Buffalo Sabres

Team Summary

The Buffalo Sabres are an NHL team playing in the Atlantic Division based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres entered the league in 1970 alongside their west coast cousins, the Vancouver Canucks, as part of the second wave of NHL expansion from 1967. Buffalo is unique in that both their location and team name are incorporated into their logo of a Buffalo charging over a pair of crossed swords.

While the Sabres have been statistically one of the better overall teams in NHL history, they have been notably bad in recent history. Following a blow-up in the 2013-2014 season in the hopes that they might be able to initiate a rebuild, the Sabres have failed to make the playoffs in 10 straight years- the current longest drought in the league.

Despite never winning the Stanley Cup, the Sabres have had Hall of Fame-caliber players such as Gilbert Perreault, Rick Martin, Rene Robert, Pat LaFontaine, and Dominik Hasek all in their organization. Their play-by-play caller, Rick Jeanneret, has called for the franchise since 1971, making him the longest-tenured play-caller for one team in NHL history.

Buffalo Sabres Standings

The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The team competes in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the NHL. The Sabres have a passionate fan base but have struggled to make the playoffs in recent years.

Team History

The Buffalo Sabres joined the league in 1970, three years after the first wave of expansion in the NHL. Along with the Vancouver Canucks, the addition of the Sabres brought the league to 14 teams- still a far cry from the NHL we are familiar with today. It seems as though the 1970 expansion may have had a bit of a curse, as both the Canucks and Sabres are tied for the longest drought for a team to have never won a cup.

The Sabres enjoyed some immediate success with the famed “French Connection” line, beginning in 1972 with French-Canadian players Rene Robert, Gilbert Perreault, and Rick Martin, with the line bringing them to their first Stanley Cup appearance in 1975. While they were eventually bested by the Flyers 4-2, the French Connection line was still one of the best in the league and resulted in several franchise records.

The Sabres entered a new era after receiving Dominik Hasek from the Blackhawks in 1992. Hasek would go on to be one of the goaltenders in the league’s history and would bring Buffalo to their second cup appearance in 1999, where they would be defeated by the Dallas Stars. The 2000s saw some of the best-rostered Sabres teams in franchise history, particularly in the 2005-2006 season.

However, since entering a rebuild in the 2010s, the Sabres have struggled to find any sort of success with continued bottom six finishes and disgruntled players. Most recently, star center Jack Eichel requested a trade after being denied neck surgery and being generally fed up with a lack of team success. Eichel’s departure to the Vegas Golden Knights signaled the beginning of yet another rebuild, as he was intended to be the franchise centerpiece after being drafted in 2015.

Key Stats

Despite being one of the worst teams in the league for the past decade or so, the future is finally starting to look brighter in Buffalo. The Sabres were projected to be a bottom team this season, currently sitting at 6th place in the Atlantic with a 10-19-6 record. While this is still a bad season statistically, the Sabres roster is loaded with young talent and prospects with very little expectations for immediate success. Unlike the regimes of the past ten years, it seems that GM Kevyn Adams intends to build the team slowly through the draft and prospect bottom-six rather than try to rush back into contention.

Veteran forward Kyle Okposo and Tage Thompson both lead the team in scoring this season with 23 points on the season. Defenseman Rasmus Dahlin is right behind him, enjoying a bit of a bounceback season with six goals and 16 assists. Jeff Skinner is enjoying an expanded role this year as well, leading the team with 13 goals scored.

Goaltending has been a challenge for Buffo this season, with seemingly everyone starting in net in a blue sweater going down with an injury. Craig Anderson, Dustin Tokarski, Aaron Dell, Malcolm Subban, Michael Houser, and Ukka Pekka-Luukkonen have all started in net this season, with varying degrees of success- the Sabres just can’t catch a break here.

Championships Won by the Team

Unfortunately, the Sabres have never won a Stanley Cup championship in their franchise history. In fact, both of their Stanley Cup appearances have resulted in controversy, the first of which occurred in 1975 against the Philadelphia Flyers. Due to an immense heat wave in Buffalo, the Sabres’ arena began to fill up with a ton of fog. Known as the fog game, the puck was incredibly hard to follow and was one of the strangest games in NHL history- the Sabres ultimately lost the series 4-2.

The second cup appearance came in 1999 with Miroslav Satan, Stu Barnes, and Dominik Hasek. In a controversial game 6, the Stars would win the series in triple overtime after Stars forward Brett Hull scored with his foot in the crease- an illegal goal according to the 1999 rules. Despite the controversy, the goal was ruled good, and Dallas skated away with a 4-2 series win.

Important Team Events

The Sabres’ misfortunes of the last couple of years can be summed up in two events, both pertaining to streaks. In 2018, the Sabres acquired winger Jeff Skinner for a second-round draft pick and prospect Cliff Pu. In November of that year, with the help of the newly acquired forward, the Sabres went on an unexpected run with a ten-game win streak, quickly rising to the top of the league standings.

Given that the team had not made the playoffs since 2011, it seemed as though Buffalo had finally turned things around and would get a sniff of the postseason. Unfortunately, the Sabres would completely collapse and finish with a 33-39-10 record, missing the playoffs and continuing the drought.

Just two years later, in the 2020-2021 season, the Sabres would go on another streak, this time tying an NHL record. From February-March of 2021, the Sabres dropped 18 straight games, tying the salary cap era NHL record set by the 2004 Pittsburgh Penguins. The losing streak was an abysmal stretch, eventually leading to the departure of forwards Sam Reinhart and Jack Eichel in the offseason. Buffalo finished with a rotten 15-34-7, winning first overall draft pick Owen Power.

Top Players

Unsurprisingly, Gilbert Perreault holds the franchise records for scoring in Buffalo. In 1191 games played for the Sabres, Perreault set the franchise record for points (1326), goals (512), assists (814), and seasons with the team (17). Perreault currently sits at 41st in the NHL for points scored in a career.

Another franchise-defining player for Buffalo is goaltender Dominik Hasek, also known as “The Dominator.” Hasek was known for his unorthodox style of play, often sprawling and spinning in frantic plays to come up with the most unbelievable saves night in and night out. Hasek currently holds the franchise record for most shutouts at 55- surprisingly, he does not hold the record for most wins.

The actual franchise record holder for most wins belongs to goaltender Ryan Miller with 284. Miller was with the Sabres during the 2000s and early 2010s, winning the Vezina during the conclusion of the 2010 season.

Top Coaches

The Sabres have had 20 head coaches in franchise history, currently led by Don Granato. Originally an interim coach in the wake of the firing of Ralph Krueger in 2021, Granato’s ability to work with the younger players earned him the permanent head coach position. The Sabres have had a bit of a revolving door when it comes to coaching in the last few years, with five different coaches being hired in the last eight years.

The Sabres have had some security in the coaching department in the past, with the most notable coach in franchise history being Lindy Ruff. Ruff coached the Sabres from 1997-2013, making him the longest-tenured Buffalo coach.

He would take the team to their 1999 Stanley Cup Finals appearance against Dallas, as well as win the Jack Adams Award for the top coach in 2006. Ruff would then lead the Sabres to a President’s Trophy win the following season as the top team in the NHL. If you love sports and want more sports betting information follow us as @InsidersBetDig on Twitter and sign up to our mailing list for free betting picks.