2023–24 Buffalo Sabres
DivisionAtlantic
ConferenceEastern
2023–24 record10–12–2
Home record5–5–0
Road record5–7–2
Goals for70
Goals against83
Team information
General managerKevyn Adams
CoachDon Granato
CaptainKyle Okposo
Alternate captainsRasmus Dahlin
Zemgus Girgensons
ArenaKeyBank Center
Minor league affiliate(s)Rochester Americans (AHL)
Jacksonville Icemen (ECHL)
Team leaders
GoalsJJ Peterka
Jeff Skinner (10)
AssistsCasey Mittelstadt (16)
PointsRasmus Dahlin
Casey Mittelstadt (20)
Penalty minutesConnor Clifton (32)
Plus/minusHenri Jokiharju
JJ Peterka (+5)
WinsUkko-Pekka Luukkonen (6)
Goals against averageUkko-Pekka Luukkonen (2.88)

The 2023–24 Buffalo Sabres season is the 54th season of play for the Sabres in the National Hockey League (NHL).

The Sabres will attempt to improve on a strong 2022–23 season (42–33–7; 91 points). After the Seattle Mariners of MLB clinched a playoff spot for the 1st time since 2001 and the Sacramento Kings of NBA clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2006, The Sabres and New York Jets of NFL are tied for the longest active playoff drought in American sports, missing them 12 years straight. They will attempt to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2011 (the current longest, and the longest playoff drought in NHL history), when they lost in the first round to the Philadelphia Flyers.

Standings

Divisional standings

Atlantic Division
Pos Team GP W L OTL RW GF GA GD Pts
1 Boston Bruins 23 16 4 3 13 78 58 +20 35
2 Florida Panthers 24 14 8 2 12 72 62 +10 30
3 Detroit Red Wings 23 13 7 3 11 86 68 +18 29
4 Toronto Maple Leafs 22 12 6 4 5 76 74 +2 28
5 Tampa Bay Lightning 25 10 10 5 9 83 93 −10 25
6 Montreal Canadiens 24 10 11 3 4 68 87 −19 23
7 Buffalo Sabres 24 10 12 2 9 70 83 −13 22
8 Ottawa Senators 19 9 10 0 7 64 63 +1 18
Updated to game(s) played on December 2, 2023. Source: National Hockey League[1]
Rules for classification: 1) Fewer number of games played (GP, only during regular season); 2) Greater number of regulation wins (RW); 3) Greater number of wins in regulation and overtime, excluding shootout wins (ROW); 4) Greater number of total wins, including shootouts (W); 5) Greater number of points earned in head-to-head play; if teams played an uneven number of head-to-head games, the result of the first game on the home ice of the team with the extra home game is discarded; 6) Greater goal differential (GD); 7) Greater number of goals scored (GF)

Conference standings

Eastern Conference Wild Card
Pos Div Team GP W L OTL RW GF GA GD Pts
1 AT Toronto Maple Leafs 22 12 6 4 5 76 74 +2 28
2 ME New York Islanders 23 10 7 6 8 65 74 −9 26
3 ME Philadelphia Flyers 24 12 10 2 9 72 69 +3 26
4 AT Tampa Bay Lightning 25 10 10 5 9 83 93 −10 25
5 ME Pittsburgh Penguins 23 11 10 2 10 72 61 +11 24
6 ME New Jersey Devils 22 11 10 1 9 79 83 −4 23
7 AT Montreal Canadiens 24 10 11 3 4 68 87 −19 23
8 AT Buffalo Sabres 24 10 12 2 9 70 83 −13 22
9 ME Columbus Blue Jackets 25 8 13 4 7 73 85 −12 20
10 AT Ottawa Senators 19 9 10 0 7 64 63 +1 18
Updated to game(s) played on December 2, 2023. Source: National Hockey League[2]
Rules for classification: 1) Fewer number of games played (GP, only during regular season); 2) Greater number of regulation wins (RW); 3) Greater number of wins in regulation and overtime, excluding shootout wins (ROW); 4) Greater number of total wins, including shootouts (W); 5) Greater number of points earned in head-to-head play; if teams played an uneven number of head-to-head games, the result of the first game on the home ice of the team with the extra home game is discarded; 6) Greater goal differential (GD); 7) Greater number of goals scored (GF)

Schedule and results

Preseason

The preseason schedule was published on June 21, 2023.[3]

Regular season

The regular season schedule was published on June 27, 2023.[11]

2023–24 game log
December: 0–1–0 (home: 0–0–0; road: 0–1–0)
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPtsRecap
24December 2Buffalo2–6CarolinaComrie18,79710–12–222[35]
25December 3Nashville–Buffalo
26December 5Detroit–Buffalo
27December 7Buffalo–Boston
28December 9Montreal–Buffalo
29December 11Arizona–Buffalo
30December 13Buffalo–Colorado
31December 15Buffalo–Vegas
32December 16Buffalo–Arizona
33December 19Columbus–Buffalo
34December 21Toronto–Buffalo
35December 23Buffalo–NY Rangers
36December 27Boston–Buffalo
37December 30Columbus–Buffalo
38December 31Buffalo–Ottawa

Legend:   Win (2 points)   Loss (0 points)   Overtime/shootout loss (1 point)

Player statistics

Skaters

Regular season[36]
Player GP G A Pts +/− PIM
Casey Mittelstadt2451621+212
Rasmus Dahlin2451520−516
Jeff Skinner2410818−34
JJ Peterka2410818+38
Alex Tuch218917−326
Tage Thompson166612−56
Owen Power2411112−26
Dylan Cozens224711−425
Victor Olofsson18279−14
Henri Jokiharju21279+42
Kyle Okposo24347−210
Zach Benson14257−26
Jordan Greenway21347−121
Tyson Jost19224−54
Peyton Krebs22134+312
Mattias Samuelsson21123−114
Brandon Biro320200
Zemgus Girgensons20202−37
Erik Johnson24202−12
Connor Clifton21022−739
Ryan Johnson 12 0 1 1 +1 4
Jiří Kulich 1 0 0 0 −1 0
Matt Savoie 1 0 0 0 0 0
Jacob Bryson3000−10
Isak Rosén 3 0 0 0 −3 0
Lukáš Rousek5000−20

Goaltenders

Regular season[36]
Player GP GS TOI W L OT GA GAA SA SV% SO G A PIM
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen1210646:07641312.88325.9051004
Devon Levi98498:36341313.73251.8760000
Eric Comrie66285:44140193.99140.8640000

†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.

Roster

Updated November 29, 2023[37][38]

No. Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace
9 Canada Zach Benson Injured Reserve LW L 18 2023 Langley, British Columbia
15 Canada Brandon Biro LW L 25 2020 Sherwood Park, Alberta
78 Canada Jacob Bryson D L 26 2017 London, Ontario
75 United States Connor Clifton D R 28 2023 Long Branch, New Jersey
31 Canada Eric Comrie G L 28 2022 Edmonton, Alberta
24 Canada Dylan Cozens C R 22 2019 Whitehorse, Yukon
26 Sweden Rasmus Dahlin (A) D L 23 2018 Trollhättan, Sweden
28 Latvia Zemgus Girgensons (A) Injured Reserve C L 29 2012 Riga, Latvia
12 United States Jordan Greenway LW L 26 2023 Canton, New York
6 United States Erik Johnson D R 35 2023 Bloomington, Minnesota
33 United States Ryan Johnson D L 22 2019 Irvine, California
10 Finland Henri Jokiharju D R 24 2019 Oulu, Finland
17 Canada Tyson Jost C L 25 2022 St. Albert, Alberta
19 Canada Peyton Krebs C L 22 2021 Okotoks, Alberta
1 Finland Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen G L 24 2017 Espoo, Finland
37 United States Casey Mittelstadt C L 25 2017 Eden Prairie, Minnesota
21 United States Kyle Okposo (C) RW R 35 2016 Saint Paul, Minnesota
71 Sweden Victor Olofsson LW L 28 2014 Örnsköldsvik, Sweden
77 Germany JJ Peterka LW L 21 2020 Munich, Germany
25 Canada Owen Power D L 21 2021 Mississauga, Ontario
22 Canada Jack Quinn Injured Reserve RW R 22 2020 Ottawa, Ontario
63 Sweden Isak Rosen RW L 20 2021 Solna, Sweden
23 United States Mattias Samuelsson D L 23 2018 Voorhees, New Jersey
53 Canada Jeff Skinner LW L 31 2018 Markham, Ontario
72 United States Tage Thompson Injured Reserve C R 26 2018 Phoenix, Arizona
89 United States Alex Tuch RW R 27 2021 Syracuse, New York

Transactions

The Sabres have been involved in the following transactions during the 2023–24 season.

Key:

 †  Contract is entry-level.
 ‡  Contract initially takes effect in the 2024–25 season.

Trades

DateDetailsRef
August 18, 2023 To Anaheim Ducks
Ilya Lyubushkin		 To Buffalo Sabres
4th-round pick in the 2025		 [39]

Players acquired

DatePlayerFormer teamTermViaRef
July 1, 2023Connor CliftonBoston Bruins3-yearFree agency[40]
Devin CooleyNashville Predators1-yearFree agency[41]
Erik JohnsonColorado Avalanche1-yearFree agency[42]
Justin RichardsColumbus Blue Jackets1-yearFree agency[41]
Dustin TokarskiPittsburgh Penguins1-yearFree agency[43]

Players lost

DatePlayerNew teamTermViaRef
July 1, 2023Malcolm SubbanSt. Louis Blues1-yearFree agency[44]
July 7, 2023Vinnie HinostrozaPittsburgh Penguins1-yearFree agency[45]
Michael HouserRochester Americans (AHL)1-yearFree agency[46]
July 18, 2023Austin StrandChicago Wolves (AHL)1-yearFree agency[47]
August 2, 2023Sean MaloneSCL Tigers (NL)2-yearFree agency[48]
August 7, 2023Matej PekarHartford Wolf Pack (AHL)1-yearFree agency[49]

Signings

DatePlayerTermRef
July 1, 2023Tyson Jost1-year[50]
July 4, 2023Kale Clague1-year[51]
July 14, 2023Brett Murray1-year[52]
Anton Wahlberg3-year†[53]
July 17, 2023Linus Weissbach1-year[54]
July 28, 2023Zach Benson3-year†[55]
October 9, 2023Rasmus Dahlin8-year‡[56]
October 11, 2023Owen Power7-year‡[57]

Draft picks

Below are the Buffalo Sabres selections at the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, which will be held on June 28 and 29, 2023, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. With their first selection, the Sabres selected Zach Benson from the Winnipeg Ice of the WHL.[58]

Round # Player Pos Nationality College/Junior/Club team (League)
1 13 Zach Benson LW  Canada Winnipeg Ice (WHL)
2 39 Anton Wahlberg C  Sweden Malmö Redhawks (SHL)
2 45 Maxim Strbak D  Slovakia Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)
3 86 Gavin McCarthy D  United States Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL)
4 109 Ethan Miedema LW  Canada Kingston Frontenacs (OHL)
5 141 Scott Ratzlaff G  Canada Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL)
6 173 Sean Keohane D  United States Dexter Dex (USHS-MA)
7 205 Norwin Panocha D  Germany Eisbären Berlin (DNL U20)

References

  1. ↑ "NHL Hockey Standings". www.nhl.com. National Hockey League.
  2. ↑ "NHL Hockey Standings". www.nhl.com. National Hockey League.
  3. ↑ Kardaman, Katelyn (June 21, 2023). "Sabres announce 2023-24 preseason schedule". NHL.com. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Buffalo Sabres - Washington Capitals - September 24, 2023". NHL.com. September 24, 2023. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Boston Bruins - Buffalo Sabres - September 26, 2023". NHL.com. September 26, 2023. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Buffalo Sabres - Toronto Maple Leafs - September 27, 2023". NHL.com. September 27, 2023. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Buffalo Sabres - Pittsburgh Penguins - September 28, 2023". NHL.com. September 28, 2023. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Columbus Blue Jackets - Buffalo Sabres - September 30, 2023". NHL.com. September 28, 2023. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Buffalo Sabres - Columbus Blue Jackets - October 4, 2023". NHL.com. October 4, 2023. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Pittsburgh Penguins - Buffalo Sabres - October 6, 2023". NHL.com. October 6, 2023. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Sabres announce 2023-24 regular-season schedule". NHL.com. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  12. ↑ "New York Rangers - Buffalo Sabres - October 12, 2023". NHL.com. October 12, 2023. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Buffalo Sabres - New York Islanders - October 14, 2023". NHL.com. October 14, 2023. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Tampa Bay Lightning - Buffalo Sabres - October 17, 2023". NHL.com. October 17, 2023. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Calgary Flames - Buffalo Sabres - October 19, 2023". NHL.com. October 19, 2023. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  16. ↑ "New York Islanders - Buffalo Sabres - October 21, 2023". NHL.com. October 21, 2023. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  17. ↑ "Montreal Canadiens - Buffalo Sabres - October 23, 2023". NHL.com. October 23, 2023. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  18. ↑ "Buffalo Sabres - Ottawa Senators - October 24, 2023". NHL.com. October 24, 2023. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  19. ↑ "Buffalo Sabres - New Jersey Devils - October 27, 2023". NHL.com. October 27, 2023. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
  20. ↑ "Colorado Avalanche - Buffalo Sabres - October 29, 2023". NHL.com. October 29, 2023. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
  21. ↑ "Buffalo Sabres - Philadelphia Flyers - November 1, 2023". NHL.com. November 1, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  22. ↑ "Philadelphia Flyers - Buffalo Sabres - November 3, 2023". NHL.com. November 3, 2023. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
  23. ↑ "Buffalo Sabres - Toronto Maple Leafs - November 4, 2023". NHL.com. November 4, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  24. ↑ "Buffalo Sabres - Carolina Hurricanes - November 7, 2023". NHL.com. November 7, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  25. ↑ "Buffalo Sabres - MInnesota Wild - November 10, 2023". NHL.com. November 10, 2023. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  26. ↑ "Buffalo Sabres - Pittsburgh Penguins - November 11, 2023". NHL.com. November 11, 2023. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  27. ↑ "Boston Bruins - Buffalo Sabres - November 14, 2023". NHL.com. November 14, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  28. ↑ "New Jersey Devils - Winnipeg Jets - November 17, 2023". NHL.com. November 17, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  29. ↑ "Buffalo Sabres - Chicago Blackhawks - November 19, 2023". NHL.com. November 19, 2023. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
  30. ↑ "Buffalo Sabres - Washington Capitals - November 22, 2023". NHL.com. November 22, 2023. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  31. ↑ "Pittsburgh Penguins - Buffalo Sabres - November 24, 2023". NHL.com. November 24, 2023. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  32. ↑ "Buffalo Sabres - New Jersey Devils - November 25, 2023". NHL.com. November 25, 2023. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
  33. ↑ "Buffalo Sabres - New York Rangers - November 27, 2023". NHL.com. November 27, 2023. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  34. ↑ "Buffalo Sabres - St. Louis Blues - November 30, 2023". NHL.com. November 30, 2023. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  35. ↑ "Buffalo Sabres - Carolina Hurricanes - December 2, 2023". NHL.com. December 2, 2023. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  36. 1 2 "Buffalo Sabres Club Stats | 2023 - 2024 | Buffalo Sabres". www.nhl.com. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  37. ↑ "Buffalo Sabres Roster". National Hockey League. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  38. ↑ "Buffalo Sabres Hockey Transactions". The Sports Network. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  39. ↑ "Sabres acquire 4th-round pick in 2025 NHL Draft from Ducks for Lyubushkin". NHL.com. Buffalo Sabres. August 18, 2023. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  40. ↑ "Sabres sign Clifton to 3-year contract". NHL.com. Buffalo Sabres. July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  41. 1 2 "Sabres sign Richards, Cooley to 1-year deals". NHL.com. Buffalo Sabres. July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  42. ↑ "Sabres sign veteran defenseman Johnson to 1-year deal". NHL.com. Buffalo Sabres. July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  43. ↑ "Tokarski returns to Buffalo on 1-year contract". NHL.com. Buffalo Sabres. July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  44. ↑ "Blues sign MacEachern, three others to contracts". NHL.com. St. Louis Blues. July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  45. ↑ "Penguins Sign Forward Vinnie Hinostroza to a One-Year Contract". NHL.com. Pittsburgh Penguins. July 7, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  46. ↑ "JOBST, WARREN AND HOUSER RETURN ON ONE-YEAR DEALS". amerks.com. Rochester Americans. July 7, 2023. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  47. ↑ "Wolves sign five to deals". theahl.com. American Hockey League. July 18, 2023. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  48. ↑ "Die SCL Tigers verpflichten Sean Malone". scltigers.ch (in German). SCL Tigers. August 2, 2023. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  49. ↑ "Wolf Pack sign Pekar". theahl.com. American Hockey League. August 7, 2023. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  50. ↑ "Jost returns to Sabres on 1-year contract". NHL.com. Buffalo Sabres. July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  51. ↑ "Sabres re-sign Clague to 1-year contract". NHL.com. Buffalo Sabres. July 5, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  52. ↑ "Sabres sign Murray to 1-year deal". NHL.com. Buffalo Sabres. July 14, 2023. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  53. ↑ "Sabres sign Wahlberg to 3-year, entry-level contract". NHL.com. Buffalo Sabres. July 14, 2023. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  54. ↑ "Sabres sign Weissbach to 1-year contract". NHL.com. Buffalo Sabres. July 17, 2023. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  55. ↑ "Benson signs 3-year, entry-level contract with Sabres". NHL.com. Buffalo Sabres. July 28, 2023. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  56. ↑ "Sabres sign Dahlin to 8-year contract extension". NHL.com. Buffalo Sabres. October 9, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  57. ↑ "Power signs 7-year, $58.45 million contract with Sabres". NHL.com. Buffalo Sabres. October 12, 2023. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  58. ↑ "Sabres select Benson with 13th-overall pick in 2023 NHL Draft". NHL.com. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
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