A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| 2016–17 Buffalo Sabres | |
|---|---|
| Division | 8th Atlantic |
| Conference | 15th Eastern |
| 2016–17 record | 33–37–12 |
| Home record | 20–15–6 |
| Road record | 13–22–6 |
| Goals for | 201 |
| Goals against | 237 |
| Team information | |
| General manager | Tim Murray |
| Coach | Dan Bylsma |
| Captain | Brian Gionta |
| Alternate captains | Josh Gorges Ryan O'Reilly |
| Arena | KeyBank Center |
| Minor league affiliate(s) | Rochester Americans (AHL) Elmira Jackals (ECHL) |
| Team leaders | |
| Goals | Evander Kane (28) |
| Assists | Rasmus Ristolainen (39) |
| Points | Jack Eichel (57) |
| Penalty minutes | Evander Kane (113) |
| Plus/minus | Taylor Fedun (+3) |
| Wins | Robin Lehner (23) |
| Goals against average | 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.[4]
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.[5] 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.
Standings
| Pos | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | ROW | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | y – Montreal Canadiens | 82 | 47 | 26 | 9 | 44 | 226 | 200 | +26 | 103 |
| 2 | x – Ottawa Senators | 82 | 44 | 28 | 10 | 38 | 212 | 214 | −2 | 98 |
| 3 | x – Boston Bruins | 82 | 44 | 31 | 7 | 42 | 234 | 212 | +22 | 95 |
| 4 | x – Toronto Maple Leafs | 82 | 40 | 27 | 15 | 39 | 251 | 242 | +9 | 95 |
| 5 | Tampa Bay Lightning | 82 | 42 | 30 | 10 | 38 | 234 | 227 | +7 | 94 |
| 6 | Florida Panthers | 82 | 35 | 36 | 11 | 30 | 210 | 237 | −27 | 81 |
| 7 | Detroit Red Wings | 82 | 33 | 36 | 13 | 24 | 207 | 244 | −37 | 79 |
| 8 | Buffalo Sabres | 82 | 33 | 37 | 12 | 31 | 201 | 237 | −36 | 78 |
| Pos | Div | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | ROW | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ME | x – New York Rangers | 82 | 48 | 28 | 6 | 45 | 256 | 220 | +36 | 102 |
| 2 | AT | x – Toronto Maple Leafs | 82 | 40 | 27 | 15 | 39 | 251 | 242 | +9 | 95 |
| 3 | ME | New York Islanders | 82 | 41 | 29 | 12 | 39 | 241 | 242 | −1 | 94 |
| 4 | AT | Tampa Bay Lightning | 82 | 42 | 30 | 10 | 38 | 234 | 227 | +7 | 94 |
| 5 | ME | Philadelphia Flyers | 82 | 39 | 33 | 10 | 32 | 219 | 236 | −17 | 88 |
| 6 | ME | Carolina Hurricanes | 82 | 36 | 31 | 15 | 33 | 215 | 236 | −21 | 87 |
| 7 | AT | Florida Panthers | 82 | 35 | 36 | 11 | 30 | 210 | 237 | −27 | 81 |
| 8 | AT | Detroit Red Wings | 82 | 33 | 36 | 13 | 24 | 207 | 244 | −37 | 79 |
| 9 | AT | Buffalo Sabres | 82 | 33 | 37 | 12 | 31 | 201 | 237 | −36 | 78 |
| 10 | ME | New Jersey Devils | 82 | 28 | 40 | 14 | 25 | 183 | 244 | −61 | 70 |
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 | Minnesota | 2–1 | Buffalo | Ullmark | – | 0–1–0 | Recap | ||
| 2 | September 27 | Ottawa | 2–3 | Buffalo | OT | Lehner | 17,868 | 1–1–0 | Recap | |
| 3 | September 29 | Buffalo | 1–0 | Toronto | SO | Nilsson | – | 2–1–0 | Recap | |
| 4 | September 30 | Toronto | 8–1 | Buffalo | Kasdorf | 17,866 | 2-2-0 | Recap | ||
| 5 | October 4 | Carolina | 0–2 | Buffalo | Lehner | – | 3–2–0 | Recap | ||
| 6 | October 5 | Buffalo | 2–3 | Carolina | SO | Ullmark | – | 3–2–1 | Recap | |
| 7 | October 7 | Buffalo | 4–2 | Ottawa | Lehner | 14,216 | 4–2–1 | Recap | ||
Regular season
| 2016–17 Game Log[8] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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