2005–06 Buffalo Sabres season

NHL hockey team season From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The 2005–06 Buffalo Sabres season was the 36th season of operation, 35th season of play, for the National Hockey League (NHL) franchise that was established on May 22, 1970.[1] The season not only saw the team qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since the 2000–01 season, but saw them advance to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals before losing to the eventual Stanley Cup champions, the Carolina Hurricanes.

Division2nd Northeast
Conference4th Eastern
2005–06 record52–24–6
Home record27–11–3
Quick facts Buffalo Sabres, Division ...
2005–06 Buffalo Sabres
Division2nd Northeast
Conference4th Eastern
2005–06 record52–24–6
Home record27–11–3
Road record25–13–3
Goals for281
Goals against239
Team information
General managerDarcy Regier
CoachLindy Ruff
CaptainDaniel Briere and
Chris Drury
Alternate captainsMike Grier
Jochen Hecht
Jay McKee
ArenaHSBC Arena
Average attendance16,886
Minor league affiliateRochester Americans
Team leaders
GoalsChris Drury (30)
AssistsMaxim Afinogenov (51)
PointsMaxim Afinogenov (73)
Penalty minutesAndrew Peters (100)
Plus/minusDmitri Kalinin (+14)
WinsRyan Miller (30)
Goals against averageRyan Miller (2.60)
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After starting the season 7–8–0 through their first 15 games by November 9, 2005, the Sabres were sitting in fifth place in the Northeast Division and were trailing the Northeast Division-leading Ottawa Senators by 11 points. The Sabres then went on to have only eight regulation losses out of their next 50 games; by March 16, 2006, they had improved to 44–16–5 to move within one point of the Northeast Division-leading Senators. Despite having only two players to play all 82 games (Ales Kotalik and Henrik Tallinder), Buffalo would finish the season with a 52–24–6 record for 110 points and a fourth-place finish heading into the playoffs. The season was the first 100–point season in 23 years and tied the 1979–80 club for the second-best point total in franchise history. The Sabres were one of five teams to reach the century mark in power-play goals during the regular season, scoring 101.[2] The Sabres also finished with 25 road wins, another franchise record.

The Sabres were recognized on June 22, 2006, at the NHL Awards Ceremony, when Lindy Ruff edged Hurricanes coach Peter Laviolette to win the Jack Adams Award as Coach of the Year in the closest vote in the award's history. Ruff was the second Sabres coach to win the award.

Regular season

On January 14, 2006, the Sabres defeated the Los Angeles Kings at home by a score of 10–1.[3] Jochen Hecht and Jason Pominville each had hat-tricks in the game. It was the first time that the Sabres had scored 10 goals in a regular-season game since February 24, 1993, when they defeated the Detroit Red Wings at home by a score of 10–7.[4]

Season standings

More information No., CR ...
Northeast Division
No. CR GP W L OTL GF GA Pts
11Ottawa Senators8252219314211113
24Buffalo Sabres8252246281239110
37Montreal Canadiens824231924324793
49Toronto Maple Leafs824133825727090
513Boston Bruins8229371623026674
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[5] Note: CR = Conference rank; GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; OTL = Overtime/Shootout loss; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points
         Bolded teams qualified for the playoffs.

More information R, Div ...
Eastern Conference[6]
R Div GP W L OTL GF GA Pts
1 Z- Ottawa SenatorsNE8252219314211113
2 Y- Carolina HurricanesSE8252228294260112
3 Y- New Jersey DevilsAT8246279242229101
4 X- Buffalo SabresNE8252246242239110
5 X- Philadelphia FlyersAT82452611267259101
6 X- New York RangersAT82442612257215100
7 X- Montreal CanadiensNE824231924324793
8 X- Tampa Bay LightningSE824333625226092
8.5
9 Toronto Maple LeafsNE824133825727090
10 Atlanta ThrashersSE824133828127590
11 Florida PanthersSE8237341124025785
12 New York IslandersAT823640623027878
13 Boston BruinsNE8229371623026674
14 Washington CapitalsSE8229411223730670
15 Pittsburgh PenguinsAT8222461424431658
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Divisions: AT – Atlantic, NE – Northeast, SE – Southeast

Z – Clinched conference; Y – Clinched division; X – Clinched playoff spot

Playoffs

Main article: 2006 Stanley Cup playoffs

The Buffalo Sabres earned the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference.

Buffalo defeated the Philadelphia Flyers in the first-round of the 2006 playoffs in six games. In the second round, the Sabres defeated top-seeded Ottawa in five games. A total of three victories in the series came in overtime, including the series-clinching Game 5, which was won on a short-handed goal by Jason Pominville to send Buffalo to the Eastern Conference Finals against the Carolina Hurricanes. It was the first time in NHL history that a series had been decided on a short-handed overtime goal.

Despite being without some or all of their four top defensemen (Teppo Numminen, Dmitri Kalinin, Jay McKee and Henrik Tallinder), and their top powerplay scorer, Tim Connolly, who had 11 points in eight games in the playoffs, for much of the series, the Sabres fought back from a three-games-to-two deficit to force a seventh game by way of a 2–1 overtime win in Game 6. Buffalo led the Hurricanes 2–1 going into the final period of the deciding game but blew the lead early in the third and gave up two more late goals for a 4–2 final score.

Schedule and results

Regular season

More information Game, Date ...
2005–06 regular season[7]
October: 7–4–0 (home: 4–1–0; road: 3–3–0)
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPointsRecap
1October 5NY Islanders4 – 6BuffaloMiller15,7021–0–02W
2October 7Boston1 – 4BuffaloMiller13,7712–0–04W
3October 8Buffalo0 – 5OttawaMiller19,6612–1–04L
4October 10Pittsburgh2 – 3BuffaloOTMiller12,0503–1–06W
5October 13Buffalo4 – 3Tampa BaySOMiller20,1844–1–08W
6October 15Buffalo2 – 3FloridaMiller17,4264–2–08L
7October 20Buffalo4 – 3BostonMiller14,5255–2–010W
8October 22NY Rangers1 – 3BuffaloMiller16,3466–2–012W
9October 26Washington3 – 2BuffaloMiller8,5526–3–012L
10October 28Buffalo2 – 3New JerseyMiller12,3786–4–012L
11October 29Buffalo6 – 4NY IslandersBiron13,2267–4–014W
November: 8–5–1 (home: 4–3–1; road: 4–2–0)
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPointsRecap
12November 2Ottawa10 – 4BuffaloNoronen13,9057–5–014L
13November 4Montreal3 – 2BuffaloBiron18,6907–6–014L
14November 5Buffalo2 – 3MontrealBiron21,2737–7–014L
15November 9Carolina5 – 3BuffaloBiron13,1067–8–014L
16November 11Toronto2 – 5BuffaloBiron18,6908–8–016W
17November 12Buffalo1 – 6OttawaBiron19,4148–9–016L
18November 15New Jersey1 – 4BuffaloBiron13,0229–9–018W
19November 17Washington5 – 8BuffaloBiron12,47110–9–020W
20November 19Buffalo3 – 2BostonNoronen17,56511–9–022W
21November 22NY Rangers3 – 2BuffaloSOBiron16,01811–9–123OTL
22November 23Buffalo4 – 3NY IslandersSOBiron13,21212–9–125W
23November 25Montreal1 – 3BuffaloBiron16,00913–9–127W
24November 27Buffalo3 – 2WashingtonBiron11,65814–9–129W
25November 29Buffalo3 – 2PittsburghBiron15,11815–9–131W
December: 11–2–1 (home: 5–1–0; road: 6–1–1)
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPointsRecap
26December 1Buffalo3 – 2MontrealOTBiron21,27416–9–133W
27December 2San Jose5 – 0BuffaloNoronen18,00716–10–133L
28December 4Buffalo6 – 4ColoradoBiron18,00717–10–135W
29December 8Anaheim2 – 3BuffaloOTBiron12,50418–10–137W
30December 11Buffalo3 – 2MinnesotaBiron18,56819–10–139W
31December 14Dallas3 – 4BuffaloBiron16,57520–10–141W
32December 16Buffalo4 – 3PittsburghOTBiron16,64821–10–143W
33December 17Pittsburgh3 – 4BuffaloBiron18,69022–10–145W
34December 19Buffalo2 – 1PhiladelphiaSOMiller19,57223–10–147W
35December 22Buffalo1 – 4FloridaBiron17,82323–11–147L
36December 23Buffalo4 – 1Tampa BayMiller21,12024–11–149W
37December 26NY Islanders3 – 6BuffaloMiller18,69025–11–151W
38December 29Buffalo3 – 4TorontoSOBiron19,36425–11–252OTL
39December 30Atlanta1 – 4BuffaloMiller18,69026–11–254W
January: 6–4–1 (home: 2–2–1; road: 4–2–0)
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPointsRecap
40January 1Florida2 – 1BuffaloMiller18,69026–12–254L
41January 5Tampa Bay1 – 3BuffaloMiller18,03227–12–256W
42January 7New Jersey3 – 2BuffaloMiller18,69027–13–256L
43January 12Phoenix2 – 1BuffaloSOBiron18,69027–13–357OTL
44January 14Los Angeles1 – 10BuffaloMiller18,69028–13–359W
45January 16Buffalo3 – 1EdmontonMiller16,83929–13–361W
46January 19Buffalo1 – 4VancouverMiller18,63029–14–361L
47January 21Buffalo1 – 4CalgaryBiron19,28929–15–361L
48January 24Buffalo2 – 1NY RangersMiller18,20030–15–363W
49January 26Buffalo8 – 4TorontoMiller19,47731–15–365W
50January 31Buffalo5 – 2AtlantaMiller14,02132–15–367W
February: 4–0–2 (home: 3–0–1; road: 1–0–1)
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPointsRecap
51February 2Philadelphia2 – 4BuffaloMiller18,69033–15–369W
52February 4Ottawa1 – 2BuffaloSOMiller17,45134–15–371W
53February 7Buffalo3 – 2MontrealOTMiller21,27335–15–373W
54February 9Montreal3 – 2BuffaloOTMiller17,34435–15–474OTL
55February 11Florida3 – 5BuffaloMiller18,69036–15–476W
56February 12Buffalo3 – 4CarolinaSOMiller18,73036–15–577OTL
March: 9–7–1 (home: 6–3–0; road: 3–4–1)
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPointsRecap
57March 1Atlanta4 – 2BuffaloMiller18,69036–16–577L
58March 3Toronto2 – 6BuffaloMiller18,69037–16–579W
59March 4Buffalo3 – 2BostonBiron16,06538–16–581W
60March 7Boston2 – 3BuffaloMiller18,11739–16–583W
61March 9Tampa Bay5 – 8BuffaloMiller17,93440–16–585W
62March 11Buffalo6 – 5PhiladelphiaBiron19,71741–16–587W
63March 12Boston2 – 6BuffaloBiron18,69042–16–589W
64March 14Buffalo6 – 4WashingtonMiller14,38643–16–591W
65March 16Toronto1 – 3BuffaloMiller18,69044–16–593W
66March 18Buffalo2 – 4OttawaMiller19,94744–17–593L
67March 20Buffalo0 – 5AtlantaBiron14,13344–18–593L
68March 22Carolina4 – 3BuffaloMiller18,69044–19–593L
69March 24Ottawa3 – 1BuffaloMiller18,69044–20–593L
70March 25Buffalo4 – 5BostonMiller15,71044–21–593L
71March 27Buffalo4 – 5NY RangersSOMiller18,20044–21–694OTL
72March 29Boston3 – 4BuffaloMiller16,26145–21–696W
73March 30Buffalo1 – 3New JerseyBiron12,42545–22–696L
April: 7–2–0 (home: 3–1–0; road: 4–1–0)
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPointsRecap
74April 1Buffalo0 – 7TorontoMiller19,43445–23–696L
75April 3Buffalo3 – 2TorontoSOBiron19,32046–23–698W
76April 5Ottawa4 – 5BuffaloOTBiron17,62247–23–6100W
77April 7Philadelphia4 – 2BuffaloMiller16,90947–24–6100L
78April 8Buffalo6 – 2OttawaMiller19,57548–24–6102W
79April 12Montreal1 – 3BuffaloMiller18,20149–24–6104W
80April 15Buffalo4 – 2MontrealMiller21,27350–24–6106W
81April 16Toronto0 – 6BuffaloMiller18,69051–24–6108W
82April 18Buffalo4 – 0CarolinaBiron18,73052–24–6110W

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

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Playoffs

More information 2006 Stanley Cup playoffs, Game ...
2006 Stanley Cup playoffs[7]
Eastern Conference Quarterfinals vs. (5) Philadelphia Flyers – Sabres win 4–2
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceSeriesRecap
1April 22Philadelphia2 – 3Buffalo2OTMiller18,690Sabres lead 1–0W
2April 24Philadelphia2 – 8BuffaloMiller18,690Sabres lead 2–0W
3April 26Buffalo2 – 4PhiladelphiaMiller19,984Sabres lead 2–1L
4April 28Buffalo4 – 5PhiladelphiaMiller20,092Series tied 2–2L
5April 30Philadelphia0 – 3BuffaloMiller18,690Sabres lead 3–2W
6May 2Buffalo7 – 1PhiladelphiaMiller19,967Sabres win 4–2W
Eastern Conference Semifinals vs. (1) Ottawa Senators – Sabres win 4–1
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceSeriesRecap
1May 5Buffalo7 – 6OttawaOTMiller19,544Sabres lead 1–0W
2May 8Buffalo2 – 1OttawaMiller19,816Sabres lead 2–0W
3May 10Ottawa2 – 3BuffaloOTMiller18,690Sabres lead 3–0W
4May 11Ottawa2 – 1BuffaloMiller18,690Sabres lead 3–1L
5May 13Buffalo3 – 2OttawaOTMiller20,024Sabres win 4–1W
Eastern Conference Finals vs. (2) Carolina Hurricanes – Hurricanes win 4–3
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceSeriesRecap
1May 20Buffalo3 – 2CarolinaMiller18,730Sabres lead 1–0W
2May 22Buffalo3 – 4CarolinaMiller18,730Series tied 1–1L
3May 24Carolina3 – 4BuffaloMiller18,690Sabres lead 2–1W
4May 26Carolina4 – 0BuffaloMiller18,690Series tied 2–2L
5May 28Buffalo3 – 4CarolinaOTMiller18,730Hurricanes lead 3–2L
6May 30Carolina1 – 2BuffaloOTMiller18,690Series tied 3–3W
7June 1Buffalo2 – 4CarolinaMiller18,730Hurricanes win 4–3L

Legend: W Win L Loss

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Player statistics

Scoring

  • Position abbreviations: C = Center; D = Defense; G = Goaltender; LW = Left wing; RW = Right wing
  • ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Sabres only.
More information No., Player ...
No. Player Pos Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts +/- PIM GP G A Pts +/- PIM
61Maxim AfinogenovRW7722517368418358310
23Chris DruryC81303767−1132189918510
12Ales KotalikRW82253762−36218471148
48Daniel BriereC482533583481881119012
19Tim ConnollyC631639555288561130
26Thomas VanekLW81252348−117210202−16
9Derek RoyC701828461571851015716
51Brian CampbellD79123244−141618066−512
55Jochen HechtLW6418244210341526848
17Jean-Pierre DumontRW54202040−138187714114
27Teppo NumminenD75238406361211234
29Jason PominvilleRW57181230−42218551008
28Paul GaustadC789152446518044114
25Mike GrierRW8171623−7281835832
10Henrik TallinderD82615211074142681416
45Dmitri KalininD55216181454802242
5Toni LydmanD7511617982181451418
74Jay McKeeD755111605717235330
24Taylor PyattLW416612−13314055−210
8Rory FitzpatrickD56459−185011044−116
22Adam MairC40257−2473000−20
13Jiri NovotnyC14213−504000−10
20Daniel PailleLW1412352——————
30Ryan MillerG480220180002
38Nathan PaetschD1011−10100000
47Chris ThorburnC2011−17——————
43Martin BironG3501110——————
34Jeff JillsonD2000044000−40
35Mika Noronen‡G40002——————
76Andrew PetersLW28000−2100——————
33Doug JanikD——————5101−22
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Goaltending

  • ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Sabres only.
More information No., Player ...
No. Player Regular season Playoffs
GP W L OT SA GA GAA SV% SO TOI GP W L SA GA GAA SV% SO TOI
30Ryan Miller483014314401242.60.91412861:5018117522482.56.90811123
43Martin Biron352183980932.88.90511934:11—————————
35Mika Noronen‡412077124.27.8440168:32—————————
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Awards and records

Awards

More information Type, Award/honor ...
Type Award/honor Recipient Ref
League
(annual)		 Jack Adams Award Lindy Ruff [8]
League
(in-season)		 NHL Defensive Player of the Week Ryan Miller (December 26) [9]
Ryan Miller (February 6) [10]
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Milestones

More information Milestone, Player ...
Milestone Player Date Ref
First game Thomas Vanek October 5, 2005 [11]
Chris Thorburn December 2, 2005
Daniel Paille December 22, 2005
Nathan Paetsch January 7, 2006
Jiri Novotny January 12, 2006
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Transactions

The Sabres were involved in the following transactions from February 17, 2005, the day after the 2004–05 NHL season was officially cancelled, through June 19, 2006, the day of the deciding game of the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals.[12]

Trades

More information Date, Details ...
Date Details Ref
July 30, 2005 (2005-07-30) To Calgary Flames
  • 3rd-round pick in 2005
 To Buffalo Sabres
  • 3rd-round pick in 2005
  • 4th-round pick in 2005
 [13]
To Washington Capitals
  • 6th-round pick in 2006
 To Buffalo Sabres
[12][14]
August 25, 2005 (2005-08-25) To Calgary Flames
  • 3rd-round pick in 2006
 To Buffalo Sabres
[15]
October 4, 2005 (2005-10-04) To Chicago Blackhawks
To Buffalo Sabres
[16]
March 9, 2006 (2006-03-09) To Vancouver Canucks
To Buffalo Sabres
  • 2nd-round pick in 2006
 [17]
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Players acquired

More information Date, Player ...
DatePlayerFormer teamTermViaRef
August 4, 2005 (2005-08-04) Teppo NumminenDallas Stars1-yearFree agency[18]
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Players lost

More information Date, Player ...
DatePlayerNew teamVia[a]Ref
February 24, 2005 (2005-02-24) Jason BotterillRetirement (UFA)[20]
August 3, 2005 (2005-08-03) Miroslav SatanNew York IslandersFree agency (UFA)[21]
August 8, 2005 (2005-08-08) Eric BoultonAtlanta ThrashersFree agency (UFA)[22]
August 18, 2005 (2005-08-18) Norm MilleyTampa Bay LightningFree agency (VI)[23]
August 31, 2005 (2005-08-31) Brandon SmithRochester Americans (AHL)Free agency (VI)[24]
September 7, 2005 (2005-09-07) Todd RohloffTampa Bay LightningFree agency (UFA)[25]
September 10, 2005 (2005-09-10) Brad BrownToronto Maple LeafsFree agency (UFA)[26]
September 21, 2005 (2005-09-21) Tom AskeyHIFK (Liiga)Free agency (VI)[27]
October 13, 2005 (2005-10-13) Ryan JordeDanbury Trashers (UHL)Free agency (UFA)[28]
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Signings

More information Date, Player ...
DatePlayerTermContract typeRef
July 28, 2005 (2005-07-28) Clarke MacArthur3-yearEntry-level[29]
July 29, 2005 (2005-07-29) Rory Fitzpatrick1-yearOption exercised[30]
Dmitri Kalinin1-yearOption exercised[30]
August 4, 2005 (2005-08-04) Taylor Pyatt1-yearRe-signing[31]
August 8, 2005 (2005-08-08) Mike Grier1-yearRe-signing[32]
August 12, 2005 (2005-08-12) Martin Biron1-yearRe-signing[33]
Brian Campbell1-yearRe-signing[34]
Ryan Miller1-yearRe-signing[34]
August 15, 2005 (2005-08-15) Maxim Afinogenov1-yearRe-signing[35]
Milan Bartovic1-yearRe-signing[35]
Daniel Briere1-yearRe-signing[35]
Tim Connolly1-yearRe-signing[35]
Jean-Pierre Dumont1-yearRe-signing[35]
Paul Gaustad1-yearRe-signing[35]
Jochen Hecht3-yearRe-signing[36]
Jeff Jillson1-yearRe-signing[35]
Ales Kotalik1-yearRe-signing[35]
Jason Pominville1-yearRe-signing[35]
Michael Ryan1-yearRe-signing[35]
Henrik Tallinder1-yearRe-signing[35]
September 9, 2005 (2005-09-09) Jay McKee1-yearRe-signing[37]
September 14, 2005 (2005-09-14) Sean McMorrowRe-signing[38]
October 11, 2005 (2005-10-11) Mark Mancari3-yearEntry-level[39]
May 3, 2006 (2006-05-03) Drew Stafford3-yearEntry-level[40]
June 5, 2006 (2006-06-05) Mike Cardmulti-yearEntry-level[41]
Michael Funkmulti-yearEntry-level[41]
Dylan Huntermulti-yearEntry-level[41]
Patrick Kaletamulti-yearEntry-level[41]
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Draft picks

As there was no 2004–05 season to set the order for the draft, a lottery was held in which teams were assigned a number of balls, between one and three, based on the number of playoff appearances the team had had in the past three seasons. As the Sabres had missed the playoffs three consecutive seasons, they were one of only four teams which had the full allotment of three balls in the lottery. Despite this advantage, the Sabres only ended up with the 13th overall pick.

Buffalo's picks at the 2005 NHL entry draft in Ottawa, Ontario:[42]

More information Round, # ...
Round # Player Nationality NHL team College/junior/club team (league)
1 13 Marek Zagrapan (C)  Slovakia Buffalo Sabres Chicoutimi Saguenéens (QMJHL)
2 48 Philipp Gogulla (W)  Germany Buffalo Sabres Kolner Haie (DEL)
3 87 Marc-Andre Gragnani (D)  Canada Buffalo Sabres
(from Calgary Flames)		 P.E.I. Rocket (QMJHL)
4 96 Chris Butler (D)  United States Buffalo Sabres
(from Calgary Flames)		 Sioux City Musketeers (USHL)
5 142 Nathan Gerbe (C)  United States Buffalo Sabres US National Team Development Program
6 182 Adam Dennis (G)  Canada Buffalo Sabres London Knights (OHL)
6 191 Vyacheslav Buravchikov (D)  Russia Buffalo Sabres
(from Minnesota Wild)		 Krylia (Russia 2)
7 208 Matt Generous (D)  United States Buffalo Sabres New England Junior Falcons (EJHL)
7 227 Andrew Orpik (D)  United States Buffalo Sabres Thayer Academy (USHS)
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See also

Notes

  1. [a]
    In parentheses is the player's free agency group on August 1 if applicable.[19]

References

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