2024–25 Buffalo Sabres season explained

League:	NHL
Season:	2024–25
Year:	2024
Team:	Buffalo Sabres
Division:	Atlantic
Conference:	Eastern
Record:	11–12–2
Homerecord:	6–7–1
Roadrecord:	5–5–1
Goalsfor:	76
Goalsagainst:	78
Generalmanager:	Kevyn Adams
Coach:	Lindy Ruff
Captain:	Rasmus Dahlin
Altcaptain:	Dylan Cozens Mattias Samuelsson Tage Thompson Alex Tuch
Arena:	KeyBank Center
Minorleague:	Rochester Americans (AHL) Jacksonville Icemen (ECHL)
Goalsleader:	Tage Thompson (13)
Assistsleader:	Alex Tuch (15)
Pointsleader:	Alex Tuch (23)
Plusminusleader:	Alex Tuch (+11)
Pimleader:	Jason Zucker (27)
Winsleader:	Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (8)
Gaaleader:	James Reimer (2.05)

The 2024–25 Buffalo Sabres season is the 55th season of play for the Sabres in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Sabres will attempt to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2011 and end the longest playoff drought in NHL history.

Standings

Conference standings

Preseason

The preseason schedule was published on June 24, 2024.^[1]

2024 preseason game log: 6–1–0 (Home: 3–0–0 ; Road: 3–1–0)
	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	OT	Decision	Attendance	Record	Recap
1	September 21		3–7	Buffalo			12,013	1–0–0	^[2]
2	September 23		1–6	Buffalo			9,924	2–0–0	^[3]
3	September 24	Buffalo	3–2	Pittsburgh			11,588	3–0–0	^[4]
4	September 26	Buffalo	3–2		OT		13,411	4–0–0	^[5]
5	September 27	Buffalo	5–0			Luukkonen	10,796	5–0–0	^[6]
6	September 28	Buffalo	3–6	Columbus		Sandstrom	12,305	5–1–0	^[7]
7	September 30		3–4	Buffalo	OT	Sandstrom	11,245	6–1–0	^[8]
Notes: Game played at SAP Garden in Munich, Germany

Regular season

The regular season schedule was published on July 2, 2024.

2024–25 game log
October: 4–5–1 (Home: 3–3–0; Road: 1–2–1) Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 1 October 4 4–1 Buffalo 16,913 0–1–0 0 ^[9] 2 October 5 Buffalo 1–3 New Jersey 16,722 0–2–0 0 ^[10] 3 October 10 3–1 Buffalo Luukkonen 19,070 0–3–0 0 ^[11] 4 October 12 2–5 Buffalo Levi 16,644 1–3–0 2 ^[12] 5 October 16 Buffalo 5–6 OT Luukkonen 15,644 1–3–1 3 ^[13] 6 October 17 Buffalo 4–6 Levi 16,126 1–4–1 3 ^[14] 7 October 19 Buffalo 4–2 Luukkonen 18,773 2–4–1 5 ^[15] 8 October 22 2–4 Buffalo Luukkonen 13,014 3–4–1 7 ^[16] 9 October 26 3–5 Buffalo Luukkonen 15,017 4–4–1 9 ^[17] 10 October 28 Florida 5–2 Buffalo Luukkonen 12,906 4–5–1 9 ^[18]
November: 7–6–1 (Home: 3–3–1; Road: 4–3–0) Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 11 November 1 4–3 Buffalo 17,074 4–6–1 9 ^[19] 12 November 2 Buffalo 1–2 19,515 4–7–1 9 ^[20] 13 November 5 1–5 Buffalo Luukkonen 12,260 5–7–1 11 ^[21] 14 November 7 Buffalo 6–1 Luukkonen 18,006 6–7–1 13 ^[22] 15 November 9 2–3 Buffalo SO Luukkonen 16,442 7–7–1 15 ^[23] 16 November 11 7–5 Buffalo Levi 15,687 7–8–1 15 ^[24] 17 November 14 3–4 Buffalo OT Levi 13,943 8–8–1 17 ^[25] 18 November 16 Buffalo 2–5 Levi 18,793 8–9–1 17 ^[26] 19 November 20 Buffalo 1–0 Luukkonen 16,778 9–9–1 19 ^[27] 20 November 22 Buffalo 3–2 OT Luukkonen 13,776 10–9–1 21 ^[28] 21 November 23 Buffalo 4–2 17,435 11–9–1 23 ^[29] 22 November 27 1–0 Buffalo Luukkonen 17,326 11–10–1 23 ^[30] 23 November 29 4–3 Buffalo OT Luukkonen 18,059 11–10–2 24 ^[31] 24 November 30 Buffalo 0–3 NY Islanders Reimer 16,299 11–11–2 24 ^[32]
December: 0–1–0 (Home: 0–1–0; Road: 0–0–0) Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 25 December 3 5–4 Buffalo 14,942 11–12–2 24 ^[33] 26 December 5 – Buffalo 27 December 7 – Buffalo 28 December 9 – Buffalo 29 December 11 – Buffalo 30 December 14 Buffalo – 31 December 15 Buffalo – 32 December 17 Buffalo – 33 December 20 Toronto – Buffalo 34 December 21 Buffalo – 35 December 23 Buffalo – 36 December 27 – Buffalo 37 December 29 Buffalo – 38 December 31 Buffalo –
January: 0–0–0 (Home: 0–0–0; Road: 0–0–0) Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 39 January 2 Buffalo – 40 January 4 Buffalo – 41 January 6 – Buffalo 42 January 9 Buffalo – 43 January 11 – Buffalo 44 January 15 – Buffalo 45 January 17 – Buffalo 46 January 20 Buffalo – Seattle 47 January 21 Buffalo – 48 January 23 Buffalo – 49 January 25 Buffalo – 50 January 28 – Buffalo 51 January 31 – Buffalo
February: 0–0–0 (Home: 0–0–0; Road: 0–0–0) Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 52 February 2 – Buffalo 53 February 4 – Buffalo 54 February 8 Buffalo – 55 February 22 – Buffalo 56 February 25 – Buffalo 57 February 27 Buffalo –
March: 0–0–0 (Home: 0–0–0; Road: 0–0–0) Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 58 March 1 – Buffalo 59 March 3 Buffalo – Montreal 60 March 4 – Buffalo 61 March 6 Buffalo – 62 March 8 Buffalo – 63 March 10 – Buffalo 64 March 12 Buffalo – 65 March 15 – Buffalo 66 March 17 Buffalo – 67 March 20 Buffalo – 68 March 22 Buffalo – 69 March 23 Buffalo – 70 March 25 – Buffalo 71 March 27 – Buffalo 72 March 29 Buffalo – 73 March 30 Buffalo –
April: 0–0–0 (Home: 0–0–0; Road: 0–0–0) Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 74 April 1 Buffalo – 75 April 5 – Buffalo 76 April 6 – Buffalo 77 April 8 – Buffalo 78 April 10 Buffalo – 79 April 12 Buffalo – 80 April 13 Buffalo – Tampa Bay 81 April 15 – Buffalo 82 April 17 – Buffalo
Legend: Notes: Game played at O2 Arena in Prague, Czech Republic

Player statistics

As of December 3, 2024

Skaters

Regular season^[34] ! Player! ! ! ! ! data-sort-type="number"

	25	8	15	23	+11	15
	20	13	7	20	+4	4
	25	6	13	19	+4	18
	23	8	9	17		6
	25	5	10	15	+3	27
	25	4	11	15	+7	12
	25	3	12	15		6
	25	6	6	12	+6	2
	25	5	6	11		20
	24	3	4	7	0	24
	19	3	4	7	0	24
	16	3	3	6	+3	11
	24	1	4	5		4
	24	0	5	5	+2	19
	25	2	2	4		8
	19	1	2	3	+2	4
	16	2	0	2		4
	14	0	2	2		6
	22	1	0	1		14
	13	1	0	1		2
	9	0	1	1		6
	6	0	0	0	0	10
	1	0	0	0	0	0

Goaltenders

Regular season^[35] ! Player! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

	17	17	1,002:55	8	6	2	45	2.69	481	.906	1	0	1	0
	7	6	364:48	2	5	0	24	3.95	185	.870	0	0	0	0
^†	2	2	117:14	1	1	0	4	2.05	52	.923	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 2024–25 season.

Key: Contract is entry-level.
Contract initially takes effect in the 2025–26 season.

Trades

Date	Details		Ref
	To Washington Capitals 2nd-round pick in 2024	To Buffalo Sabres Beck Malenstyn	^[36]
	To Edmonton Oilers Matthew Savoie	To Buffalo Sabres Ryan McLeod Tyler Tullio	^[37]

Players acquired

Date	Player	Former team	Term	Via	Ref
			1-year	Free agency	^[38]
			2-year	Free agency	^[39]
			1-year	Free agency	^[40]
			2-year	Free agency	^[41]
			1-year	Free agency
			1-year	Free agency
			1-year	Free agency	^[42]
		Calgary Flames	1-year	Free agency	^[43]
			1-year	Free agency	^[44]
	James Reimer			Waivers	^[45]

Players lost

Date	Player	New team	Term	Via	Ref
			1-year	Buyout	^[46] ^[47]
			1-year	Free agency	^[48]
			1-year	Free agency	^[49]
			2-year	Free agency	^[50]
			1-year	Free agency	^[51]
			3-year	Free agency	^[52]
			1-year	Free agency	^[53]
		Carolina Hurricanes	1-year	Free agency	^[54]
			1-year	Free agency	^[55]
		Carolina Hurricanes	1-year	Free agency	^[56]
				Waivers	^[57]

Signings

Date	Player	Term	Ref
		1-year	^[58]
		1-year	^[59]
		1-year	^[60]
		1-year
		1-year	^[61]
		3-year	^[62]
		2-year	^[63]
		5-year	^[64]
		2-year	^[65]
		3-year	^[66]

Draft picks

See also: List of Buffalo Sabres draft picks.

Below are the Buffalo Sabres selections at the 2024 NHL entry draft, which was held on June 28 and 29, 2024, at Sphere in Paradise, Nevada.

Round		Player	Pos	Nationality	College/Junior/Club team (League)
1	14	Konsta Helenius	C		Mikkelin Jukurit (Liiga)
2	42	Adam Kleber	D		Lincoln Stars (USHL)
3	71	Brodie Ziemer	RW		U.S. NTDP (USHL)
4	108	Luke Osburn	D		Youngstown Phantoms (USHL)
4	123	Simon-Pier Brunet	D		Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL)
6	172	Patrick Geary	D		Michigan State Spartans (Big Ten)
7	204	Vasili Zelenov	RW		Red Bull Hockey Juniors (AlpsHL)
7	219	Ryerson Leenders	G		Mississauga Steelheads (OHL)

Notes and References

1. Web site: LaBarber . Jourdon . Sabres announce 2024-25 preseason schedule . NHL.com . June 30, 2024 . June 24, 2024.
2. Web site: Buffalo Sabres - Pittsburgh Penguins - September 21, 2024 . NHL.com . September 24, 2024 . September 21, 2024.
3. Web site: Buffalo Sabres - Columbus Blue Jackets - September 23, 2024 . NHL.com . September 24, 2024 . September 24, 2024.
4. Web site: Buffalo Sabres - Pittsburgh Penguins - September 24, 2024 . NHL.com . September 26, 2024 . September 24, 2024.
5. Web site: Buffalo Sabres - Ottawa Senators - September 26, 2024 . NHL.com . September 27, 2024 . September 26, 2024.
6. Web site: Buffalo Sabres - EHC Red Bull München - September 27, 2024 . NHL.com . September 27, 2024 . September 27, 2024.
7. Web site: Buffalo Sabres - Columbus Blue Jackets - September 28, 2024 . NHL.com . September 28, 2024 . September 28, 2024.
8. Web site: Buffalo Sabres - Detroit Red Wings - September 30, 2024 . NHL.com . October 1, 2024 . September 30, 2024.
9. Web site: Buffalo Sabres - New Jersey Devils - Oct 4, 2024 . NHL.com . October 4, 2024 . October 4, 2024.
10. Web site: Buffalo Sabres - New Jersey Devils - Oct 5, 2024 . NHL.com . October 6, 2024 . October 5, 2024.
11. Web site: Los Angeles Kings - Buffalo Sabres - Oct 10, 2024 . NHL.com . October 10, 2024 . October 10, 2024.
12. Web site: Buffalo Sabres - Florida Panthers - Oct 12, 2024 . NHL.com . October 13, 2024 . October 12, 2024.
13. Web site: Buffalo Sabres - Pittsburgh Penguins - Oct 16, 2024 . NHL.com . October 17, 2024 . October 16, 2024.
14. Web site: Buffalo Sabres - Columbus Blue Jackets - Oct 17, 2024 . NHL.com . October 18, 2024 . October 17, 2024.
15. Web site: Buffalo Sabres - Chicago Blackhawks - Oct 19, 2024 . NHL.com . October 19, 2024 . October 19, 2024.
16. Web site: Buffalo Sabres - Dallas Stars - Oct 22, 2024 . NHL.com . October 22, 2024 . October 22, 2024.
17. Web site: Buffalo Sabres - Detroit Red Wings - Oct 26, 2024 . NHL.com . October 26, 2024 . October 26, 2024.
18. Web site: Buffalo Sabres - Florida Panthers - Oct 28, 2024 . NHL.com . October 28, 2024 . October 28, 2024.
19. Web site: Buffalo Sabres - New York Islanders - Nov 1, 2024 . NHL.com . November 1, 2024 . November 1, 2024.
20. Web site: Buffalo Sabres - Detroit Red Wings - Nov 2, 2024 . NHL.com . November 2, 2024 . November 2, 2024.
21. Web site: Buffalo Sabres - Ottawa Senators - Nov 5, 2024 . NHL.com . November 5, 2024 . November 5, 2024.
22. Web site: Buffalo Sabres – New York Rangers – Nov 7, 2024 . NHL.com . November 7, 2024 . November 7, 2024.
23. Web site: Buffalo Sabres – Calgary Flames – Nov 9, 2024 . NHL.com . November 9, 2024 . November 9, 2024.
24. Web site: Montreal Canadiens – Buffalo Sabres – Nov 11, 2024 . NHL.com . November 11, 2024 . November 11, 2024.
25. Web site: Buffalo Sabres – St. Louis Blues – Nov 14, 2024 . NHL.com . November 14, 2024 . November 14, 2024.
26. Web site: Buffalo Sabres – Philadelphia Flyers – Nov 16, 2024 . NHL.com . November 16, 2024 . November 16, 2024.
27. Web site: Buffalo Sabres – Los Angeles Kings – Nov 20, 2024 . NHL.com . November 20, 2024 . November 20, 2024.
28. Web site: Anaheim Ducks – Buffalo Sabres – Nov 22, 2024 . NHL.com . November 22, 2024 . November 22, 2024.
29. Web site: Buffalo Sabres – San Jose Sharks – Nov 23, 2024 . NHL.com . November 23, 2024 . November 23, 2024.
30. Web site: Buffalo Sabres – Minnesota Wild – Nov 27, 2024 . NHL.com . November 27, 2024 . November 27, 2024.
31. Web site: Buffalo Sabres - Vancouver Canucks - Nov 29, 2024 . NHL.com . November 29, 2024 . November 29, 2024.
32. Web site: Buffalo Sabres - New York Islanders - Nov 30, 2024 . NHL.com . November 30, 2024 . November 30, 2024.
33. Web site: Buffalo Sabres - Colorado Avalanche - Dec 3, 2024 . NHL.com . December 3, 2024 . December 3, 2024.
34. Web site: 2024–25 Buffalo Sabres Stats – Skaters . NHL.com . December 4, 2024.
35. Web site: 2024–25 Buffalo Sabres Stats – Goalies . NHL.com . December 4, 2024.
36. Web site: Sabres acquire Malenstyn from Capitals. NHL.com. Buffalo Sabres. June 29, 2024. June 30, 2024.
37. Web site: Sabres acquire forwards McLeod, Tullio from Oilers. NHL.com. Buffalo Sabres. July 5, 2024. July 6, 2024.
38. Web site: Sabres sign Aube-Kubel to 1-year contract. NHL.com. Buffalo Sabres. July 1, 2024. July 3, 2024.
39. Web site: Sabres sign 5 players to 2-way contracts. NHL.com. Buffalo Sabres. July 1, 2024. July 3, 2024.
40. Web site: Buffalo native Gilbert joins Sabres on 1-year deal. NHL.com. Buffalo Sabres. July 1, 2024. July 3, 2024.
41. Web site: Lafferty joins Sabres on 2-year contract. NHL.com. Buffalo Sabres. July 1, 2024. July 3, 2024.
42. Web site: Sabres sign Zucker to 1-year contract. NHL.com. Buffalo Sabres. July 1, 2024. July 3, 2024.
43. Web site: Sabres sign Poolman to 1-year, 2-way deal. NHL.com. Buffalo Sabres. July 2, 2024. July 3, 2024.
44. Web site: Sabres sign Reimer to 1-year contract. NHL.com. Buffalo Sabres. July 2, 2024. July 3, 2024.
45. Web site: Sabres claim Reimer off waivers. NHL.com. Buffalo Sabres. November 13, 2024. November 30, 2024.
46. Web site: Sabres buy out Skinner's contract . NHL.com . Buffalo Sabres . June 30, 2024 . June 30, 2024.
47. Web site: RELEASE: Oilers sign Jeff Skinner to one-year contract . NHL.com . Edmonton Oilers . July 4, 2024 . July 1, 2024.
48. Web site: Seattle Kraken Agree to Terms with Five Free Agents . NHL.com . Seattle Kraken . July 4, 2024 . July 1, 2024.
49. Web site: Minnesota Wild Agrees to Terms with Eight Players . NHL.com . Minnesota Wild . July 4, 2024 . July 1, 2024.
50. Web site: Jets sign goaltender Eric Comrie to a two-year contract . NHL.com . Winnipeg Jets . July 4, 2024 . July 1, 2024.
51. Web site: Davies signs with the Sens . NHL.com . Ottawa Senators . July 4, 2024 . July 1, 2024.
52. Web site: Lightning sign F Zemgus Girgensons to a three-year contract . NHL.com . Tampa Bay Lightning . July 4, 2024 . July 1, 2024.
53. Web site: Canes Sign Jost To One-Year Contract . NHL.com . Carolina Hurricanes . July 4, 2024 . July 1, 2024.
54. Web site: Canes Sign Robinson To One-Year Contract . NHL.com . Carolina Hurricanes . July 4, 2024 . July 1, 2024.
55. Web site: Vegas Golden Knights Sign Forward Victor Olofsson to One-Year Contract . NHL.com . Vegas Golden Knights . July 4, 2024 . July 2, 2024.
56. Web site: Canes Sign Stillman To One-Year Contract . NHL.com . Vegas Golden Knights . July 4, 2024 . July 3, 2024.
57. Web site: Ducks Claim Goaltender Reimer off Waivers from Buffalo . NHL.com . Anaheim Ducks . October 8, 2024 . October 7, 2024.
58. Web site: Sabres re-sign Clague to 1-year deal. NHL.com. Buffalo Sabres. June 28, 2024. June 30, 2024.
59. Web site: Bryson returns to Sabres on 1-year deal. NHL.com. Buffalo Sabres. July 1, 2024. July 5, 2024.
60. Web site: Sabres sign 5 players to 2-way contracts. NHL.com. Buffalo Sabres. July 1, 2024. July 24, 2024.
61. Web site: Sabres re-sign Jokiharju to 1-year contract. NHL.com. Buffalo Sabres. July 5, 2024. July 6, 2024.
62. Web site: Sabres sign Helenius to 3-year, entry-level contract. NHL.com. Buffalo Sabres. July 8, 2024. July 10, 2024.
63. Web site: Sabres agree to terms with Malenstyn on 2-year contract. NHL.com. Buffalo Sabres. July 23, 2024. July 24, 2024.
64. Web site: Sabres agree to terms with Luukkonen on 5-year deal . NHL.com. Buffalo Sabres. July 24, 2024. July 25, 2024.
65. Web site: Sabres sign Krebs to 2-year contract. NHL.com. Buffalo Sabres. September 17, 2024. October 1, 2024.
66. Web site: Sabres sign Ratzlaff to entry-level contract. NHL.com. Buffalo Sabres. October 19, 2024. October 19, 2024.