	1	4	5	1	2
Brendan Guhle	18	0	5	5	−6	10
Justin Bailey	12	3	1	4	−2	2
Jacob Josefson	39	2	2	4	−4	6
Seth Griffith	21	2	1	3	−6	6
Justin Falk	46	1	1	2	−16	28
Josh Gorges	34	0	2	2	−4	17
Alexander Nylander	3	1	0	1	−3	0
Taylor Fedun	7	0	1	1	−1	2
Zach Bogosian	18	0	1	1	−9	20
Matt Tennyson	15	0	0	0	−8	8
Zach Redmond	3	0	0	0	1	2
Matt Moulson	14	0	0	0	−9	2
Kyle Criscuolo	9	0	0	0	−4	4
Hudson Fasching	5	0	0	0	−1	2
Danny O'Regan†	2	0	0	0	1	0

Goaltenders

Regular season

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

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

Trades

Date	Details		Ref
June 17, 2017 (2017-06-17)	To Montreal Canadiens 3rd-round pick in 2017	To Buffalo Sabres Nathan Beaulieu
June 21, 2017 (2017-06-21)	To Vegas Golden Knights 6th-round pick in 2017	To Buffalo Sabres Expansion draft considerations
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
October 4, 2017 (2017-10-04)	To Montreal Canadiens Nicolas Deslauriers	To Buffalo Sabres Zach Redmond
December 4, 2017 (2017-12-04)	To Detroit Red Wings 5th-round pick in 2019	To Buffalo Sabres Scott Wilson
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
June 14, 2018 (2018-06-14)	To Arizona Coyotes Hudson Fasching	To Buffalo Sabres Rights to Brandon Hickey Rights to Mike Sislo

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.

Free agents acquired

Date	Player	Former team	Contract terms (in U.S. dollars)	Ref
July 1, 2017 (2017-07-01)	Kyle Criscuolo	Grand Rapids Griffins	2-year, $1.3 million
July 1, 2017 (2017-07-01)	Seth Griffith	Toronto Maple Leafs	1-year, $650,000
July 1, 2017 (2017-07-01)	Chad Johnson	Arizona Coyotes	1-year, $2.5 million
July 1, 2017 (2017-07-01)	Jacob Josefson	New Jersey Devils	1-year, $700,000
July 1, 2017 (2017-07-01)	Kevin Porter	Pittsburgh Penguins	2-year, $1.3 million
July 1, 2017 (2017-07-01)	Benoit Pouliot	Edmonton Oilers	1-year, $1.15 million
July 1, 2017 (2017-07-01)	Matt Tennyson	Carolina Hurricanes	2-year, $1.3 million
July 1, 2017 (2017-07-01)	Adam Wilcox	Florida Panthers	1-year, $650,000
April 11, 2018 (2018-04-11)	Andrew Oglevie	University of Notre Dame	2-year, $1.85 million entry-level contract
May 15, 2018 (2018-05-15)	Lawrence Pilut	HV71	2-year, $2.7 million entry-level contract

Free agents lost

Date	Player	New team	Contract terms (in U.S. dollars)	Ref
July 1, 2017 (2017-07-01)	Mat Bodie	Tampa Bay Lightning	1-year
July 1, 2017 (2017-07-01)	Erik Burgdoerfer	Ottawa Senators	2-year, $1.3 million
July 1, 2017 (2017-07-01)	Derek Grant	Anaheim Ducks	1-year, $650,000
July 1, 2017 (2017-07-01)	Dmitry Kulikov	Winnipeg Jets	3-year
July 1, 2017 (2017-07-01)	Anders Nilsson	Vancouver Canucks	2-year, $5 million
July 1, 2017 (2017-07-01)	Cal O'Reilly	Minnesota Wild	2-year, $1.4 million
July 1, 2017 (2017-07-01)	Cole Schneider	New York Rangers	2-year, $1.3 million
July 1, 2017 (2017-07-01)	Jean Dupuy	Toronto Marlies	Unknown
July 20, 2017 (2017-07-20)	Justin Kea	Florida Everblades	1-year
October 18, 2017 (2017-10-18)	Brian Gionta	Team USA	Through Olympics, $0
April 27, 2018 (2018-04-27)	Jacob Josefson	Djurgårdens IF	4-year
June 13, 2018 (2018-06-13)	Zach Redmond	Rochester Americans	2-year

Claimed via waivers

Player	Previous team	Date	Ref
Jordan Nolan	Los Angeles Kings	September 27, 2017 (2017-09-27)

Lost via waivers

Player	New team	Date	Ref

Players released

Date	Player	Via	Ref

Lost via retirement

Date	Player	Ref

Player signings

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
July 8, 2017 (2017-07-08)	Johan Larsson	2-year, $2.95 million
July 25, 2017 (2017-07-25)	Robin Lehner	1-year, $4 million
July 27, 2017 (2017-07-27)	Evan Rodrigues	2-year, $1.3 million
July 31, 2017 (2017-07-31)	Nathan Beaulieu	2-year, $4.8 million
August 17, 2017 (2017-08-17)	Zemgus Girgensons	2-year, $3.2 million
October 4, 2017 (2017-10-04)	Jack Eichel	8-year, $80 million contract extension
October 23, 2017 (2017-10-23)	Cliff Pu	3-year, $2.775 million entry-level contract
March 25, 2018 (2018-03-25)	Will Borgen	3-year, $2.775 million entry-level contract
March 26, 2018 (2018-03-26)	Casey Mittelstadt	3-year, $4.475 million entry-level contract
April 24, 2018 (2018-04-24)	Victor Olofsson	2-year, $1.85 million entry-level contract
May 2, 2018 (2018-05-02)	Casey Nelson	2-year, $1.625 million contract extension
May 23, 2018 (2018-05-23)	Rasmus Asplund	3-year, $2.775 million entry-level contract
June 14, 2018 (2018-06-14)	Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen	3-year, $2.775 million entry-level contract

Draft picks

See also: List of Buffalo Sabres draft picks

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	Green Bay Gamblers (USHL)
2	37	Marcus Davidsson	C	Sweden	Djurgårdens IF (SHL)
2	541	Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen	G	Finland	HPK U20 (Jr. A SM-liiga)
3	892	Oskari Laaksonen	D	Finland	Ilves U20 (Jr. A SM-liiga)
4	99	Jacob Bryson	D	Canada	Providence College (Hockey East)
7	192	Linus Weissbach	LW	Sweden	Tri-City Storm (USHL)

Draft notes:

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.
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.

References