1998–99 Buffalo Sabres season

The 1998–99 Buffalo Sabres season was the Sabres' 29th season in the National Hockey League. Miroslav Satan scored 40 goals and the Sabres would add influential centers Stu Barnes and Joe Juneau from the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals, respectively. Michal Grosek had the best season of his career, and the team finally returned to the Stanley Cup Final, which was a losing effort against the Dallas Stars.

1998–99 Buffalo Sabres
Eastern Conference champions
Division	4th Northeast
Conference	7th Eastern
1998–99 record	37–28–17
Home record	23–12–6
Road record	14–16–11
Goals for	207
Goals against	175
Team information
General manager	Darcy Regier
Coach	Lindy Ruff
Captain	Michael Peca
Arena	Marine Midland Arena
Team leaders
Goals	Miroslav Satan (40)
Assists	Jason Woolley (33)
Points	Miroslav Satan (66)
Penalty minutes	Rob Ray (261)
Wins	Dominik Hasek (30)
Goals against average	Dominik Hasek (1.87)

Off-season

In the 1998 NHL Entry Draft, the Sabres picked Dmitri Kalinin with their first-round pick, 18th overall.

Regular season

Season standings

Northeast Division

R	CR		GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	PIM	Pts
1	2	Ottawa Senators	82	44	23	15	239	179	892	103
2	4	Toronto Maple Leafs	82	45	30	7	268	231	1095	97
3	6	Boston Bruins	82	39	30	13	214	181	1182	91
4	7	Buffalo Sabres	82	37	28	17	207	175	1561	91
5	11	Montreal Canadiens	82	32	39	11	184	209	1299	75

[1]

Note: CR = Conference rank; GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points
         Bolded teams qualified for the playoffs.

Eastern Conference[2]

R		Div	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	Pts
1	y – New Jersey Devils	ATL	82	47	24	11	248	196	105
2	y – Ottawa Senators	NE	82	44	23	15	239	179	103
3	y – Carolina Hurricanes	SE	82	34	30	18	210	202	86
4	Toronto Maple Leafs	NE	82	45	30	7	268	231	97
5	Philadelphia Flyers	ATL	82	37	26	19	231	196	93
6	Boston Bruins	NE	82	39	30	13	214	181	91
7	Buffalo Sabres	NE	82	37	28	17	207	175	91
8	Pittsburgh Penguins	ATL	82	38	30	14	242	225	90
9	Florida Panthers	SE	82	30	34	18	210	228	78
10	New York Rangers	ATL	82	33	38	11	217	227	77
11	Montreal Canadiens	NE	82	32	39	11	184	209	75
12	Washington Capitals	SE	82	31	45	6	200	218	68
13	New York Islanders	ATL	82	24	48	10	194	244	58
14	Tampa Bay Lightning	SE	82	19	54	9	179	292	47

Divisions: ATL – Atlantic Division, NE – Northeast Division, SE – Southeast Division

bold – Qualified for playoffs; y – Won division

Schedule and results

No.	R	Date	Score	Opponent	Record
1	L	October 10, 1998	1–4	@ Dallas Stars (1998–99)	0–1–0
2	W	October 12, 1998	3–0	@ Colorado Avalanche (1998–99)	1–1–0
3	T	October 16, 1998	2–2 OT	Florida Panthers (1998–99)	1–1–1
4	W	October 17, 1998	4–3	@ Montreal Canadiens (1998–99)	2–1–1
5	L	October 23, 1998	0–1	Washington Capitals (1998–99)	2–2–1
6	L	October 24, 1998	4–5	@ New York Islanders (1998–99)	2–3–1
7	T	October 27, 1998	0–0 OT	@ New York Rangers (1998–99)	2–3–2
8	W	October 30, 1998	4–1	Toronto Maple Leafs (1998–99)	3–3–2
9	W	October 31, 1998	6–3	@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1998–99)	4–3–2
10	W	November 3, 1998	4–2	Boston Bruins (1998–99)	5–3–2
11	T	November 7, 1998	2–2 OT	@ Philadelphia Flyers (1998–99)	5–3–3
12	T	November 10, 1998	2–2 OT	Ottawa Senators (1998–99)	5–3–4
13	W	November 12, 1998	2–0	@ Washington Capitals (1998–99)	6–3–4
14	W	November 14, 1998	6–1	Chicago Blackhawks (1998–99)	7–3–4
15	W	November 20, 1998	4–1	Toronto Maple Leafs (1998–99)	8–3–4
16	L	November 21, 1998	1–2	@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1998–99)	8–4–4
17	W	November 25, 1998	4–2	New York Rangers (1998–99)	9–4–4
18	L	November 28, 1998	2–6	@ Florida Panthers (1998–99)	9–5–4
19	W	November 29, 1998	6–3	@ Tampa Bay Lightning (1998–99)	10–5–4
20	W	December 2, 1998	2–1	Florida Panthers (1998–99)	11–5–4
21	W	December 4, 1998	3–0	Philadelphia Flyers (1998–99)	12–5–4
22	W	December 5, 1998	3–1	@ Nashville Predators (1998–99)	13–5–4
23	T	December 8, 1998	2–2 OT	@ St. Louis Blues (1998–99)	13–5–5
24	W	December 11, 1998	2–0	New York Rangers (1998–99)	14–5–5
25	W	December 12, 1998	4–1	@ Boston Bruins (1998–99)	15–5–5
26	W	December 18, 1998	4–2	Montreal Canadiens (1998–99)	16–5–5
27	L	December 19, 1998	2–3	Carolina Hurricanes (1998–99)	16–6–5
28	W	December 21, 1998	4–1	@ Carolina Hurricanes (1998–99)	17–6–5
29	W	December 23, 1998	2–0	Tampa Bay Lightning (1998–99)	18–6–5
30	W	December 26, 1998	2–0	@ New Jersey Devils (1998–99)	19–6–5
31	L	December 28, 1998	4–7	New Jersey Devils (1998–99)	19–7–5
32	L	December 30, 1998	2–3 OT	Ottawa Senators (1998–99)	19–8–5
33	L	January 1, 1999	2–7	Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1998–99)	19–9–5
34	W	January 2, 1999	7–1	Calgary Flames (1998–99)	20–9–5
35	W	January 6, 1999	3–2 OT	@ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1998–99)	21–9–5
36	L	January 7, 1999	2–4	@ Los Angeles Kings (1998–99)	21–10–5
37	T	January 9, 1999	2–2 OT	@ San Jose Sharks (1998–99)	21–10–6
38	L	January 11, 1999	0–1	@ Phoenix Coyotes (1998–99)	21–11–6
39	L	January 13, 1999	2–4	St. Louis Blues (1998–99)	21–12–6
40	W	January 15, 1999	2–1	Boston Bruins (1998–99)	22–12–6
41	T	January 16, 1999	1–1 OT	@ Ottawa Senators (1998–99)	22–12–7
42	W	January 18, 1999	4–0	@ Florida Panthers (1998–99)	23–12–7
43	L	January 19, 1999	1–2	@ Tampa Bay Lightning (1998–99)	23–13–7
44	T	January 26, 1999	1–1 OT	Phoenix Coyotes (1998–99)	23–13–8
45	L	January 28, 1999	2–4	Nashville Predators (1998–99)	23–14–8
46	W	January 30, 1999	4–1	Los Angeles Kings (1998–99)	24–14–8
47	L	February 2, 1999	3–5	@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1998–99)	24–15–8
48	L	February 3, 1999	3–5	Colorado Avalanche (1998–99)	24–16–8
49	L	February 6, 1999	2–3	@ Montreal Canadiens (1998–99)	24–17–8
50	L	February 7, 1999	1–3	@ Washington Capitals (1998–99)	24–18–8
51	T	February 9, 1999	1–1 OT	@ Ottawa Senators (1998–99)	24–18–9
52	W	February 11, 1999	5–2	Montreal Canadiens (1998–99)	25–18–9
53	T	February 13, 1999	2–2 OT	New York Islanders (1998–99)	25–18–10
54	W	February 15, 1999	3–2	Carolina Hurricanes (1998–99)	26–18–10
55	L	February 17, 1999	2–3 OT	Toronto Maple Leafs (1998–99)	26–19–10
56	W	February 19, 1999	4–2	San Jose Sharks (1998–99)	27–19–10
57	T	February 21, 1999	4–4 OT	Detroit Red Wings (1998–99)	27–19–11
58	T	February 24, 1999	2–2 OT	@ Calgary Flames (1998–99)	27–19–12
59	L	February 26, 1999	3–6	@ Edmonton Oilers (1998–99)	27–20–12
60	W	February 28, 1999	2–0	@ Vancouver Canucks (1998–99)	28–20–12
61	L	March 3, 1999	3–5	Edmonton Oilers (1998–99)	28–21–12
62	W	March 5, 1999	2–1	Dallas Stars (1998–99)	29–21–12
63	T	March 7, 1999	1–1 OT	Philadelphia Flyers (1998–99)	29–21–13
64	L	March 8, 1999	1–4	@ Carolina Hurricanes (1998–99)	29–22–13
65	L	March 11, 1999	2–5	Tampa Bay Lightning (1998–99)	29–23–13
66	W	March 13, 1999	3–1	Boston Bruins (1998–99)	30–23–13
67	W	March 15, 1999	2–1	New York Islanders (1998–99)	31–23–13
68	W	March 19, 1999	3–2 OT	@ New York Rangers (1998–99)	32–23–13
69	T	March 23, 1999	1–1 OT	@ New Jersey Devils (1998–99)	32–23–14
70	L	March 24, 1999	1–2	@ Detroit Red Wings (1998–99)	32–24–14
71	T	March 27, 1999	1–1 OT	@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1998–99)	32–24–15
72	W	March 28, 1999	4–3 OT	Pittsburgh Penguins (1998–99)	33–24–15
73	L	March 31, 1999	1–2	@ Chicago Blackhawks (1998–99)	33–25–15
74	L	April 3, 1999	1–2	@ Montreal Canadiens (1998–99)	33–26–15
75	W	April 5, 1999	3–1	Pittsburgh Penguins (1998–99)	34–26–15
76	W	April 6, 1999	4–3	@ New York Islanders (1998–99)	35–26–15
77	W	April 9, 1999	3–1	Florida Panthers (1998–99)	36–26–15
78	T	April 10, 1999	1–1 OT	@ Ottawa Senators (1998–99)	36–26–16
79	T	April 13, 1999	2–2 OT	@ Philadelphia Flyers (1998–99)	36–26–17
80	L	April 14, 1999	1–2	New Jersey Devils (1998–99)	36–27–17
81	L	April 17, 1999	1–2 OT	@ Boston Bruins (1998–99)	36–28–17
82	W	April 18, 1999	3–0	Washington Capitals (1998–99)	37–28–17

Playoffs

1999 Stanley Cup playoffs

Eastern Conference Quarter-finals

Ottawa (2) vs. Buffalo (7)
Date	Away	Home	OT	Score
April 21	Buffalo	Ottawa		2 – 1
April 23	Buffalo	Ottawa	2OT	3 – 2
April 25	Ottawa	Buffalo		3 – 0
April 27	Ottawa	Buffalo		4 – 3
Buffalo wins series 4–0

Eastern Conference Semi-finals

Boston (6) vs. Buffalo (7)
Date	Away	Home	Score
May 6	Buffalo	Boston	4 – 2
May 9	Buffalo	1 Boston	3 – 1
May 12	Boston 2	Buffalo	3 – 2
May 14	Boston 0	Buffalo	3 – 0
May 16	Buffalo 3	Boston	5 – 3
May 18	Boston 2	Buffalo	3 – 2
Buffalo wins series 4–2

Eastern Conference Finals

The Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres met in the 1999 Eastern Conference Finals. The Maple Leafs were coming off a six-game series win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, while the Sabres were coming off a six-game series win themselves, over the Boston Bruins. Toronto was having its best playoff since 1994, when they last made a conference final series. Buffalo, on the other hand, was in the third round for the second consecutive year.

In Game 1, Dwayne Roloson filled in for injured Sabres goaltender Dominik Hasek at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. Leading 3–2 midway through the game, Toronto appeared to be in control, but Stu Barnes tied the game for Buffalo at 14:37 of the second period. The Sabres went on to score twice in the third period, on goals by Curtis Brown at 5:21 and Geoff Sanderson at 11:02. Steve Thomas' goal with 6:01 remaining in the game brought Toronto to within one, but Buffalo held on to win 5–4. Roloson impressed the critics, stopping 28 of 32 shots.

In Game 2, the Maple Leafs scored two goals 18 seconds apart in the first period, as Steve Sullivan scored at 10:28 followed by Sylvain Cote at 10:46. With just over ten minutes to go in the game, Toronto held a 4–3 lead with Buffalo pressing. Steve Thomas' goal at with 7:43 to go gave the Maple Leafs a 5–3 lead and Garry Valk sealed the 6–3 win with an empty-net goal at 19:30.

With series tied at 1–1, the two teams traveled south to the Marine Midland Arena in Buffalo for Games 3 and 4. Dominik Hasek returned for the Sabres in game three, but it was the away team that netted the first goal, as Maple Leafs forward Yanic Perreault scored at 16:08 of the first period. But Buffalo was not to be denied, and they scored three goals in the first 7:38 of the second period. Alexander Karpovtsev scored at 13:09 of the second to pull the Maple Leafs to within one, but they could not score the equalizer and Curtis Brown iced the game with an empty-net goal at 19:31 of the third period and the Sabres won, 4–2. Dominik Hasek made 24 saves in the victory.

Buffalo came out flying again in Game 4, holding a 5–0 lead after two periods. Hasek's shutout bid was erased when Mats Sundin scored on a penalty shot at 6:59. He scored again with 1:57 remaining in the game as Buffalo won, 5–2. This time, Hasek made 31 saves.

In Game 5 at the Air Canada Centre on May 31, the Sabres looked to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1975. After a scoreless first period, Steve Sullivan got Toronto on the board first just 33 seconds into the second. After goals by Curtis Brown, Kris King and Vaclav Varada, the game was tied 2–2 after two periods. Erik Rasmussen broke the tie with a goal at 11:35 of the third period. With less than two minutes remaining, the Maple Leafs got a power play and pulled Joseph to get a six-on-four situation, but could not score on Hasek. Dixon Ward added a shorthanded empty-net goal with 1:02 remaining as the Sabres went on to win 4–2 and take the series four games to one. With the victory, they advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1975.

Toronto (4) vs. Buffalo (7)
Date	Away	Home	Score
May 23	Buffalo	Toronto	5 – 4
May 25	Buffalo	Toronto	6 – 3
May 27	Toronto	Buffalo	4 – 2
May 29	Toronto	Buffalo	5 – 2
May 31	Buffalo	Toronto	4 – 2
Buffalo wins series 4–1 and Prince of Wales Trophy

Stanley Cup Final

Dallas (1) vs. Buffalo (7) Date Away Home June 8 Buffalo 3 2 Dallas OT June 10 Buffalo 2 4 Dallas June 12 Dallas 2 1 Buffalo June 15 Dallas 1 2 Buffalo June 17 Buffalo 0 2 Dallas June 19 Dallas 2 1 Buffalo 3OT Dallas wins series 4—2 and the Stanley Cup Joe Nieuwendyk (Dallas) wins Conn Smythe Trophy

"No Goal!"

In Game 6, Dallas Stars winger Brett Hull's triple-overtime goal — as Hull's skate was visibly in Dominik Hasek's crease — ended the series, and the Stars were awarded the Cup. In 1999, it was illegal to score a goal if an offensive player's skate entered the crease before the puck did. At the time, even Dallas Morning News hockey writer Keith Gave questioned the legality of the goal. NHL officials, however, maintained that Hull's two shots in the goal mouth constituted a single possession of the puck since the puck deflected off Hasek, and their ruling stood, citing that they "were going to change the rule the following year anyway." It is widely speculated that, by the time the Sabres mentioned the foul, the red carpet had already been unrolled at center ice, and the officials refused to acknowledge the non-call, also due to NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman's desires to see a team "South of the Mason–Dixon line" hoist the Stanley Cup. ESPN has ranked the call as the fifth worst officiating call in sports history.[3] Conversely, Al Strachan of the Toronto Sun wrote, "There should have been no controversy whatsoever. When Hull first kicked the rebound on to his stick, he had neither foot in the crease. At the instant he kicked the puck, he became in control of it. It was only in the follow-through of that kick that his left foot moved into the crease."[4] Buffalo sports fans, who have suffered through some of the biggest misfortunes in sports history (such as "Wide Right" and "Music City Miracle"), refer to the game as "No Goal," a phrase still used in western New York to this day, even having bumper stickers saying the phrase. The rule was changed for the following season, allowing players to be inside the goaltender's crease as long as they do not interfere with the goalie.

Player statistics

Forwards

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes

Player	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
Miroslav Satan	81	40	26	66	44
Michael Peca	82	27	29	56	81
Michal Grosek	76	20	30	50	102
Curtis Brown	78	16	31	47	56
Dixon Ward	78	20	24	44	44
Brian Holzinger	81	17	17	34	45
Vaclav Varada	72	7	24	31	61
Geoff Sanderson	75	12	18	30	22
Matthew Barnaby*	44	4	14	18	143
Derek Plante*	41	4	11	15	12
Wayne Primeau	67	5	8	13	38
Erik Rasmussen	42	3	7	10	37
Rob Ray	76	0	4	4	261
Stu Barnes*	17	0	4	4	10
Randy Cunneyworth	14	2	2	4	0
Paul Kruse	43	3	0	3	114
Joe Juneau*	9	1	1	2	2
Dean Sylvester	1	0	0	0	0
Domenic Pittis	3	0	0	0	2

* – player was traded during season; stats only include games played with Buffalo

Defensemen

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes

Player	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
Jason Woolley	80	10	33	43	62
Alexei Zhitnik	81	7	26	33	96
Darryl Shannon	71	3	12	15	52
Richard Smehlik	72	3	11	14	44
James Patrick	45	1	7	8	16
Jay McKee	72	0	6	6	75
Mike Wilson*	30	1	2	3	47
Rhett Warrener*	13	1	0	1	20
Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre	16	0	1	1	17
Mike Hurlbut	1	0	0	0	0
Jason Holland	3	0	0	0	8
Cory Sarich	4	0	0	0	0
Rumun Ndur*	8	0	0	0	16

* – player was traded during season; stats only include games played with Buffalo

Goaltending

Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average

Player	GP	W	L	T	SO	GAA
Dominik Hasek	64	30	18	14	9	1.87
Dwayne Roloson	18	6	8	2	1	2.77
Martin Biron	6	1	2	1	0	2.14

Awards and records

• Prince of Wales Trophy
• Dominik Hasek, Nominee, Hart Memorial Trophy
• Dominik Hasek, Nominee, Lester B. Pearson Trophy
• Dominik Hasek, Vezina Trophy
• Dominik Hasek, NHL First Team All-Star[5]

NHL All-Star Game

• Dominik Hasek, World Team

Draft picks

Round	#	Player	Nationality	College/Junior/Club Team
1	18	Dmitri Kalinin (D)	Russia	Traktor Chelyabinsk (Russia)
2	34	Andrew Peters (LW)	Canada	Oshawa Generals (OHL)
2	47	Norm Milley (RW)	Canada	Sudbury Wolves (OHL)
2	50	Jaroslav Kristek (RW)	Czech Republic	HC Zlín (Extraliga)
3	77	Mike Pandolfo (RW)	United States	Saint Sebastian's School (USHS-MA)
5	137	Aaron Goldade (LW)	Canada	Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)
6	164	Ales Kotalik (RW)	Czech Republic	HC České Budějovice (Czech Republic)
7	191	Brad Moran (LW)	Canada	Calgary Hitmen (WHL)
8	218	David Moravec (LW)	Czech Republic	HC Vítkovice (Czech Republic)
9	249	Edo Terglav (RW)	Slovenia	Baie-Comeau Drakkar (QMJHL)

References

1. Dinger 2011, p. 155.
2. "1998-1999 Conference Standings Standings - NHL.com - Standings". NHL.
3. ESPN.com - Page2, Worst Calls In Sports History
4. About.com "No Goal" Explanation
5. National Hockey League Official Guide and Record Book 2006, p. 237, Dan Diamond & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, ISBN 0-920445-98-5

• Sabres on Hockey Database

Bibliography

• Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Toronto: Dan Diamond & Associates. ISBN 978-1-894801-22-5.