2016–17 Buffalo Sabres season explained

League:	NHL
Season:	2016–17
Year:	2016
Team:	Buffalo Sabres
Division:	Atlantic
Divisionrank:	8th
Conference:	Eastern
Conferencerank:	15th
Record:	33–37–12
Homerecord:	20–15–6
Roadrecord:	13–22–6
Goalsfor:	201
Goalsagainst:	237
Generalmanager:	Tim Murray
Coach:	Dan Bylsma
Captain:	Brian Gionta
Altcaptain:	Josh Gorges Ryan O'Reilly
Arena:	KeyBank Center
Minorleague:	Rochester Americans (AHL) Elmira Jackals (ECHL)
Goalsleader:	Evander Kane (28)
Assistsleader:	Rasmus Ristolainen (39)
Pointsleader:	Jack Eichel (57)
Plusminusleader:	Taylor Fedun (+3)
Pimleader:	Evander Kane (113)
Winsleader:	Robin Lehner (23)
Gaaleader:	Anders Nilsson (2.67)

The 2016–17 Buffalo Sabres season was the 47th season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on May 22, 1970.^[1] Buffalo missed the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season.

Off-season

The Sabres held their annual development camp during the second weekend of July. After the previous two seasons in which the Sabres held the tournament in the First Niagara Center, this edition was held at HarborCenter.^[2]

The Sabres reprised their hosting of a prospect tournament for 2016, after the success of the first event in 2015. The New Jersey Devils and Boston Bruins returned for the tournament, which ran September 16–19, partially opposite the 2016 World Cup of Hockey; in contrast to the previous season, the Sabres lost both prospect tournament games and finished in third place.^[3] The Sabres contributed three players to the World Cup: Jack Eichel for Team North America, Ryan O'Reilly for Canada, and Rasmus Ristolainen for Finland.

On July 16, 2016, the Sabres hired Tom Ward as an assistant coach. Ward had spent the previous 18 seasons as the head coach for the Minnesota High School boys prep team.

The Sabres also announced that the naming rights to their home arena will change. Due to First Niagara Financial Group, the arena's previous rights holder, being subsumed into KeyBank, the team's arena was renamed KeyBank Center for the 2016–17 season.^[4] The arena naming rights have passed through a succession of regional banks, having been known as First Niagara Center, HSBC Arena and Marine Midland Arena, through its 20-year history.

Schedule and results

Pre-season

2016 Pre-season Game Log: 4–2–1 (Home: 2–2–0 ; Road: 2–0–1)
	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	OT	Decision	Attendance	Record	Recap
1	September 26		2–1	Buffalo			–	0–1–0	Recap
2	September 27		2–3	Buffalo	OT		17,868	1–1–0	Recap
3	September 29	Buffalo	1–0		SO		–	2–1–0	Recap
4	September 30		8–1	Buffalo			17,866	2-2-0	Recap
5	October 4		0–2	Buffalo		Lehner	–	3–2–0	Recap
6	October 5	Buffalo	2–3		SO	Ullmark	–	3–2–1	Recap
7	October 7	Buffalo	4–2			Lehner	14,216	4–2–1	Recap

Regular season

2016–17 Game Log^[5]
October: 3–3–2 (Home: 1–2–0 ; Road: 2–1–2) Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 1 October 13 4–1 Buffalo 19,070 0–1–0 0 Recap 2 October 16 Buffalo 6–2 Lehner 18,347 1–1–0 2 Recap 3 October 18 Buffalo 3–4 OT Lehner 19,289 1–1–1 3 Recap 4 October 20 Buffalo 1–2 Lehner 17,809 1–2–1 3 Recap 5 October 25 Buffalo 3–4 SO 19,209 1–2–2 4 Recap 6 October 27 4–0 Buffalo Nilsson 18,122 1–3–2 4 Recap 7 October 29 0–3 Buffalo Nilsson 18,261 2–3–2 6 Recap 8 October 30 Buffalo 3–1 Lehner 15,294 3–3–2 8 Recap
November: 5–6–3 (Home: 2–2–3 ; Road: 3–4–0) Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 9 November 1 Buffalo 2–1 18,864 4–3–2 10 Recap 10 November 3 2–1 Buffalo Lehner 18,183 4–4–2 10 Recap 11 November 5 Buffalo 2–1 Lehner 16,225 5–4–2 12 Recap 12 November 7 Buffalo 0–4 Lehner 17,565 5–5–2 12 Recap 13 November 9 2–1 Buffalo SO Lehner 17,884 5–5–3 13 Recap 14 November 11 2–1 Buffalo OT 18,301 5–5–4 14 Recap 15 November 12 Buffalo 2–4 Lehner 16,514 5–6–4 14 Recap 16 November 15 Buffalo 1–4 Lehner 16,884 5–7–4 14 Recap 17 November 17 4–1 Buffalo Lehner 17,870 5–8–4 14 Recap 18 November 19 1–2 Buffalo SO Nilsson 18,817 6–8–4 16 Recap 19 November 21 2–4 Buffalo Lehner 17,526 7–8–4 18 Recap 20 November 23 2–1 Buffalo SO Lehner 18,360 7–8–5 19 Recap 21 November 25 Buffalo 1–3 Nilsson 18,506 7–9–5 19 Recap 22 November 29 Buffalo 5–4 Nilsson 14,259 8–9–5 21 Recap
December: 5–6–3 (Home: 4–4–0 ; Road: 1–2–3) Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 23 December 1 3–4 Buffalo 18,047 9–9–5 23 Recap 24 December 3 2–1 Buffalo 19,070 9–10–5 23 Recap 25 December 5 Buffalo 2–3 OT Lehner 18,506 9–10–6 24 Recap 26 December 6 3–4 Buffalo OT Nilsson 18,149 10–10–6 26 Recap 27 December 9 4–1 Buffalo Lehner 18,234 10–11–6 26 Recap 28 December 13 3–6 Buffalo Lehner 18,375 11–11–6 28 Recap 29 December 16 2–3 Buffalo OT Lehner 18,903 12–11–6 30 Recap 30 December 17 Buffalo 1–2 SO Nilsson 11,682 12–11–7 31 Recap 31 December 20 Buffalo 3–4 SO Lehner 14,265 12–11–8 32 Recap 32 December 22 3–1 Buffalo Lehner 18,863 12–12–8 32 Recap 33 December 23 Buffalo 1–5 Nilsson 13,852 12–13–8 32 Recap 34 December 27 Buffalo 4–3 Lehner 20,027 13–13–8 34 Recap 35 December 29 4–2 Buffalo Lehner 19,070 13–14–8 34 Recap 36 December 31 Buffalo 1–3 Lehner 17,565 13–15–8 34 Recap
January: 7–5–1 (Home: 4–0–0 ; Road: 3–5–1) Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 37 January 3 Buffalo 4–1 18,006 14–15–8 36 Recap 38 January 5 Buffalo 3–4 OT Nilsson 21,824 14–15–9 37 Recap 39 January 7 3–4 Buffalo 19,070 15–15–9 39 Recap 40 January 10 1–4 Buffalo Nilsson 18,920 16–15–9 41 Recap 41 January 12 Buffalo 2–4 Nilsson 19,092 16–16–9 41 Recap 42 January 13 Buffalo 2–5 Nilsson 11,992 16–17–9 41 Recap 43 January 16 1–4 Buffalo Lehner 19,070 17–17–9 43 Recap 44 January 17 Buffalo 3–4 Nilsson 19,122 17–18–9 43 Recap 45 January 20 2–3 Buffalo OT Nilsson 18,842 18–18–9 45 Recap 46 January 21 Buffalo 3–2 OT Lehner 21,288 19–18–9 47 Recap 47 January 24 Buffalo 5–4 OT Lehner 17,113 20–18–9 49 Recap 48 January 26 Buffalo 3–4 Nilsson 17,856 20–19–9 49 Recap January 27–29 All-Star Break in Los Angeles 49 January 31 Buffalo 2–5 Lehner 21,288 20–20–9 49 Recap
February: 6–6–2 (Home: 4–3–2 ; Road: 2–3–0) Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 50 February 2 2–1 Buffalo OT 18,941 20–20–10 50 Recap 51 February 4 0–4 Buffalo Lehner 19,070 21–20–10 52 Recap 52 February 6 Buffalo 1–2 Lehner 12,105 21–21–10 52 Recap 53 February 7 4–5 Buffalo OT 18,462 22–21–10 54 Recap 54 February 9 5–2 Buffalo Lehner 18,027 22–22–10 54 Recap 55 February 11 Buffalo 3–1 Lehner 19,427 23–22–10 56 Recap 56 February 12 4–2 Buffalo Lehner 18,876 23–23–10 56 Recap 57 February 14 Buffalo 3–2 Lehner 16,832 24–23–10 58 Recap 58 February 16 0–2 Buffalo Lehner 18,335 25–23–10 60 Recap 59 February 18 2–3 Buffalo Lehner 19,070 26–23–10 62 Recap 60 February 19 5–1 Buffalo Lehner 19,070 26–24–10 62 Recap 61 February 25 Buffalo 3–5 Lehner 15,362 26–25–10 62 Recap 62 February 26 Buffalo 2–3 Nilsson 13,432 26–26–10 62 Recap 63 February 28 5–4 Buffalo OT Lehner 18,634 26–26–11 63 Recap
March: 6–7–1 (Home: 4–2–1 ; Road: 3–4–0) Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 64 March 2 3–6 Buffalo 18,116 27–26–11 65 Recap 65 March 4 2–1 Buffalo SO Lehner 18,935 27–26–12 66 Recap 66 March 5 Buffalo 3–4 18,653 27–27–12 66 Recap 67 March 7 6–3 Buffalo Lehner 18,233 27–28–12 66 Recap 68 March 10 Buffalo 3–4 Lehner 17,530 27–29–12 66 Recap 69 March 11 3–5 Buffalo Nilsson 18,744 28–29–12 68 Recap 70 March 14 Buffalo 1–4 Lehner 17,386 28–30–12 68 Recap 71 March 16 Buffalo 0–2 Lehner 18,230 28–31–12 68 Recap 72 March 17 Buffalo 2–1 SO Nilsson 14,556 29–31–12 70 Recap 73 March 20 Buffalo 2–1 Lehner 20,027 30–31–12 72 Recap 74 March 21 3–1 Buffalo Lehner 18,313 30–32–12 72 Recap 75 March 25 2–5 Buffalo Lehner 19,070 31–32–12 74 Recap 76 March 27 2–4 Buffalo Lehner 18,564 32–32–12 76 Recap 77 March 28 Buffalo 1–3 Nilsson 14,533 32–33–12 76 Recap
April: 1–4–0 (Home: 1–2–0 ; Road: 0–2–0) Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 78 April 2 4–2 Buffalo 19,070 32–34–12 76 Recap 79 April 3 4–2 Buffalo Lehner 18,829 32–35–12 76 Recap 80 April 5 1–2 Buffalo Lehner 18,815 33–35–12 78 Recap 81 April 8 Buffalo 0–3 Lehner 17,235 33–36–12 78 Recap 82 April 9 Buffalo 2–4 19,092 33–37–12 78 Recap
Legend:

Player stats

As of April 9, 2017

Skaters

Regular season^[6]

Player					data-sort-type="number"
	61	24	33	57	−13	22
	72	20	35	55	−1	10
	79	17	30	47	−11	8
	65	19	26	45	−7	24
	79	6	39	45	−9	58
	70	28	15	43	−17	113
	82	15	20	35	−11	22
	81	14	18	32	−4	10
	80	13	10	23	−1	73
	76	3	17	20	−7	26
	68	3	16	19	−5	34
	75	7	9	16	−7	18
	51	5	8	13	−10	12
	36	6	5	11	−7	20
	56	2	9	11	−17	46
	41	5	3	8	−1	21
	52	0	8	8	−3	29
	27	0	7	7	3	16
	30	4	2	6	−7	4
	66	1	5	6	−3	50
	47	2	3	5	−26	26
	14	3	1	4	1	6
	32	2	2	4	0	4
^‡†	40	0	3	3	−3	19
	42	0	2	2	−6	38
	10	0	1	1	−1	2
	4	0	1	1	−2	0
	11	0	1	1	−6	0
	4	0	1	1	2	0
	2	0	1	1	−1	0
	5	0	0	0	0	4
	2	0	0	0	−1	0
	3	0	0	0	1	0
	1	0	0	0	0	0
	11	0	0	0	−3	4

Goaltenders

Regular season^[7]

Player
style=white-space:nowrap		59	58	3405:28	23	26	8	152	2.68	1,910	.920	2	0	1	6
style=white-space:nowrap		26	23	1484:15	10	10	4	66	2.67	857	.923	1	0	0	0
style=white-space:nowrap		1	1	58:44	0	1	0	3		3.05	36	.917	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 2016–17 season:

Trades

Date			Ref
	To Florida Panthers----Mark Pysyk 2nd-round pick in 2016 STL's 3rd-round pick in 2016	To Buffalo Sabres----Dmitry Kulikov VAN's 2nd-round pick in 2016	^[8]
	To St. Louis Blues----5th-round pick in 2017	To Buffalo Sabres----Anders Nilsson	^[9]
	To New York Rangers----Daniel Catenacci	To Buffalo Sabres----Mat Bodie	^[10]

Notes

Free agents acquired

Date	Player	Former team	Contract terms (in U.S. dollars)	Ref
July 1, 2016			7 years, $42 million contract	^[11]
July 1, 2016			1 year, $600,000 two-way contract
July 1, 2016			1 year, $650,000, two-way contract
July 2, 2016			1 year, $650,000, two-way contract	^[12]
July 21, 2016			1 year, $575,000 two-way contract	^[13]
March 30, 2017			2 years, $1.85 million entry-level contract	^[14]
May 25, 2017			1 year, $1.775 million entry-level contract	^[15]

Free agents lost

Date	Player	New team	Contract terms (in U.S. dollars)	Ref
July 1, 2016			1 year, $1.7 million	^[16]
July 1, 2016			1 year, $575,000
July 1, 2016			1 year, $600,000	^[17]
July 19, 2016			1 year, amount undisclosed	^[18]

Lost via retirement

Player	Ref
Matt Ellis	^[21]

Player signings

Date	Player	Contract terms (in U.S. dollars)	Ref
		2 years, $1.3 million	^[22]
		3 years, $4.8 million	^[23]
		1 year, $600,000	^[24]
		1 year, $2.25 million	^[25] ^[26]
		3 years, entry-level contract	^[27]
		1 year, $575,000, two-way contract	^[28]
		2 years, $1.15 million, two-way contract	^[29]
		1 year, $1.15 million	^[30]
		6 years, $32.4 million	^[31]
		1 year, $650,000 contract extension	^[32]
		2 years, $1.85 million entry-level contract	^[33]
		3 years, $2.3 million entry-level contract	^[34]
		3 years, $2.775 million entry-level contract	^[35]
		2 years, $1.5 million	^[36]

Draft picks

See also: List of Buffalo Sabres draft picks. Below are the Buffalo Sabres' selections at the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, held on June 24–25, 2016 at the First Niagara Center in Buffalo, New York.

Round		Player	Pos	Nationality	College/Junior/Club team (League)
1	8	Alexander Nylander	LW		Mississauga Steelheads (OHL)
2	33	Rasmus Asplund	C		Farjestad BK (SHL)
3	69	Cliff Pu	C		London Knights (OHL)
3	86	Casey Fitzgerald	D		Boston College Eagles (HE)
4	99	Brett Murray	LW		Carleton Place Canadians (CCHL)
5	129	Philip Nyberg	D		Linköpings HC (SHL)
5	130	Vojtech Budik	D		Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)
6	159	Brandon Hagel	LW		Red Deer Rebels (WHL)
7	189	Austin Osmanski	D		Mississauga Steelheads (OHL)
7	190	Vasily Glotov	C		Lvy St. Petersburg (MHL)

Notes

• The Vancouver Canucks' second-round pick went to the Buffalo Sabres as the result of a trade on June 25, 2016 that sent Mark Pysyk, a second-round pick and St. Louis' third-round pick both in 2016 (38th and 89th overall) to Florida in exchange for Dmitry Kulikov and this pick.^[37]

Florida previously acquired this pick as the result of a trade on May 25, 2016 that sent Erik Gudbranson and the Islanders fifth-round pick in 2016 to Vancouver in exchange for Jared McCann, a fourth-round pick in 2016 and this pick.^[38]

• The Buffalo Sabres' second-round pick went to the Florida Panthers as the result of a trade on June 25, 2016 that sent Dmitri Kulikov and Vancouver's second-round pick in 2016 (33rd overall) to Buffalo in exchange for Mark Pysyk, St. Louis' third-round pick in 2016 (89th overall) and this pick.
• The Dallas Stars' third-round pick went to the Buffalo Sabres as the result of a trade on February 11, 2015 that sent Jhonas Enroth to Dallas in exchange for Anders Lindback and this pick (being conditional at the time of the trade).^[39] The condition – Buffalo will receive a third-round pick in 2016 if Enroth wins fewer than four playoff games for the Stars in 2015 – was converted on April 6, 2015 when the Stars were eliminated from playoff contention.^[40]
• The Montreal Canadiens' fifth-round pick will go to the Buffalo Sabres as the result of a trade on March 2, 2015 that sent Brian Flynn to Montreal in exchange for this pick.^[41]
• The Montreal Canadiens' seventh-round pick went to the Buffalo Sabres as the result of a trade on March 2, 2015 that sent Torrey Mitchell to Montreal in exchange for Jack Nevins and this pick.^[42]

Notes and References

1. Book: National Hockey League. The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book/2011. 2010 . Triumph Books . 27. 978-1-60078-422-4.
2. Web site: Wilson. Brayton. Sabres announce development camp schedule and roster. 96.5 WCMF. WCMF Rochester. 15 July 2016. 6 July 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160702152456/http://www.wcmf.com/articles/sabres-announce-development-camp-schedule-and-roster. July 2, 2016. dead. mdy-all.
3. Web site: Sabres to host prospects tournament again in September. August 2, 2016.
4. Web site: First Niagara Center to be renamed. May 11, 2016.
5. Web site: 2016–2017 Regular Season Schedule/Results – Buffalo Sabres – Schedule. Buffalo Sabres.
6. Web site: 2016–2017 – Regular Season – Buffalo Sabres – All Skaters – Summary – Points – NHL.com – Stats. NHL.
7. Web site: 2016–2017 – Regular Season – Buffalo Sabres – Goalie – Summary – Wins – NHL.com – Stats. NHL.
8. Web site: SABRES ACQUIRE DEFENSEMAN KULIKOV FROM PANTHERS. Buffalo Sabres. June 25, 2016.
9. Web site: SABRES ACQUIRE NILSSON FROM BLUES. Buffalo Sabres. July 2, 2016.
10. Web site: Sabres acquire Bodie from Rangers. Buffalo Sabres. February 28, 2017.
11. Web site: OKPOSO SIGNS 7-YEAR DEAL WITH SABRES. nhl.com. July 5, 2016.
12. Web site: SABRES SIGN GRANT TO ONE-YEAR DEAL. nhl.com. July 5, 2016.
13. Web site: SABRES SIGN DEFENSEMAN BURGDOERFER. Amerks.com. Rochester Americans. 21 July 2016. 21 July 2016.
14. News: Sabres sign forward Smith. Buffalo Sabres. March 30, 2017. April 9, 2017.
15. News: Sabres sign defenseman Antipin. Buffalo Sabres. May 25, 2017. June 6, 2017.
16. Hoppe, Bill (July 1, 2016). Reports: Sabres sign Kyle Okposo to 7-year contract. Olean Times Herald. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
17. Web site: Bruins wrap up the day with depth signings of Riley Nash, Tim Schaller . Wheeler, Paul . SB Nation . 2016-07-01 . 2016-07-03.
18. Web site: McGregor. Rob. Ex-Sabres goalie Lieuwen signs with AHL San Antonio Rampage. Today's Slapshot. 19 July 2016.
19. News: Grant claimed off waivers, assigned to Rochester. February 7, 2017. NHL. February 6, 2017.
20. News: Preds Claim Derek Grant on Waivers from Buffalo. January 11, 2017. NHL. January 11, 2017.
21. http://sabreshockeycentral.com/2016/10/18/matt-ellis-announces-retirement/ Matt Ellis announces retirement
22. Web site: SABRES EXTEND NELSON. nhl.com. June 29, 2016.
23. Web site: SABRES RE-SIGN McCABE TO 3-YEAR DEAL. nhl.com. July 5, 2016.
24. Web site: SABRES RE-SIGN SCHNEIDER. nhl.com. July 5, 2016.
25. Web site: Sabres re-sign restricted free agent Marcus Foligno for 1 year . ESPN.com . Associated Press . July 14, 2016 . July 14, 2016.
26. Web site: Hoppe. Bill. Sabres re-sign Marcus Foligno to 1-year deal. Buffalo Hockey Beat. Olean Times Herald. 15 July 2016. 14 July 2016.
27. Web site: SABRES INK NYLANDER TO ENTRY-LEVEL DEAL. sabres.nhl.com. 15 July 2016. 15 July 2016.
28. Web site: Hoppe. Bill. Sabres hire Tom Ward as assistant coach; Dan Catenacci re-signed. Buffalo Hockey Beat . Olean Times Herald . 16 July 2016 . 16 July 2016.
29. Web site: Hoppe. Bill. Sabres re-sign Jason Kasdorf, Dan Catenacci. Buffalo Hockey Beat. Olean Times Herald. 18 July 2016. 17 July 2016.
30. News: SABRES INK GIRGENSONS TO ONE-YEAR CONTRACT. NHL.com. 11 October 2016. 11 October 2016.
31. News: Hoppe. Bill. Sabres sign Rasmus Ristolainen to 6-year contract. Bufalo Hockey Beat. Olean Times Herald. 1 September 2016. 28 May 2017.
32. News: Sabres sign Falk to 1-year extension. Buffalo Sabres. Buffalo Sabres. 6 February 2017. 6 February 2017.
33. News: Sabres sign Malone to entry-level contract. Buffalo Sabres. April 8, 2017. April 9, 2017.
34. News: Sabres sign Stephens to entry-level contract. Buffalo Sabres. April 26, 2017. June 6, 2017.
35. News: Sabres sign Johansson to entry-level contract. Buffalo Sabres. May 31, 2017. June 6, 2017.
36. News: Sabres sign Ullmark to 2-year extension. Buffalo Sabres. June 13, 2017. June 14, 2017.
37. Web site: Sabres acquire Kulikov from Panthers. June 25, 2016. June 25, 2016.
38. Web site: Panthers trade Gudbranson to Canucks for McCann. May 25, 2016. May 25, 2016.
39. Web site: Stars acquire goaltender Enroth from Sabres. National Hockey League. February 11, 2015. February 11, 2015.
40. Web site: With fate decided, Sharks fall short against Stars. National Hockey League. April 6, 2015. April 9, 2015.
41. Web site: Canadiens acquire Flynn from Sabres. March 2, 2015. March 2, 2015.
42. Web site: Mitchell traded to Canadiens by Sabres. March 2, 2015. March 2, 2015.