2023–24 Buffalo Sabres season

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

2023–24 Buffalo Sabres
DivisionAtlantic
ConferenceEastern
2023–24 record3–4–0
Home record2–3–0
Road record1–1–0
Goals for19
Goals against22
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
GoalsJeff Skinner (5)
AssistsRasmus Dahlin (7)
PointsRasmus Dahlin (7)
Penalty minutesAlex Tuch (18)
Plus/minusOwen Power (+3)
WinsEric Comrie
Devon Levi
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (1)
Goals against averageEric Comrie (2.05)

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 6 6 0 0 6 19 7 +12 12
2 Detroit Red Wings 7 5 1 1 5 34 20 +14 11
3 Toronto Maple Leafs 6 4 2 0 2 23 20 +3 8
4 Tampa Bay Lightning 7 3 2 2 3 23 24 −1 8
5 Montreal Canadiens 6 3 2 1 2 18 21 −3 7
6 Ottawa Senators 6 3 3 0 3 25 21 +4 6
7 Florida Panthers 6 3 3 0 3 17 18 −1 6
8 Buffalo Sabres 7 3 4 0 2 19 22 −3 6
Updated to game(s) played on October 24, 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 Tampa Bay Lightning 7 3 2 2 3 23 24 −1 8
2 ME Columbus Blue Jackets 6 3 2 1 2 17 19 −2 7
3 AT Montreal Canadiens 6 3 2 1 2 18 21 −3 7
4 AT Ottawa Senators 6 3 3 0 3 25 21 +4 6
5 AT Florida Panthers 6 3 3 0 3 17 18 −1 6
6 AT Buffalo Sabres 7 3 4 0 2 19 22 −3 6
7 ME Carolina Hurricanes 7 3 4 0 2 28 33 −5 6
8 ME New York Islanders 5 2 2 1 2 13 17 −4 5
9 ME Washington Capitals 6 2 3 1 1 13 23 −10 5
10 ME Pittsburgh Penguins 6 2 4 0 2 17 20 −3 4
Updated to game(s) played on October 25, 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
October: 3–4–0 (Home: 2–3–0 ; Road: 1–1–0)
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPtsRecap
1October 12NY Rangers5–1BuffaloLevi19,0700–1–00[12]
2October 14Buffalo2–3NY IslandersLevi17,2550–2–00[13]
3October 17Tampa Bay2–3BuffaloOTLevi12,5981–2–02[14]
4October 19Calgary4–3BuffaloLevi13,0251–3–02[15]
5October 21NY Islanders1–3BuffaloComrie16,1792–3–04[16]
6October 23Montreal3–1BuffaloComrie13,5072–4–04[17]
7October 24Buffalo6–4OttawaLuukkonen14,2783–4–06[18]
8October 27Buffalo–New Jersey
9October 29Colorado–Buffalo

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

Player statistics

Skaters
Regular season[19]
Player GP G A Pts +/− PIM
Rasmus Dahlin7077−46
Jeff Skinner7516−12
Casey Mittelstadt7156+24
Dylan Cozens7236−10
Tage Thompson7314−42
Alex Tuch7123−318
Jordan Greenway7123−22
Henri Jokiharju7033+12
Owen Power7033+30
Kyle Okposo7022+16
Zemgus Girgensons720207
Mattias Samuelsson7112+22
JJ Peterka7202−12
Zach Benson5022-22
Erik Johnson7101−30
Connor Clifton7011−56
Tyson Jost4011+12
Victor Olofsson5000−10
Peyton Krebs7000−24

Goaltenders
Regular season[20]
Player GP GS TOI W L OT GA GAA SA SV% SO G A PIM
Devon Levi44239:10130133.26120.8920000
Eric Comrie 2 2 116:53 1 1 0 4 2.05 52 .923 0 0 0 0
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen 1 1 59:42 1 0 0 4 4.02 38 .895 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.

Roster

Updated October 22, 2023[21][22]

No. Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace
9 Canada Zach Benson LW L 18 2023 Langley, British Columbia
78 Canada Jacob Bryson D L 25 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 Trollhattan, Sweden
28 Latvia Zemgus Girgensons (A) 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
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
27 Canada Devon Levi G L 21 2021 Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Quebec
1 Finland Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen G L 24 2017 Espoo, Finland
37 United States Casey Mittelstadt C L 24 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 Ornskoldsvik, Sweden
77 Germany JJ Peterka LW L 21 2020 Munich, Germany
25 Canada Owen Power D L 20 2021 Mississauga, Ontario
22 Canada Jack Quinn Injured Reserve RW R 22 2020 Ottawa, Ontario
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 C R 25 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 (2023-08-18) To Anaheim Ducks
Ilya Lyubushkin		 To Buffalo Sabres
4th-round pick in the 2025		 [23]

Players acquired
DatePlayerFormer teamTermViaRef
July 1, 2023 (2023-07-01)Connor CliftonBoston Bruins3-yearFree agency[24]
Devin CooleyNashville Predators1-yearFree agency[25]
Erik JohnsonColorado Avalanche1-yearFree agency[26]
Justin RichardsColumbus Blue Jackets1-yearFree agency[25]
Dustin TokarskiPittsburgh Penguins1-yearFree agency[27]

Players lost
DatePlayerNew teamTermViaRef
July 1, 2023 (2023-07-01)Malcolm SubbanSt. Louis Blues1-yearFree agency[28]
July 7, 2023 (2023-07-07)Vinnie HinostrozaPittsburgh Penguins1-yearFree agency[29]
Michael HouserRochester Americans (AHL)1-yearFree agency[30]
July 18, 2023 (2023-07-18)Austin StrandChicago Wolves (AHL)1-yearFree agency[31]
August 2, 2023 (2023-08-02)Sean MaloneSCL Tigers (NL)2-yearFree agency[32]
August 7, 2023 (2023-08-07)Matej PekarHartford Wolf Pack (AHL)1-yearFree agency[33]

Signings
DatePlayerTermRef
July 1, 2023 (2023-07-01)Tyson Jost1-year[34]
July 4, 2023 (2023-07-04)Kale Clague1-year[35]
July 14, 2023 (2023-07-14)Brett Murray1-year[36]
Anton Wahlberg3-year†[37]
July 17, 2023 (2023-07-17)Linus Weissbach1-year[38]
July 28, 2023 (2023-07-28)Zach Benson3-year†[39]
October 9, 2023 (2023-10-09)Rasmus Dahlin8-year‡[40]
October 11, 2023 (2023-10-11)Owen Power7-year‡[41]

Draft picks
See also: List of Buffalo Sabres 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.[42]

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.
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  13. "Buffalo Sabres - New York Islanders - October 14, 2023". NHL.com. October 14, 2023. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
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  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. "2023–24 Buffalo Sabres Stats – Skaters". NHL.com. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  20. "2023–24 Buffalo Sabres Stats – Goalies". NHL.com. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  21. "Buffalo Sabres Roster". National Hockey League. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  22. "Buffalo Sabres Hockey Transactions". The Sports Network. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  23. "Sabres acquire 4th-round pick in 2025 NHL Draft from Ducks for Lyubushkin". NHL.com. Buffalo Sabres. August 18, 2023. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  24. "Sabres sign Clifton to 3-year contract". NHL.com. Buffalo Sabres. July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  25. "Sabres sign Richards, Cooley to 1-year deals". NHL.com. Buffalo Sabres. July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  26. "Sabres sign veteran defenseman Johnson to 1-year deal". NHL.com. Buffalo Sabres. July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  27. "Tokarski returns to Buffalo on 1-year contract". NHL.com. Buffalo Sabres. July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  28. "Blues sign MacEachern, three others to contracts". NHL.com. St. Louis Blues. July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  29. "Penguins Sign Forward Vinnie Hinostroza to a One-Year Contract". NHL.com. Pittsburgh Penguins. July 7, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  30. "JOBST, WARREN AND HOUSER RETURN ON ONE-YEAR DEALS". amerks.com. Rochester Americans. July 7, 2023. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  31. "Wolves sign five to deals". theahl.com. American Hockey League. July 18, 2023. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  32. "Die SCL Tigers verpflichten Sean Malone". scltigers.ch (in German). SCL Tigers. August 2, 2023. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  33. "Wolf Pack sign Pekar". theahl.com. American Hockey League. August 7, 2023. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  34. "Jost returns to Sabres on 1-year contract". NHL.com. Buffalo Sabres. July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  35. "Sabres re-sign Clague to 1-year contract". NHL.com. Buffalo Sabres. July 5, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  36. "Sabres sign Murray to 1-year deal". NHL.com. Buffalo Sabres. July 14, 2023. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  37. "Sabres sign Wahlberg to 3-year, entry-level contract". NHL.com. Buffalo Sabres. July 14, 2023. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  38. "Sabres sign Weissbach to 1-year contract". NHL.com. Buffalo Sabres. July 17, 2023. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  39. "Benson signs 3-year, entry-level contract with Sabres". NHL.com. Buffalo Sabres. July 28, 2023. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  40. "Sabres sign Dahlin to 8-year contract extension". NHL.com. Buffalo Sabres. October 9, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  41. "Power signs 7-year, $58.45 million contract with Sabres". NHL.com. Buffalo Sabres. October 12, 2023. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  42. "Sabres select Benson with 13th-overall pick in 2023 NHL Draft". NHL.com. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
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