2007–08 Buffalo Sabres season

The 2007–08 Buffalo Sabres season was the 38th season of operation, 37th season of play, for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on May 22, 1970.[2]

2007–08 Buffalo Sabres
Division4th Northeast
Conference10th Eastern
2007–08 record39–31–12
Home record20–15–6
Road record19–16–6
Goals for255
Goals against242
Team information
General managerDarcy Regier
CoachLindy Ruff
CaptainRotating
Jochen Hecht (Oct, Feb)
Toni Lydman (Nov)
Brian Campbell (Dec)
Jaroslav Spacek (Jan)
Jason Pominville (Mar-Apr)
Alternate captainsRotating
Toni Lydman (Oct)
Henrik Tallinder (Oct)
Brian Campbell (Nov, Feb)
Jochen Hecht (Nov-Jan)
Jaroslav Spacek (Dec, Mar-Apr)
Jason Pominville (Jan)
Adam Mair (Feb)
Tim Connolly (Feb)
Derek Roy (Mar-Apr)
ArenaHSBC Arena
Ralph Wilson Stadium
(1 game)
Average attendance18,668 (99.9%)
[1]
Team leaders
GoalsThomas Vanek (36)
AssistsJason Pominville (53)
PointsDerek Roy (81)
Penalty minutesAndrew Peters (100)
Plus/minusJason Pominville (+16)
WinsRyan Miller (36)
Goals against averageRyan Miller (2.64)

Prior to the season, the Sabres lost their co-captains of the previous two seasons, Daniel Briere and Chris Drury. Briere and Drury were signed as free agents on July 1 by the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers, respectively.[3][4] Dainius Zubrus was also lost to free agency, as he was signed by the New Jersey Devils on July 3.[5] Thomas Vanek, who led the team in goals the previous season with 43, was a restricted free agent and was almost lost as well; the Edmonton Oilers signed him to a seven-year, $50 million offer sheet on July 6, but the Sabres matched the offer, retaining him.[6]

Jocelyn Thibault was signed to the Sabres' roster on July 5 to serve as a veteran backup to the team's starting goaltender, Ryan Miller.[7] Thibault replaced Ty Conklin, who had served as Miller's backup for the last month of the 2006–07 season and during the playoffs. Conklin was signed by the Pittsburgh Penguins on July 18.[8]

After losing both Briere and Drury in the off-season, the Sabres' captaincy was vacated. Prior to the season, the team announced that it would rotate captaincy throughout the season, just as it did during the 2003–04 season. Jochen Hecht was named the October captain under this system.[9] Toni Lydman was named captain for November,[10] Brian Campbell was named captain for December,[11] and Jaroslav Spacek was named captain for January[12] before the captaincy was cycled back to Hecht in February.[13] Jason Pominville was named the team's captain in March, and he finished the season in the role.

Longtime Sabres' color commentator Jim Lorentz retired just prior to the season.[14] He was replaced in the broadcast booth by longtime Hockey Night in Canada broadcaster Harry Neale.[15]

The Sabres' January 1 home game against the Pittsburgh Penguins was played outdoors at Ralph Wilson Stadium, home of the National Football League's Buffalo Bills. The NHL called the event the AMP Energy NHL Winter Classic.[16] In addition to selling tickets at Ralph Wilson Stadium, the Sabres also sold tickets to HSBC Arena for the game, which was broadcast for fans on the arena's video scoreboard.[17]

Brian Campbell was the Sabres' lone representative in the 2008 NHL All-Star Game, as he was named to the team as a reserve defenseman. It was his second consecutive All-Star Game appearance.[18] Campbell was then traded to the San Jose Sharks on February 26 in exchange for Steve Bernier and a first-round pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.[19]

Regular season

On January 18, 2008, the Sabres defeated the Atlanta Thrashers at home by a score of 10–1. Derek Roy and Drew Stafford each had a hat-trick.[20] It was the first time that an NHL team had scored 10 goals in a regular season game since January 4, 2007, when the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Boston Bruins on the road by a score of 10–2.[21] It was also the first time that the Sabres had scored 10 goals in a game since January 14, 2006, when they defeated the Los Angeles Kings at home by a score of 10–1. Coincidentally, two Sabres had hat-tricks in that game as well: Jochen Hecht and Jason Pominville.[22]

Divisional standings
Northeast Division
GP W L OTL GF GA Pts
1z – Montreal Canadiens82472510262222104
2Ottawa Senators824331826124794
3Boston Bruins8241291221222294
4Buffalo Sabres8239311225524290
5Toronto Maple Leafs8236351123126083

Conference standings
Eastern Conference
R Div GP W L OTL GF GA Pts
1 z – Montreal CanadiensNE82472510262222104
2 y – Pittsburgh PenguinsAT8247278247216102
3 y – Washington CapitalsSE824331824223194
4 New Jersey DevilsAT824629720619799
5 New York RangersAT8242271321319997
6 Philadelphia FlyersAT8242291124823395
7 Ottawa SenatorsNE824331826124794
8 Boston BruinsNE8241291221222294
8.5
9 Carolina HurricanesSE824333625224992
10 Buffalo SabresNE8239311225524290
11 Florida PanthersSE823835921622685
12 Toronto Maple LeafsNE8236351123126083
13 New York IslandersAT823538919424379
14 Atlanta ThrashersSE823440821627276
15 Tampa Bay LightningSE823142922326771

Divisions: AT – Atlantic, NE – Northeast, SE – Southeast

bold – qualified for playoffs, y – division winner, z – placed first in conference (and division)

For complete standings, see 2007–08 NHL season.

Schedule and results

October

Record: 5–5–0; Home: 3–2–0; Road: 2–3–0

#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPts
1October 5NY Islanders6 – 4BuffaloMiller18,6900–1–00
2October 6Buffalo2 – 3NY IslandersMiller16,2340–2–00
3October 11Atlanta0 – 6BuffaloMiller18,6901–2–02
4October 13Washington3 – 7BuffaloMiller18,6902–2–04
5October 15Toronto4 – 5BuffaloOTThibault18,2173–2–06
6October 19Columbus3 – 0BuffaloMiller18,6903–3–06
7October 20Buffalo2 – 4MontrealMiller21,2733–4–06
8October 24Buffalo2 – 6CarolinaMiller16,0583–5–06
9October 26Buffalo4 – 2FloridaMiller15,8424–5–08
10October 27Buffalo4 – 3Tampa BayOTMiller19,8045–5–010

November

Record: 6–6–1; Home: 4–3–0; Road: 2–3–1

#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPts
11November 1Buffalo3 – 4BostonOTMiller13,4795–5–111
12November 2Florida4 – 2BuffaloThibault18,6905–6–111
13November 5Buffalo0 – 2MontrealMiller21,2735–7–111
14November 7Boston1 – 2BuffaloOTMiller18,6906–7–113
15November 9Toronto3 – 0BuffaloMiller18,6906–8–113
16November 10Buffalo1 – 2BostonMiller17,5656–9–113
17November 15Buffalo2 – 3OttawaMiller19,2796–10–113
18November 16Montreal1 – 4BuffaloMiller18,6907–10–115
19November 21Ottawa2 – 4BuffaloMiller18,6908–10–117
20November 23Montreal2 – 4BuffaloMiller18,6909–10–119
21November 24Buffalo3 – 0MontrealThibault21,27310–10–121
22November 26Buffalo3 – 1WashingtonMiller11,20411–10–123
23November 28St. Louis4 – 3BuffaloMiller18,69011–11–123

December

On December 22, the Sabres won their first shootout victory of the season on the road in Philadelphia against the Philadelphia Flyers. Thomas Vanek scored with 7.2 seconds left in the third period, beating former Sabres goaltender Martin Biron from the right circle to force overtime, and Ales Kotalik of the Sabres scored the only shootout goal to provide the Sabres with a win, adding to their total with six victories in a row.[23]

Record: 8–5–1; Home: 4–2–0; Road: 4–3–1

#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPts
24December 1Carolina1 – 8BuffaloMiller18,69012–11–125
25December 5Buffalo1 – 4AnaheimMiller17,17412–12–125
26December 6Buffalo2 – 8Los AngelesThibault15,98012–13–125
27December 8Buffalo7 – 1San JoseMiller17,49613–13–127
28December 10Boston4 – 1BuffaloMiller18,30213–14–127
29December 12NY Islanders3 – 5BuffaloMiller18,69014–14–129
30December 14Buffalo5 – 3WashingtonMiller17,03515–14–131
31December 15Chicago1 – 3BuffaloMiller18,69016–14–133
32December 19Buffalo2 – 1NY IslandersMiller10,80617–14–135
33December 21Philadelphia2 – 3BuffaloMiller18,69018–14–137
34December 22Buffalo6 – 5PhiladelphiaSOMiller19,60619–14–139
35December 26Ottawa5 – 3BuffaloMiller18,69019–15–139
36December 28Buffalo1 – 2New JerseySOMiller17,62519–15–240
37December 29Buffalo0 – 2PittsburghMiller17,13219–16–240

January

Record: 4–5–4; Home: 1–1–2; Road: 3–4–2

#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPts
38January 1Pittsburgh2 – 1Buffalo*SOMiller71,21719–16–341
39January 4Ottawa5 – 3BuffaloThibault18,69019–17–341
40January 6Buffalo2 – 5AtlantaMiller15,21319–18–341
41January 8Buffalo1 – 2New JerseySOMiller14,03019–18–442
42January 10Buffalo2 – 3OttawaSOThibault19,84319–18–543
43January 12New Jersey3 – 2BuffaloSOMiller18,69019–18–644
44January 16Buffalo1 – 2NY RangersMiller18,20019–19–644
45January 18Atlanta1 – 10BuffaloMiller18,69020–19–646
46January 19Buffalo2 – 4TorontoMiller19,43620–20–646
47January 21Buffalo2 – 6PhoenixThibault16,98120–21–646
48January 24Buffalo2 – 1DallasMiller18,53221–21–648
49January 29Buffalo4 – 2Tampa BayMiller18,92022–21–650
50January 30Buffalo1 – 0FloridaMiller14,02423–21–652

*Played at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, New York.

February

Record: 8–4–3; Home: 5–3–2; Road: 3–1–1

#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPts
51February 1Buffalo4 – 5AtlantaSOThibault17,06423–21–753
52February 5Buffalo4 – 2BostonMiller13,42724–21–755
53February 6New Jersey2 – 3BuffaloSOMiller18,69025–21–757
54February 8Boston3 – 2BuffaloSOMiller18,69025–21–858
55February 10Florida3 – 5BuffaloMiller18,69026–21–860
56February 12Buffalo5 – 1OttawaMiller19,56427–21–862
57February 13Toronto0 – 1BuffaloMiller18,69028–21–864
58February 16Buffalo1 – 5NY RangersMiller18,20028–22–864
59February 17Pittsburgh4 – 1BuffaloMiller18,69028–23–864
60February 20Tampa Bay3 – 4BuffaloOTMiller18,69029–23–866
61February 21Buffalo5 – 1TorontoMiller19,46730–23–868
62February 23NY Rangers4 – 3BuffaloMiller18,69030–24–868
63February 25Philadelphia4 – 3BuffaloSOMiller18,69030–24–969
64February 27Nashville4 – 8BuffaloMiller18,69031–24–971
62February 29Montreal6 – 2BuffaloMiller18,69031–25–971

March

Record: 6–5–3; Home: 3–4–2; Road: 3–1–1

#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPts
66March 2Detroit4 – 2BuffaloMiller18,69031–26–971
67March 4Buffalo5 – 2PhiladelphiaMiller19,51632–26–973
68March 5Washington3 – 1BuffaloMiller18,69032–27–973
69March 8Buffalo3 – 4CarolinaOTMiller18,80832–27–1074
70March 10NY Rangers3 – 2BuffaloSOMiller18,69032–27–1175
71March 12Buffalo3 – 7PittsburghMiller17,13232–28–1175
72March 14Carolina1 – 7BuffaloMiller18,69033–28–1177
73March 15Buffalo6 – 2TorontoMiller19,46234–28–1179
74March 19Tampa Bay4 – 7BuffaloMiller18,69035–28–1181
75March 21Toronto4 – 1BuffaloMiller18,69035–29–1181
76March 25Ottawa6 – 3BuffaloMiller18,69035–30–1181
77March 27Buffalo4 – 3OttawaSOMiller19,88336–30–1183
78March 28Montreal4 – 3BuffaloOTMiller18,69036–30–1284
79March 30Boston1 – 2BuffaloOTMiller18,69037–30–1286

April

Record: 2–1–0; Home: 0–0–0; Road: 2–1–0

#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPts
80April 1Buffalo4 – 3TorontoSOMiller19,28838–30–1288
81April 3Buffalo1 – 3MontrealMiller21,27338–31–1288
82April 5Buffalo3 – 0BostonThibault17,56539–31–1290

Playoffs

After winning the Presidents' Trophy in the 2006–07 NHL season, the Sabres failed to qualify for the playoffs despite having 90 points.

Player statistics

Skaters

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/- = Plus/minus; PIM = Penalty minutes

    Regular season  
Player # GP G A Pts +/- PIM
Derek Roy978324981+1346
Jason Pominville2982275380+1620
Thomas Vanek2682362864-564
Jochen Hecht5575222749+138
Brian Campbell*516353843-112
Ales Kotalik1279232043-558
Tim Connolly194873340+48
Drew Stafford2164162238+351
Paul Gaustad2882102636-485
Daniel Paille2077191635+914
Jaroslav Spacek66092332+742
Maxim Afinogenov6156101828-1642
Toni Lydman58242226+174
Henrik Tallinder107111718+548
Adam Mair227251217-266
Clarke MacArthur41378715+320
Steve Bernier*5617369+12
Nathan Paetsch3859279+327
Andrej Sekera4437268+516
Michael Ryan3746448-430
Dmitri Kalinin4546178-732
Nolan Pratt455167+130
Patrick Kaleta3640325+141
Mike Weber3416033+1214
Andrew Peters7644112-4100
Ryan Miller3076011N/A6
Teppo Numminen271000E0
Marc-Andre Gragnani172000-24
Michael Funk34000-30
Jocelyn Thibault3512000N/A0

*Stats reflect games played with Buffalo only.

  • Note: Goaltenders are not assessed plus/minus ratings.

Goaltenders

Note: GP = Games played; TOI = Time on ice (minutes); W = Wins; L = Losses; OTL = Overtime losses; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average

    Regular season  
Player # GP TOI W L OTL GA SO SV% GAA
Ryan Miller307644743627101973.9062.64
Jocelyn Thibault3512507342282.8693.31

Awards and records

Milestones
Regular season
PlayerMilestoneDate achieved
Jason Pominville100th NHL pointOctober 13, 2007
Derek Roy200th NHL gameOctober 19, 2007
Mike Weber1st NHL game[24]October 26, 2007
Jochen Hecht300th NHL point[25]October 26, 2007
Andrej Sekera1st NHL assist
1st NHL point[26]		October 26, 2007
Tim Connolly400th NHL gameOctober 27, 2007
Andrej Sekera1st NHL goal[27]November 28, 2007
Maxim Afinogenov500th NHL game[28]December 26, 2007
Thomas Vanek200th NHL GameDecember 29, 2007
Drew Stafford1st NHL hat trick[29]January 18, 2008
Patrick Kaleta1st NHL goal[30]February 10, 2008
Ryan Miller100th NHL win[31]February 10, 2008
Thomas Vanek1st NHL hat trick[32]February 12, 2008
Marc-Andre Gragnani1st NHL gameFebruary 23, 2008
Mike Weber1st NHL assist
1st NHL point[33]		March 12, 2008
Thomas Vanek100th NHL GoalMarch 21, 2008
Ryan Miller200th NHL GameMarch 25, 2008
CoachMilestoneDate achieved
Lindy Ruff800th NHL gameFebruary 23, 2008

Transactions

The Sabres have been involved in the following transactions during the 2007–08 season.

Trades
June 23, 2007
 To Calgary Flames
4th-round pick in 2007 – Keith Aulie		 To Buffalo Sabres
5th-round pick in 2007 – Bradley Eidsness
5th-round pick in 2007 – Jean-Simon Allard
February 26, 2008
 To San Jose Sharks
Brian Campbell
7th-round pick in 2008 – Drew Daniels		 To Buffalo Sabres
Steve Bernier
1st-round pick in 2008 – Tyler Ennis

Free agents acquired
PlayerFormer teamContract terms
Jocelyn ThibaultPittsburgh Penguins1 year, $760,000
Nolan PrattTampa Bay Lightning1 year, $550,000[34]
PlayerNew team
Daniel BrierePhiladelphia Flyers
Chris DruryNew York Rangers
Dainius ZubrusNew Jersey Devils
Ty ConklinPittsburgh Penguins

Draft picks

Buffalo's picks at the 2007 NHL Entry Draft in Columbus, Ohio.[35]

Round # Player Position Nationality College/junior/club team (league)
2 31 T. J. Brennan Defenseman  United States St. John's Fog Devils (QMJHL)
2 59 Drew Schiestel Defenseman  Canada Mississauga IceDogs (OHL)
3 89 Corey Tropp Forward  United States Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)
5 139 Bradley Eidsness Goaltender  Canada Okotoks Oilers (AJHL)
5 147 Jean-Simon Allard Center  Canada St. John's Fog Devils (QMJHL)
6 179 Paul Byron Center  Canada Gatineau Olympiques (QMJHL)
7 187 Nick Eno Goaltender  United States Green Mountain Glades (EJHL)
7 209 Drew MacKenzie Defenseman  United States Taft School (USHS-CT)

Farm teams

Rochester Americans

The Rochester Americans remain Buffalo's top affiliate in the American Hockey League in 2007–08. It is expected to be the last year of the two teams' long affiliation and the teams are expected to part ways at the end of the season.

Roster
2007–08 Buffalo Sabres Roster
Goaltenders

Defensemen

Wingers

Centers

See also

References
  1. Average attendance figure only accounts for games at HSBC Arena. It does not include the 71,217 in attendance at Ralph Wilson Stadium for the AMP Energy NHL Winter Classic on January 1.
  2. National Hockey League (2010). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book/2011. Triumph Books. p. 27. ISBN 978-1-60078-422-4.
  3. Briere signs 8-year $52 million deal with Flyers
  4. Rangers sign free-agent centers Gomez and Drury
  5. Devils sign free agent Zubrus
  6. Sabres retain Vanek by matching Oilers' $50 million offer
  7. Sabres shore up goaltending, sign Thibault; re-sign forwards Peters, Ryan
  8. Pittsburgh Penguins sign goaltender Ty Conklin to one-year contract
  9. Sabres to rotate captaincy this season
  10. Toni Lydman named captain for November Archived 2007-11-01 at the Wayback Machine
  11. Campbell Named Sabres' Captain for November Archived 2007-08-11 at Archive.today
  12. Spacek is Captain January Archived 2007-08-11 at Archive.today
  13. Max Re-Injures Groin; Hecht Captain For February
  14. Jim Lorentz announces his retirement Archived 2008-02-21 at the Wayback Machine
  15. Harry Neale joins Sabres broadcast team Archived 2007-10-09 at the Wayback Machine
  16. 2008 Winter Classic Archived 2008-05-14 at the Wayback Machine
  17. Sabres to Host Winter Classic House Party Archived January 2, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  18. Campbell named to NHL All-Star Team Archived 2008-01-12 at the Wayback Machine
  19. "Sharks acquire Campbell from Sabres". Archived from the original on 2008-02-29. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  20. https://www.hockey-reference.com/boxscores/200801180BUF.html
  21. https://www.hockey-reference.com/boxscores/200701040BOS.html
  22. https://www.hockey-reference.com/boxscores/200601140BUF.html
  23. NHL.com - Recap: Sabres 6, Flyers 5, SO
  24. Notebook: Weber solid in first game Archived 2007-10-27 at the Wayback Machine
  25. Recap: Buffalo @ Florida - 10/26/2007 Archived 2007-10-29 at the Wayback Machine
  26. Buffalo Sabres - Team: Andrej Sekera Official Player Page Archived 2007-12-30 at the Wayback Machine
  27. Recap: St. Louis @ Buffalo - 11/28/2007 Archived 2007-11-30 at the Wayback Machine
  28. Senators pour it on in 2nd period to end Sabres' win streak
  29. Stafford, Roy hat tricks helps Sabres stop 10–game skid
  30. Buffalo Sabres Notebook - 02/10/2008 Archived 2008-02-12 at the Wayback Machine
  31. Sabres' Roy scores twice as Panthers fall for second time in six games
  32. Vanek nets first career hat trick in Sabres' rout
  33. Crosby sits; offense thrives
  34. Buffalo Sabres and free agent D Nolan Pratt agree to terms on contract
  35. 2007 NHL Entry Draft Results nhl.com
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