1996–97 Buffalo Sabres season

The 1996–97 Buffalo Sabres season was the 27th for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on May 22, 1970.[1] The season was the first season in the newly constructed Marine Midland Arena. The Sabres also underwent a drastic uniform change, replacing the blue and gold colors and classic crest with a black and red color scheme and new white buffalo-head logo. The Sabres won their first Northeast Division title, their first division title in 16 years.

1996–97 Buffalo Sabres
Northeast Division champions
Division	1st Northeast
Conference	2nd Eastern
1996–97 record	40–30–12
Home record	24–11–6
Road record	16–19–6
Goals for	237
Goals against	208
Team information
General manager	John Muckler
Coach	Ted Nolan
Captain	Pat LaFontaine
Arena	Marine Midland Arena
Team leaders
Goals	Donald Audette (28)
Assists	Garry Galley (34)
Points	Derek Plante (53)
Penalty minutes	Rob Ray (286)
Plus/minus	Michael Peca (+26)
Wins	Dominik Hasek (37)
Goals against average	Dominik Hasek (2.27)

Off-season

NHL Draft

Buffalo's draft picks at the 1996 NHL Entry Draft held at the Kiel Center in St. Louis, Missouri.

Round	#	Player	Nationality	College/Junior/Club Team (League)
1	7	Erik Rasmussen	United States	University of Minnesota (WCHA)
2	27	Cory Sarich	Canada	Saskatoon Blades (WHL)
2	33	Darren Van Oene	Canada	Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)
3	54	Francois Methot	Canada	Saint-Hyacinthe Laser (QMJHL)
4	87	Kurt Walsh	Canada	Owen Sound Platers (OHL)
4	106	Mike Martone	Canada	Peterborough Petes (OHL)
5	115	Alexei Tezikov	Russia	Lada Togliatti (Russia)
6	142	Ryan Davis	Canada	Owen Sound Platers (OHL)
6	161	Darren Mortier	Canada	Sarnia Sting (OHL)
9	222	Scott Buhler	Canada	Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)

Regular season

On January 12, 1997, Jason Dawe scored just ten seconds into the overtime period to give the Sabres a 3–2 road win over the Phoenix Coyotes.[2] It would prove to be the fastest overtime goal scored during the 1996–97 NHL regular season.[3]

The Sabres allowed the fewest shorthanded goals (4) and scored the most shorthanded goals (16) in the NHL. The Sabres' power play struggled, as they finished 26th in power-play percentage, with 13.19% (43 for 326).[4] The Sabres were also shut out a league-high 10 times during the regular season.[5]

Season standings

Northeast Division

No.	CR		GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	Pts
1	2	Buffalo Sabres	82	40	30	12	237	208	92
2	6	Pittsburgh Penguins	82	38	36	8	285	280	84
3	7	Ottawa Senators	82	31	36	15	226	234	77
4	8	Montreal Canadiens	82	31	36	15	249	276	77
5	10	Hartford Whalers	82	32	39	11	226	256	75
6	13	Boston Bruins	82	26	47	9	234	300	61

Eastern Conference[6]

R		Div	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	Pts
1	New Jersey Devils	ATL	82	45	23	14	231	182	104
2	Buffalo Sabres	NE	82	40	30	12	237	208	92
3	Philadelphia Flyers	ATL	82	45	24	13	274	217	103
4	Florida Panthers	ATL	82	35	28	19	221	201	89
5	New York Rangers	ATL	82	38	34	10	258	231	86
6	Pittsburgh Penguins	NE	82	38	36	8	285	280	84
7	Ottawa Senators	NE	82	31	36	15	226	234	77
8	Montreal Canadiens	NE	82	31	36	15	249	276	77
9	Washington Capitals	ATL	82	33	40	9	214	231	75
10	Hartford Whalers	NE	82	32	39	11	226	256	75
11	Tampa Bay Lightning	ATL	82	32	40	10	217	247	74
12	New York Islanders	ATL	82	29	41	12	240	250	70
13	Boston Bruins	NE	82	26	47	9	234	300	61

Divisions: ATL – Atlantic, NE – Northeast

bold – Qualified for playoffs

Schedule and results

No.	R	Date	Score	Opponent	Record
1	L	October 4, 1996	3–4	@ Edmonton Oilers (1996–97)	0–1–0
2	L	October 6, 1996	0–3	@ Calgary Flames (1996–97)	0–2–0
3	W	October 9, 1996	2–1	@ Vancouver Canucks (1996–97)	1–2–0
4	L	October 12, 1996	1–6	Detroit Red Wings (1996–97)	1–3–0
5	L	October 15, 1996	0–4	Tampa Bay Lightning (1996–97)	1–4–0
6	W	October 17, 1996	4–1	Pittsburgh Penguins (1996–97)	2–4–0
7	W	October 18, 1996	4–1	@ Washington Capitals (1996–97)	3–4–0
8	W	October 24, 1996	6–3	Montreal Canadiens (1996–97)	4–4–0
9	W	October 26, 1996	6–3	Hartford Whalers (1996–97)	5–4–0
10	L	October 27, 1996	4–6	@ New York Rangers (1996–97)	5–5–0
11	L	October 30, 1996	0–2	@ Dallas Stars (1996–97)	5–6–0
12	W	November 1, 1996	4–2	@ St. Louis Blues (1996–97)	6–6–0
13	T	November 2, 1996	0–0 OT	@ Colorado Avalanche (1996–97)	6–6–1
14	L	November 7, 1996	2–5	Philadelphia Flyers (1996–97)	6–7–1
15	L	November 9, 1996	3–4 OT	@ Hartford Whalers (1996–97)	6–8–1
16	W	November 11, 1996	3–2 OT	Florida Panthers (1996–97)	7–8–1
17	L	November 12, 1996	0–3	@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1996–97)	7–9–1
18	W	November 14, 1996	5–4	Colorado Avalanche (1996–97)	8–9–1
19	L	November 19, 1996	3–4	@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1996–97)	8–10–1
20	W	November 21, 1996	6–3	Toronto Maple Leafs (1996–97)	9–10–1
21	W	November 23, 1996	3–2 OT	@ Boston Bruins (1996–97)	10–10–1
22	L	November 26, 1996	3–4	@ Florida Panthers (1996–97)	10–11–1
23	W	November 27, 1996	3–0	@ Tampa Bay Lightning (1996–97)	11–11–1
24	W	November 29, 1996	3–0	Ottawa Senators (1996–97)	12–11–1
25	W	November 30, 1996	3–2	@ New York Islanders (1996–97)	13–11–1
26	L	December 4, 1996	6–7 OT	Vancouver Canucks (1996–97)	13–12–1
27	T	December 6, 1996	1–1 OT	Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1996–97)	13–12–2
28	L	December 7, 1996	4–6	@ Hartford Whalers (1996–97)	13–13–2
29	W	December 11, 1996	3–2 OT	@ Montreal Canadiens (1996–97)	14–13–2
30	L	December 13, 1996	0–3	New York Rangers (1996–97)	14–14–2
31	W	December 14, 1996	4–0	@ Boston Bruins (1996–97)	15–14–2
32	W	December 18, 1996	5–3	Tampa Bay Lightning (1996–97)	16–14–2
33	W	December 20, 1996	6–2	Los Angeles Kings (1996–97)	17–14–2
34	W	December 21, 1996	3–2	@ Ottawa Senators (1996–97)	18–14–2
35	T	December 23, 1996	0–0 OT	@ New Jersey Devils (1996–97)	18–14–3
36	W	December 26, 1996	5–1	Hartford Whalers (1996–97)	19–14–3
37	L	December 28, 1996	0–2	@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1996–97)	19–15–3
38	W	December 31, 1996	6–5	New Jersey Devils (1996–97)	20–15–3
39	T	January 3, 1997	2–2 OT	St. Louis Blues (1996–97)	20–15–4
40	W	January 5, 1997	5–1	Phoenix Coyotes (1996–97)	21–15–4
41	T	January 7, 1997	1–1 OT	@ San Jose Sharks (1996–97)	21–15–5
42	L	January 9, 1997	3–6	@ Los Angeles Kings (1996–97)	21–16–5
43	L	January 10, 1997	2–5	@ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1996–97)	21–17–5
44	W	January 12, 1997	3–2 OT	@ Phoenix Coyotes (1996–97)	22–17–5
45	W	January 15, 1997	2–1	@ New York Islanders (1996–97)	23–17–5
46	W	January 20, 1997	2–1	Chicago Blackhawks (1996–97)	24–17–5
47	W	January 22, 1997	6–1	Montreal Canadiens (1996–97)	25–17–5
48	L	January 24, 1997	1–3	Edmonton Oilers (1996–97)	25–18–5
49	L	January 25, 1997	1–5	Hartford Whalers (1996–97)	25–19–5
50	W	January 29, 1997	3–1	Pittsburgh Penguins (1996–97)	26–19–5
51	W	January 31, 1997	3–1	Dallas Stars (1996–97)	27–19–5
52	T	February 2, 1997	2–2 OT	Washington Capitals (1996–97)	27–19–6
53	T	February 4, 1997	1–1 OT	@ Philadelphia Flyers (1996–97)	27–19–7
54	T	February 6, 1997	1–1 OT	Florida Panthers (1996–97)	27–19–8
55	W	February 8, 1997	3–1	@ Tampa Bay Lightning (1996–97)	28–19–8
56	W	February 9, 1997	2–1	Ottawa Senators (1996–97)	29–19–8
57	T	February 12, 1997	2–2 OT	Montreal Canadiens (1996–97)	29–19–9
58	W	February 16, 1997	6–2	San Jose Sharks (1996–97)	30–19–9
59	T	February 18, 1997	5–5 OT	Calgary Flames (1996–97)	30–19–10
60	W	February 21, 1997	5–2	New York Islanders (1996–97)	31–19–10
61	W	February 23, 1997	5–1	Boston Bruins (1996–97)	32–19–10
62	L	February 27, 1997	1–4	@ New Jersey Devils (1996–97)	32–20–10
63	W	March 1, 1997	3–1	@ Ottawa Senators (1996–97)	33–20–10
64	W	March 5, 1997	4–2	Pittsburgh Penguins (1996–97)	34–20–10
65	T	March 8, 1997	3–3 OT	@ Montreal Canadiens (1996–97)	34–20–11
66	L	March 9, 1997	1–4	New Jersey Devils (1996–97)	34–21–11
67	W	March 11, 1997	3–2 OT	Philadelphia Flyers (1996–97)	35–21–11
68	W	March 15, 1997	7–5	@ Philadelphia Flyers (1996–97)	36–21–11
69	W	March 17, 1997	5–1	Boston Bruins (1996–97)	37–21–11
70	L	March 18, 1997	3–5	@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1996–97)	37–22–11
71	W	March 21, 1997	4–1	@ Washington Capitals (1996–97)	38–22–11
72	L	March 22, 1997	2–3	@ Florida Panthers (1996–97)	38–23–11
73	L	March 26, 1997	2–3 OT	New York Islanders (1996–97)	38–24–11
74	L	March 28, 1997	1–2 OT	@ Detroit Red Wings (1996–97)	38–25–11
75	L	March 30, 1997	2–3	@ Chicago Blackhawks (1996–97)	38–26–11
76	T	April 1, 1997	1–1 OT	@ New York Rangers (1996–97)	38–26–12
77	L	April 2, 1997	0–2	Ottawa Senators (1996–97)	38–27–12
78	W	April 4, 1997	5–1	New York Rangers (1996–97)	39–27–12
79	L	April 7, 1997	2–4	@ Hartford Whalers (1996–97)	39–28–12
80	W	April 10, 1997	5–1	@ Boston Bruins (1996–97)	40–28–12
81	L	April 12, 1997	0–1	@ Ottawa Senators (1996–97)	40–29–12
82	L	April 13, 1997	3–8	Washington Capitals (1996–97)	40–30–12

Playoffs

1997 Stanley Cup playoffs The Sabres defeated the Ottawa Senators in the first round. The series was played to overtime in Game 7. Derek Plante scored the series clinching goal in overtime. The Sabres then lost to the Philadelphia Flyers in five games in the second round.

Ottawa vs. Buffalo
Date	Away	Home
April 17	Ottawa 1	3 Buffalo
April 19	Ottawa 3	1 Buffalo
April 21	Buffalo 3	2 Ottawa
April 23	Buffalo 0	1 Ottawa	OT
April 25	Ottawa 4	1 Buffalo
April 27	Buffalo 3	0 Ottawa
April 29	Ottawa 2	3 Buffalo	OT
Buffalo wins series 4–3

Philadelphia vs. Buffalo
Date	Away	Home
May 3	Philadelphia 5	3 Buffalo
May 5	Philadelphia 2	1 Buffalo
May 7	Buffalo 1	4 Philadelphia
May 9	Buffalo 5	4 Philadelphia	OT
May 11	Philadelphia 6	3 Buffalo
Philadelphia wins series 4–1

Player statistics

Regular season

Scoring

Player	Pos	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	+/-	PPG	SHG	GWG
Derek Plante	C	82	27	26	53	24	14	5	0	6
Brian Holzinger	C	81	22	29	51	54	9	2	2	6
Donald Audette	RW	73	28	22	50	48	-6	8	0	5
Michael Peca	C	79	20	29	49	80	26	5	6	4
Jason Dawe	RW	81	22	26	48	32	14	4	1	3
Dixon Ward	RW	79	13	32	45	36	17	1	2	4
Matthew Barnaby	RW	68	19	24	43	249	16	2	0	1
Garry Galley	D	71	4	34	38	102	10	1	1	1
Michal Grosek	LW	82	15	21	36	71	25	1	0	2
Alexei Zhitnik	D	80	7	28	35	95	10	3	1	0
Randy Burridge	LW	55	10	21	31	20	17	1	3	0
Richard Smehlik	D	62	11	19	30	43	19	2	0	1
Darryl Shannon	D	82	4	19	23	112	23	1	0	1
Mike Wilson	D	77	2	9	11	51	13	0	0	1
Miroslav Satan	LW	12	8	2	10	4	1	2	0	1
Rob Ray	RW	82	7	3	10	286	3	0	0	1
Jay McKee	D	43	1	9	10	35	3	0	0	0
Pat LaFontaine	C	13	2	6	8	4	-8	1	0	0
Barrie Moore	LW	31	2	6	8	18	1	1	0	0
Bob Boughner	D	77	1	7	8	225	12	0	0	0
Curtis Brown	C/LW	28	4	3	7	18	4	0	0	1
Brad May	LW	42	3	4	7	106	-8	1	0	1
Wayne Primeau	C	45	2	4	6	64	-2	1	0	0
Anatoli Semenov	C/LW	25	2	4	6	2	-3	1	0	1
Ed Ronan	RW	18	1	4	5	11	4	0	0	0
Dominik Hasek	G	67	0	3	3	30	0	0	0	0
Charlie Huddy	D	1	0	0	0	0	-1	0	0	0
Rumun Ndur	D	2	0	0	0	2	1	0	0	0
Steve Shields	G	13	0	0	0	4	0	0	0	0
Andrei Trefilov	G	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Vaclav Varada	RW	5	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0

Goaltending

Player	MIN	GP	W	L	T	GA	GAA	SO	SA	SV	SV%
Dominik Hasek	4037	67	37	20	10	153	2.27	5	2177	2024	.930
Steve Shields	789	13	3	8	2	39	2.97	0	447	408	.913
Andrei Trefilov	159	3	0	2	0	10	3.77	0	98	88	.898
Team:	4985	82	40	30	12	202	2.43	5	2722	2520	.926

Playoffs

Scoring

Player	Pos	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	+/-	PPG	SHG	GWG
Derek Plante	C	12	4	6	10	4	4	1	0	2
Donald Audette	RW	11	4	5	9	6	-3	3	0	0
Brian Holzinger	C	12	2	5	7	8	-3	0	1	0
Randy Burridge	LW	12	5	1	6	2	-5	3	0	0
Michal Grosek	LW	12	3	3	6	8	3	0	0	0
Garry Galley	D	12	0	6	6	14	2	0	0	0
Darryl Shannon	D	12	2	3	5	8	-1	1	0	0
Dixon Ward	RW	12	2	3	5	6	2	0	0	1
Matthew Barnaby	RW	8	0	4	4	36	2	0	0	0
Jason Dawe	RW	11	2	1	3	6	-2	0	0	0
Brad May	LW	10	1	1	2	32	-2	0	0	0
Michael Peca	C	10	0	2	2	8	-3	0	0	0
Richard Smehlik	D	12	0	2	2	4	0	0	0	0
Ed Ronan	RW	6	1	0	1	6	-1	0	0	1
Alexei Zhitnik	D	12	1	0	1	16	-9	0	0	0
Bob Boughner	D	11	0	1	1	9	0	0	0	0
Rob Ray	RW	12	0	1	1	28	-3	0	0	0
Mike Wilson	D	10	0	1	1	2	3	0	0	0
Dominik Hasek	G	3	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0
Jay McKee	D	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Wayne Primeau	C	9	0	0	0	6	-2	0	0	0
Miroslav Satan	LW	7	0	0	0	0	-1	0	0	0
Steve Shields	G	10	0	0	0	9	0	0	0	0
Andrei Trefilov	G	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Goaltending

Player	MIN	GP	W	L	GA	GAA	SO	SA	SV	SV%
Steve Shields	570	10	4	6	26	2.74	1	334	308	.922
Dominik Hasek	153	3	1	1	5	1.96	0	68	63	.926
Andrei Trefilov	5	1	0	0	0	0.00	0	4	4	1.000
Team:	728	12	5	7	31	2.55	1	406	375	.924

[7]

Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/- = plus/minus; PIM = Penalty minutes; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals
      MIN = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts; SA = Shots against; SV = Shots saved; SV% = Save percentage;

Awards and records

• Dominik Hasek, Hart Memorial Trophy
• Dominik Hasek, Lester B. Pearson Award
• Dominik Hasek, Vezina Trophy
• Dominik Hasek, NHL First Team All-Star[8]
• Seymour Knox, Lester Patrick Trophy[9]
• Pat Lafontaine, Lester Patrick Trophy[9]
• Michael Peca, Frank J. Selke Trophy

NHL All-Star Game

• Dominik Hasek, Eastern Conference

References

• Sabres on Hockey Database

1. National Hockey League (2010). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book/2011. Triumph Books. p. 27. ISBN 978-1-60078-422-4.
2. http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1997-01-13/sports/9701130142_1_jason-dawe-lindgren-overtime
3. https://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_1997_games.html
4. https://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_1997.html
5. https://www.hockey-reference.com/teams/BUF/1997_games.html
6. "1996-1997 Conference Standings Standings - NHL.com - Standings". NHL.
7. "1996-97 Buffalo Sabres Statistics - Hockey-Reference.com". hockey-reference.com. Retrieved 2009-06-12.
8. National Hockey League Official Guide and Record Book 2006, p. 237, Dan Diamond & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, ISBN 978-0-920445-98-3
9. Collins gem Hockey Facts and Stats 2009-10, p.426, Andrew Podnieks, Harper Collins Publishers Ltd, Toronto, Canada, ISBN 978-1-55468-621-6