2006–07 Buffalo Sabres season
The 2006–07 Buffalo Sabres season was the 37th season of operation, 36th season of play, for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on May 22, 1970.[1] The Season began with the team attempting to rebound from a disappointing end to the 2005–06 season, in which the Sabres advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals before losing in seven to the eventual Stanley Cup Champions, the Carolina Hurricanes.
2006–07 Buffalo Sabres | |
---|---|
Presidents' Trophy winners | |
Northeast Division champions | |
Division | 1st Northeast |
Conference | 1st Eastern |
2006–07 record | 53–22–7 |
Home record | 28–10–3 |
Road record | 25–12–4 |
Goals for | 308 |
Goals against | 242 |
Team information | |
General manager | Darcy Regier |
Coach | Lindy Ruff |
Captain | Daniel Briere and Chris Drury |
Alternate captains | Teppo Numminen |
Arena | HSBC Arena |
Average attendance | 18,690 |
Team leaders | |
Goals | Thomas Vanek (43) |
Assists | Daniel Briere (63) |
Points | Daniel Briere (95) |
Penalty minutes | Adam Mair (128) |
Plus/minus | Thomas Vanek (+47) |
Wins | Ryan Miller (40) |
Goals against average | Ryan Miller (2.73) |
With the best regular-season record in the NHL, the Sabres were awarded the Presidents' Trophy for the first time in their history, and they also earned the top seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. They defeated the New York Islanders and the New York Rangers in the first 2 rounds of the playoffs. In the Eastern Conference Finals, however, the Sabres' season came to an end when they were defeated by the Ottawa Senators in game 5 of the Conference finals. As of 2023, this remains the most recent season the Sabres won a playoff series.
Offseason
The team lost several veterans to free agency, including J. P. Dumont, Jay McKee, Mike Grier, and Rory Fitzpatrick. Conversely, the team signed only one new player to the roster: defenseman Jaroslav Spacek. The team planned to rely on young players from their own organization – Jiri Novotny, Paul Gaustad and Nathan Paetsch, to name a few—to fill the holes left by the departing players.
Controversy swirled around the team's logo and jersey, meanwhile, as the look was changed. The team's colors were reverted to blue and gold, which they had worn from their addition to the league as an expansion team until 1996–97, when the colors were changed to black and red. The new logo, though, was said to resemble to many a slug or a wig. There were strong efforts to prevent the team from wearing this new jersey, although none were successful. The team's new third jersey, meanwhile, featured the team's original logo. Despite the controversy, the NHL reported that sales of Sabres merchandise were up approximately 1170% from the 2005–2006 season.[2]
Regular season
The Sabres were very successful early in the season, tying an NHL record by winning their first ten games, before finally suffering a shootout loss to the Atlanta Thrashers.[3] They did not lose a game in regulation until exactly one month into the season, in their thirteenth game, when they lost to Toronto.[4] The Sabres also set an NHL record by winning their first ten road games of the season,[5] not losing outside of HSBC Arena until November 18 in Ottawa.
On January 9, it was announced that three members of the Sabres had been voted to start the All-Star Game for the Eastern Conference: forward Daniel Briere, defenseman Brian Campbell, and goaltender Ryan Miller. It was the first All-Star appearance for each.[6] In addition, as the Sabres had the best record in the Eastern Conference as of the end of All-Star voting, head coach Lindy Ruff was assigned to coach the Eastern Conference team.[7] Briere recorded a goal and four assists in the game, and was named Most Valuable Player of the game.[8] Thomas Vanek was also invited to All-Star Weekend to play in the YoungStars game.[9]
On January 13, Jason Pominville recorded his 20th goal of the season, becoming the fourth Sabre (after Chris Drury, Thomas Vanek and Maxim Afinogenov) to record 20 goals before the All-Star break. At the time of Pominville's 20th goal, no other team in the NHL had more than two players with 20 goals.[10] Daniel Briere became the fifth Sabre to record 20 goals as he scored a hat-trick on January 30 against the Boston Bruins. With the feat, the Sabres became the first team since the 1995–96 Pittsburgh Penguins to have five 20–goal scorers before February.[11] Four Sabres would go on to reach the 30-goal plateau. For the first time in 12 years, Buffalo was not shut-out in any of their 82 regular season games. Moreover, the Sabres led the NHL in goals scored and became the first team to score at least 200 even-strength goals during the regular season since the New Jersey Devils in 2000–01.
In February, the Sabres found themselves battling injury problems. Forward Tim Connolly had been on the long-term injury list all season, and he was joined by Paul Gaustad when a tendon in his leg was sliced on February 7 against the Ottawa Senators. Jaroslav Spacek broke his left hand soon thereafter, and the Sabres lost Maxim Afinogenov, who broke his left wrist, and Jiri Novotny with a high ankle sprain. Ales Kotalik was next to go down, with a knee sprain, and forward Daniel Paille broke his finger. Against the Ottawa Senators on February 22, captain Chris Drury was injured by a blow to the head by Chris Neil, sparking a wild brawl which saw a fight between Martin Biron and Senators goaltender Ray Emery, and later between Emery and Sabres enforcer Andrew Peters.[12]
The Sabres were the last team to be involved in a trade in the 2006–07 season. On the day of the NHL trade deadline, though, they made four trades. Goaltender Martin Biron, who had been the longest-tenured Sabre, was sent to Philadelphia for Philadelphia's second-round pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. Buffalo's fifth-round pick in that draft was sent to Columbus in exchange for another backup goalie, Ty Conklin. Jiri Novotny was sent along with Buffalo's 2007 first-round pick to Washington in exchange for Dainius Zubrus and Timo Helbling. Finally, the Sabres sent their fourth-round pick in 2007 to Nashville for Mikko Lehtonen, a minor league defenseman.[13]
Due to injuries, many Sabres prospects were called up from the team's American Hockey League affiliate, the Rochester Americans, and made their NHL debuts during the season; Mike Card, Michael Funk, Patrick Kaleta, Clarke MacArthur, Mark Mancari, Michael Ryan, Andrej Sekera and Drew Stafford all played their first career NHL game during the 2006–07 season.
The Sabres finished with 298 goals scored (excluding 10 shootout-winning goals), the most in the League.[14][15]
Season standings
No. | CR | GP | W | L | OTL | GF | GA | Pts | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | Buffalo Sabres | 82 | 53 | 22 | 7 | 308 | 242 | 113 |
2 | 4 | Ottawa Senators | 82 | 48 | 25 | 9 | 288 | 222 | 105 |
3 | 9 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 82 | 40 | 31 | 11 | 258 | 269 | 91 |
4 | 10 | Montreal Canadiens | 82 | 42 | 34 | 6 | 245 | 256 | 90 |
5 | 13 | Boston Bruins | 82 | 35 | 41 | 6 | 219 | 289 | 76 |
Note: No. = Division rank, CR = Conference rank, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points
Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.
R | Div | GP | W | L | OTL | GF | GA | Pts | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | P - Buffalo Sabres | NE | 82 | 53 | 22 | 7 | 308 | 242 | 113 |
2 | Y - New Jersey Devils | AT | 82 | 49 | 24 | 9 | 216 | 201 | 107 |
3 | Y - Atlanta Thrashers | SE | 82 | 43 | 28 | 11 | 246 | 245 | 97 |
4 | X - Ottawa Senators | NE | 82 | 48 | 25 | 9 | 288 | 222 | 105 |
5 | X - Pittsburgh Penguins | AT | 82 | 47 | 24 | 11 | 277 | 246 | 105 |
6 | X - New York Rangers | AT | 82 | 42 | 30 | 10 | 242 | 216 | 94 |
7 | X - Tampa Bay Lightning | SE | 82 | 44 | 33 | 5 | 253 | 261 | 93 |
8 | X - New York Islanders | AT | 82 | 40 | 30 | 12 | 248 | 240 | 92 |
8.5 | |||||||||
9 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NE | 82 | 40 | 31 | 11 | 258 | 269 | 91 |
10 | Montreal Canadiens | NE | 82 | 42 | 34 | 6 | 245 | 256 | 90 |
11 | Carolina Hurricanes | SE | 82 | 40 | 34 | 8 | 241 | 253 | 88 |
12 | Florida Panthers | SE | 82 | 35 | 31 | 16 | 247 | 257 | 86 |
13 | Boston Bruins | NE | 82 | 35 | 41 | 6 | 219 | 289 | 76 |
14 | Washington Capitals | SE | 82 | 28 | 40 | 14 | 235 | 286 | 70 |
15 | Philadelphia Flyers | AT | 82 | 22 | 48 | 12 | 214 | 303 | 56 |
Divisions: AT – Atlantic, NE – Northeast, SE – Southeast |
P – Clinched Presidents Trophy; Y – Clinched Division; X – Clinched Playoff spot
Schedule and results
October
Record for month 10–0–1 (Home 4–0–1 Away 6–0–0)
# | Date | Visitor | Score | Home | OT | Decision | Attendance | Record | Pts |
1 | October 4 | Buffalo | 3 – 2 | Carolina | SO | Miller | 18,840 | 1–0–0 | 2 |
2 | October 6 | Montreal | 4 – 5 | Buffalo | SO | Miller | 18,690 | 2–0–0 | 4 |
3 | October 7 | Buffalo | 4 – 3 | Ottawa | Biron | 19,202 | 3–0–0 | 6 | |
4 | October 13 | Buffalo | 3 – 2 | Detroit | SO | Miller | 20,066 | 4–0–0 | 8 |
5 | October 14 | NY Rangers | 4 – 7 | Buffalo | Miller | 18,690 | 5–0–0 | 10 | |
6 | October 17 | Philadelphia | 1 – 9 | Buffalo | Miller | 18,690 | 6–0–0 | 12 | |
7 | October 20 | Carolina | 4 – 5 | Buffalo | Miller | 18,690 | 7–0–0 | 14 | |
8 | October 21 | Buffalo | 6 – 2 | Boston | Biron | 14,382 | 8–0–0 | 16 | |
9 | October 23 | Buffalo | 4 – 1 | Montreal | Miller | 21,273 | 9–0–0 | 18 | |
10 | October 26 | Buffalo | 3 – 0 | NY Islanders | Miller | 8,861 | 10–0–0 | 20 | |
11 | October 28 | Atlanta | 5 – 4 | Buffalo | SO | Miller | 18,690 | 10–0–1 | 21 |
November
Record for Month 9–3–1 (Home 4–2–1 Away 5–1–0)
# | Date | Visitor | Score | Home | OT | Decision | Attendance | Record | Pts |
12 | November 2 | Buffalo | 5 – 4 | Boston | SO | Miller | 12,547 | 11–0–1 | 23 |
13 | November 4 | Toronto | 4 – 1 | Buffalo | Miller | 18,690 | 11–1–1 | 23 | |
14 | November 5 | Buffalo | 4 – 3 | NY Rangers | OT | Biron | 18,200 | 12–1–1 | 25 |
15 | November 10 | Florida | 4 – 5 | Buffalo | OT | Biron | 18,690 | 13–1–1 | 27 |
16 | November 11 | Buffalo | 5 – 4 | Philadelphia | OT | Biron | 19,633 | 14–1–1 | 29 |
17 | November 13 | Buffalo | 7 – 4 | Carolina | Biron | 14,387 | 15–1–1 | 31 | |
18 | November 15 | Ottawa | 4 – 2 | Buffalo | Biron | 18,690 | 15–2–1 | 31 | |
19 | November 17 | Pittsburgh | 2 – 4 | Buffalo | Biron | 18,690 | 16–2–1 | 33 | |
20 | November 18 | Buffalo | 1 – 4 | Ottawa | Miller | 19,770 | 16–3–1 | 33 | |
21 | November 20 | Tampa Bay | 2 – 7 | Buffalo | Miller | 18,690 | 17–3–1 | 35 | |
22 | November 22 | Toronto | 4 – 7 | Buffalo | Miller | 18,690 | 18–3–1 | 37 | |
23 | November 24 | Montreal | 2 – 1 | Buffalo | OT | Miller | 18,690 | 18–3–2 | 38 |
24 | November 26 | Buffalo | 3 – 2 | NY Rangers | OT | Miller | 18,200 | 19–3–2 | 40 |
December
Record for Month 9–4–1 (Home 5–2–0 Away 4–2–1)
# | Date | Visitor | Score | Home | OT | Decision | Attendance | Record | Pts |
25 | December 1 | NY Rangers | 3 – 4 | Buffalo | SO | Miller | 18,690 | 20–3–2 | 42 |
26 | December 2 | Buffalo | 4 – 7 | Washington | Biron | 17,162 | 20–4–2 | 42 | |
27 | December 5 | Buffalo | 4 – 1 | Tampa Bay | Miller | 20,025 | 21–4–2 | 44 | |
28 | December 7 | Buffalo | 1 – 3 | Florida | Miller | 15,385 | 21–5–2 | 44 | |
29 | December 9 | Buffalo | 3 – 2 | Montreal | SO | Miller | 21,273 | 22–5–2 | 46 |
30 | December 12 | Buffalo | 3 – 2 | New Jersey | Miller | 11,156 | 23–5–2 | 48 | |
31 | December 14 | Florida | 1 – 2 | Buffalo | Miller | 18,690 | 24–5–2 | 50 | |
32 | December 16 | Ottawa | 3 – 1 | Buffalo | Miller | 18,690 | 24–6–2 | 50 | |
33 | December 19 | Montreal | 5 – 2 | Buffalo | Miller | 18,690 | 24–7–2 | 50 | |
34 | December 21 | Buffalo | 7 – 2 | Nashville | Biron | 16,616 | 25–7–2 | 52 | |
35 | December 23 | Buffalo | 2 – 3 | St. Louis | OT | Biron | 12,513 | 25–7–3 | 53 |
36 | December 26 | Washington | 3 – 6 | Buffalo | Miller | 18,690 | 26–7–3 | 55 | |
37 | December 28 | Carolina | 1 – 4 | Buffalo | Miller | 18,690 | 27–7–3 | 57 | |
38 | December 30 | Atlanta | 1 – 4 | Buffalo | Miller | 18,690 | 28–7–3 | 59 |
January
Record for Month 6–7–1 (Home 4–3–0 Away 2–4–1)
# | Date | Visitor | Score | Home | OT | Decision | Attendance | Record | Pts |
39 | January 1 | NY Islanders | 1 – 3 | Buffalo | Miller | 18,690 | 29–7–3 | 61 | |
40 | January 3 | Buffalo | 3 – 6 | Ottawa | Miller | 19,777 | 29–8–3 | 61 | |
41 | January 5 | Pittsburgh | 4 – 2 | Buffalo | Miller | 18,690 | 29–9–3 | 61 | |
42 | January 6 | Buffalo | 4 – 3 | Toronto | Biron | 19,487 | 30–9–3 | 63 | |
43 | January 10 | Buffalo | 2 – 1 | Chicago | Miller | 14,041 | 31–9–3 | 65 | |
44 | January 11 | Toronto | 4 – 2 | Buffalo | Biron | 18,690 | 31–10–3 | 65 | |
45 | January 13 | Tampa Bay | 3 – 2 | Buffalo | Miller | 18,690 | 31–11–3 | 65 | |
46 | January 15 | Buffalo | 2 – 3 | Boston | SO | Miller | 15,585 | 31–11–4 | 66 |
47 | January 17 | Boston | 3 – 6 | Buffalo | Miller | 18,690 | 32–11–4 | 68 | |
48 | January 19 | Vancouver | 3 – 4 | Buffalo | SO | Miller | 18,690 | 33–11–4 | 70 |
49 | January 20 | Buffalo | 3 – 4 | Montreal | Biron | 21,273 | 33–12–4 | 70 | |
50 | January 26 | Buffalo | 2 – 3 | Columbus | Miller | 18,136 | 33–13–4 | 70 | |
51 | January 27 | Buffalo | 3 – 5 | NY Islanders | Miller | 15,218 | 33–14–4 | 70 | |
52 | January 30 | Boston | 1 – 7 | Buffalo | Biron | 18,690 | 34–14–4 | 72 |
February
Record for Month 8–2–1 (Home 5–0–1 Away 3–2–0)
# | Date | Visitor | Score | Home | OT | Decision | Attendance | Record | Pts |
53 | February 1 | Buffalo | 3 – 1 | Boston | Biron | 13,853 | 35–14–4 | 74 | |
54 | February 3 | Buffalo | 2 – 3 | New Jersey | Miller | 18,589 | 35–15–4 | 74 | |
55 | February 6 | Buffalo | 4 – 3 | Atlanta | SO | Miller | 17,881 | 36–15–4 | 76 |
56 | February 7 | Ottawa | 2 – 3 | Buffalo | Biron | 18,690 | 37–15–4 | 78 | |
57 | February 10 | Calgary | 2 – 3 | Buffalo | SO | Miller | 18,690 | 38–15–4 | 80 |
58 | February 15 | Edmonton | 1 – 2 | Buffalo | OT | Miller | 18,690 | 39–15–4 | 82 |
59 | February 17 | Boston | 4 – 3 | Buffalo | SO | Miller | 18,690 | 39–15–5 | 83 |
60 | February 20 | Philadelphia | 3 – 6 | Buffalo | Miller | 18,690 | 40–15–5 | 85 | |
61 | February 22 | Ottawa | 5 – 6 | Buffalo | SO | Miller | 18,690 | 41–15–5 | 87 |
62 | February 24 | Buffalo | 5 – 6 | Ottawa | Miller | 20,040 | 41–16–5 | 87 | |
63 | February 27 | Buffalo | 6 – 1 | Toronto | Miller | 19,588 | 42–16–5 | 89 |
March
Record for Month 8–5–2 (Home 5–3–0 Away 3–2–2)
# | Date | Visitor | Score | Home | OT | Decision | Attendance | Record | Pts |
64 | March 2 | Montreal | 5 – 8 | Buffalo | Miller | 18,690 | 43–16–5 | 91 | |
65 | March 3 | Buffalo | 3 – 1 | Toronto | Miller | 19,515 | 44–16–5 | 93 | |
66 | March 7 | Colorado | 3 – 2 | Buffalo | Miller | 18,690 | 44–17–5 | 93 | |
67 | March 9 | Minnesota | 5 – 1 | Buffalo | Miller | 18,690 | 44–18–5 | 93 | |
68 | March 10 | New Jersey | 3 – 2 | Buffalo | Miller | 18,690 | 44–19–5 | 93 | |
69 | March 13 | Buffalo | 4 – 5 | Pittsburgh | SO | Miller | 17,132 | 44–19–6 | 94 |
70 | March 15 | Buffalo | 5 – 3 | Florida | Conklin | 18,111 | 45–19–6 | 96 | |
71 | March 16 | Buffalo | 3 – 2 | Tampa Bay | Miller | 21,264 | 46–19–6 | 98 | |
72 | March 18 | Buffalo | 3 – 4 | Atlanta | OT | Miller | 18,602 | 46–19–7 | 99 |
73 | March 21 | Washington | 2 – 5 | Buffalo | Miller | 18,690 | 47–19–7 | 101 | |
74 | March 23 | Toronto | 4 – 5 | Buffalo | Miller | 18,690 | 48–19–7 | 103 | |
75 | March 24 | Buffalo | 1 – 4 | Toronto | Miller | 19,571 | 48–20–7 | 103 | |
76 | March 28 | New Jersey | 3 – 4 | Buffalo | Miller | 18,690 | 49–20–7 | 105 | |
77 | March 30 | NY Islanders | 4 – 6 | Buffalo | Miller | 18,690 | 50–20–7 | 107 | |
78 | March 31 | Buffalo | 3 – 4 | Montreal | Conklin | 21,273 | 50–21–7 | 107 |
April
Record for Month 3–1–0 (Home 1–0–0 Away 2–1–0)
# | Date | Visitor | Score | Home | OT | Decision | Attendance | Record | Pts |
79 | April 3 | Buffalo | 4 – 1 | Pittsburgh | Miller | 17,132 | 51–21–7 | 109 | |
80 | April 5 | Boston | 2 – 4 | Buffalo | Miller | 18,690 | 52–21–7 | 111 | |
81 | April 7 | Buffalo | 2 – 0 | Washington | Miller | 18,277 | 53–21–7 | 113 | |
82 | April 8 | Buffalo | 3 – 4 | Philadelphia | Conklin | 19,027 | 53–22–7 | 113 |
- Green background indicates win.
- Red background indicates regulation loss.
- White background indicates overtime/shootout loss.
Playoffs
The Sabres earned the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference by virtue of finishing with the highest point total in the conference.
Eastern Conference Quarter-finals: vs. (8) New York Islanders
The Sabres faced the New York Islanders in the first round of the playoffs.
# | Date | Visitor | Score | Home | OT | Decision | Attendance | Series |
1 | April 12 | NY Islanders | 1 – 4 | Buffalo | Miller | 18,690 | Sabres lead 1–0 | |
2 | April 14 | NY Islanders | 3 – 2 | Buffalo | Miller | 18,690 | Series tied 1–1 | |
3 | April 16 | Buffalo | 3 – 2 | NY Islanders | Miller | 16,234 | Sabres lead 2–1 | |
4 | April 18 | Buffalo | 4 – 2 | NY Islanders | Miller | 16,234 | Sabres lead 3–1 | |
5 | April 20 | NY Islanders | 3 – 4 | Buffalo | Miller | 18,690 | Sabres win 4–1 |
Eastern Conference Semi-finals: vs. (6) New York Rangers
The Sabres faced the New York Rangers in the second round of the playoffs. The Rangers advanced by sweeping the Atlanta Thrashers, the number three seed, in the first round.
# | Date | Visitor | Score | Home | OT | Decision | Attendance | Series |
1 | April 25 | NY Rangers | 2 – 5 | Buffalo | Miller | 18,690 | Sabres lead 1–0 | |
2 | April 27 | NY Rangers | 2 – 3 | Buffalo | Miller | 18,690 | Sabres lead 2–0 | |
3 | April 29 | Buffalo | 1 – 2 | NY Rangers | 2OT | Miller | 18,200 | Sabres lead 2–1 |
4 | May 1 | Buffalo | 1 – 2 | NY Rangers | Miller | 18,200 | Series tied 2–2 | |
5 | May 4 | NY Rangers | 1 – 2 | Buffalo | OT | Miller | 18,690 | Sabres lead 3–2 |
6 | May 6 | Buffalo | 5 – 4 | NY Rangers | Miller | 18,200 | Sabres win 4–2 |
Eastern Conference Finals: vs. (4) Ottawa Senators
The Sabres faced their division rivals, the Ottawa Senators, in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Senators advanced by defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round and the New Jersey Devils in the second. The Sabres lost the series, 4 games to 1.
# | Date | Visitor | Score | Home | OT | Decision | Attendance | Series |
1 | May 10 | Ottawa | 5 – 2 | Buffalo | Miller | 18,690 | Senators lead 1–0 | |
2 | May 12 | Ottawa | 4 – 3 | Buffalo | 2OT | Miller | 18,690 | Senators lead 2–0 |
3 | May 14 | Buffalo | 0 – 1 | Ottawa | Miller | 20,171 | Senators lead 3–0 | |
4 | May 16 | Buffalo | 3 – 2 | Ottawa | Miller | 20,294 | Senators lead 3–1 | |
5 | May 19 | Ottawa | 3 – 2 | Buffalo | OT | Miller | 18,690 | Senators win 4–1 |
Player stats
Scoring leaders
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/- = Plus/minus; PIM = Penalty minutes
Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Player | # | GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | PIM | ||
Daniel Briere | 48 | 81 | 32 | 63 | 95 | +17 | 89 | 16 | 3 | 12 | 15 | +3 | 16 | ||
Thomas Vanek | 26 | 82 | 43 | 41 | 84 | +47 | 40 | 16 | 6 | 4 | 10 | +2 | 10 | ||
Chris Drury | 23 | 77 | 37 | 32 | 69 | +1 | 30 | 16 | 8 | 5 | 13 | +3 | 2 | ||
Jason Pominville | 29 | 82 | 34 | 34 | 68 | +25 | 30 | 16 | 4 | 6 | 10 | +2 | 0 | ||
Derek Roy | 9 | 75 | 21 | 42 | 63 | +37 | 60 | 16 | 2 | 5 | 7 | +3 | 14 | ||
Maxim Afinogenov | 61 | 56 | 23 | 38 | 61 | +19 | 66 | 15 | 5 | 4 | 9 | +3 | 6 | ||
Jochen Hecht | 55 | 76 | 19 | 37 | 56 | +19 | 39 | 16 | 4 | 1 | 5 | +2 | 10 | ||
Brian Campbell | 51 | 82 | 6 | 42 | 48 | +28 | 35 | 16 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 14 | ||
Ales Kotalik | 12 | 66 | 16 | 22 | 38 | -5 | 46 | 16 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -3 | 8 | ||
Dmitri Kalinin | 45 | 82 | 7 | 22 | 29 | +19 | 36 | 16 | 2 | 3 | 5 | +9 | 14 | ||
Teppo Numminen | 27 | 79 | 2 | 27 | 29 | +17 | 32 | 16 | 0 | 4 | 4 | +10 | 4 | ||
Drew Stafford | 21 | 41 | 13 | 14 | 27 | +5 | 33 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 4 | +3 | 4 | ||
Nathan Paetsch | 38 | 63 | 2 | 22 | 24 | +10 | 50 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
Paul Gaustad | 28 | 54 | 9 | 13 | 22 | +11 | 74 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 2 | ||
Jaroslav Spacek | 6 | 65 | 5 | 16 | 21 | +20 | 62 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +3 | 10 | ||
Toni Lydman | 5 | 67 | 2 | 17 | 19 | +10 | 55 | 16 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -5 | 14 | ||
Henrik Tallinder | 10 | 47 | 4 | 10 | 14 | +19 | 34 | 16 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -4 | 10 | ||
Jiri Novotny* | 13 | 50 | 6 | 7 | 13 | -2 | 26 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
Adam Mair | 22 | 82 | 2 | 9 | 11 | -1 | 128 | 16 | 1 | 4 | 5 | +5 | 10 | ||
Daniel Paille | 20 | 29 | 3 | 8 | 11 | +5 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
Dainius Zubrus* | 15 | 19 | 4 | 4 | 8 | -3 | 12 | 15 | 0 | 8 | 8 | +1 | 8 | ||
Clarke MacArthur | 41 | 19 | 3 | 4 | 7 | +4 | 4 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
Michael Ryan | 37 | 19 | 3 | 2 | 5 | -8 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
Andrew Peters | 76 | 58 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 125 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
Michael Funk | 3 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | +2 | 0 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
Patrick Kaleta | 36 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | +3 | 21 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
Ryan Miller | 30 | 63 | 0 | 2 | 2 | N/A | 2 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 2 | ||
Tim Connolly | 19 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | +1 | 2 | 16 | 0 | 9 | 9 | +6 | 4 | ||
Mark Mancari | 25 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
Andrej Sekera | 44 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +1 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
Mike Card | 33 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
Ty Conklin* | 35 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
Martin Biron* | 43 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 25 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
*Stats reflect games played with Buffalo only.
- Note: Goaltenders are not assessed plus/minus ratings.
Thomas Vanek
Thomas Vanek finished the season with the best plus/minus rating in the entire NHL with a +47.
Goaltending
Note: GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; OTL = OvertimelLosses; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average
Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Player | # | GP | Min | W | L | OTL | GA | SO | SV% | GAA | GP | Min | W | L | GA | SO | Sv% | GAA | ||
Ryan Miller | 30 | 63 | 3692 | 40 | 16 | 6 | 168 | 2 | .911 | 2.73 | 16 | 1029 | 9 | 7 | 38 | 0 | .922 | 2.22 | ||
Martin Biron* | 43 | 19 | 1066 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 54 | 0 | .899 | 3.04 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
Ty Conklin* | 35 | 5 | 227 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 0 | .892 | 3.43 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
*Stats reflect games played with Buffalo only.
Coaching staff
- Lindy Ruff – Head coach
- Brian McCutcheon – Associate head coach
- James Patrick – Assistant Coach
- Jim Corsi – Goaltender Coach
- Doug McKenney – Strength and Conditioning Coach
Transactions
Trades
July 10, 2006 | To Edmonton Oilers Jan Hejda |
To Buffalo Sabres Seventh-round pick in 2007 |
July 14, 2006 | To Vancouver Canucks Taylor Pyatt |
To Buffalo Sabres Fourth-round pick in 2007 |
February 27, 2007 | To Philadelphia Flyers Martin Biron |
To Buffalo Sabres Second-round pick in 2007 |
February 27, 2007 | To Columbus Blue Jackets Fifth-round pick in 2007 |
To Buffalo Sabres Ty Conklin |
February 27, 2007 | To Washington Capitals Jiri Novotny First-round pick in 2007 |
To Buffalo Sabres Dainius Zubrus Timo Helbling |
February 27, 2007 | To Nashville Predators Fourth-round pick in 2007 |
To Buffalo Sabres Mikko Lehtonen |
Free agents acquired
Player | Former team |
D Jaroslav Spacek | Edmonton Oilers |
Free agents lost
Lost to waivers
Player | New team | Date |
F Chris Thorburn | Pittsburgh Penguins | October 3 |
Draft picks
Buffalo's picks at the 2006 NHL Entry Draft in Vancouver, British Columbia.[18] The Sabres had the 24th overall draft pick for their success in the 2005–06 NHL season.
Round | # | Player | Nationality | NHL team | College/junior/club team (league) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 24 | Dennis Persson (D) | Sweden | Buffalo Sabres | VIK Västerås HK (Allsvenskan) |
2 | 46 | Jhonas Enroth (G) | Sweden | Buffalo Sabres (from Vancouver) | Södertälje SK (Elitserien) |
2 | 57 | Mike Weber (D) | United States | Buffalo Sabres | Windsor Spitfires (OHL) |
4 | 117 | Felix Schutz (C) | Germany | Buffalo Sabres | Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL) |
5 | 147 | Alex Biega (D) | Canada | Buffalo Sabres | Salisbury School (USHS-CN) |
7 | 207 | Benjamin Breault (C) | Canada | Buffalo Sabres | Baie-Comeau Drakkar (QMJHL) |
Farm teams
The Rochester Americans were the Buffalo Sabres' farm team during the 2006–07 season.
See also
References
- Game log: Buffalo Sabres game log on espn.com
- Team standings: NHL standings on espn.com
- National Hockey League (2010). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book/2011. Triumph Books. p. 27. ISBN 978-1-60078-422-4.
- Garth (November 7, 2006). "SABRES TOP NHL.COM MERCHANDISE SALES". Hockeybuzz.com. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
- "Thrashers put an end to Sabres' bid for NHL record start". espn.com. October 28, 2006. Retrieved March 4, 2007.
- "Sundin, Maple Leafs hand Sabres first loss in regulation". espn.com. November 4, 2006. Retrieved March 4, 2007.
- "Sabres defeat Canes, bump road record to 10–0". espn.com. November 13, 2006. Retrieved March 4, 2007.
- "2006–07 NHL All-Star Rosters". tsn.ca. January 9, 2007. Retrieved January 15, 2007.
- "Ruff, Carlyle to coach All-Star teams". tsn.ca. January 4, 2007. Archived from the original on January 7, 2007. Retrieved January 15, 2007.
- "Briere shines, but West wins All-Star Game". tsn.ca. January 25, 2007. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved January 25, 2007.
- "NHL's bright future is on display". nhl.com. January 13, 2007. Retrieved January 15, 2007.
- "Richards nets tiebreaker in Lightning win over Sabres". espn.com. January 13, 2007. Retrieved January 15, 2007.
- "Drury leads the Sabres over Bruins". tsn.ca. February 1, 2007. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved February 2, 2007.
- "Sabres outlast Sens in hard-fought battle". tsn.ca. February 23, 2007. Archived from the original on September 26, 2007. Retrieved February 28, 2007.
- "Sabres beef up with Zubrus". nhl.com. February 27, 2007. Archived from the original on August 8, 2007. Retrieved February 27, 2007.
- "2006-07 NHL Summary".
- "2006-07 Buffalo Sabres Roster and Statistics".
- Standings: NHL Public Relations Department (2008). Dave McCarthy; et al. (eds.). THE NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE Official Guide & Record Book/2009. National Hockey League. p. 157. ISBN 978-1-894801-14-0.
- "2006–2007 Standings by Conference". National Hockey League. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
- 2006 NHL Entry Draft Results nhl.com – accessed December 9, 2006.