2000–01 Buffalo Sabres season

The 2000–01 Buffalo Sabres season was the 31st season for the team in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Sabres finished with a 46–30–5–1 record in the regular season, and won the Conference Quarterfinals (4–2) over the Philadelphia Flyers, but lost the Conference Semifinals (4–3) to the Pittsburgh Penguins. It was also the final time they made the playoffs before the 2004–05 NHL lockout.

2000–01 Buffalo Sabres
Division	2nd Northeast
Conference	5th Eastern
2000–01 record	46–30–5–1
Home record	26–12–3–0
Road record	20–18–2–1
Goals for	218
Goals against	184
Team information
General manager	Darcy Regier
Coach	Lindy Ruff
Captain	Vacant^[a]
Alternate captains	Doug Gilmour Rob Ray Rotating
Arena	HSBC Arena
Average attendance	17,839
Minor league affiliate(s)	Rochester Americans South Carolina Stingrays B.C. Icemen
Team leaders
Goals	Miroslav Satan (29)
Assists	Miroslav Satan (33)
Points	Miroslav Satan (62)
Penalty minutes	Rob Ray (210)
Plus/minus	Curtis Brown (+15)
Wins	Dominik Hasek (37)
Goals against average	Dominik Hasek (2.11)
← 1999–2000 2001–02 →

Off-season

Regular season

The Sabres allowed the fewest goals (184), had the most shutouts (13), allowed the fewest power-play goals (40) and had the best penalty-kill percentage (88.02%).^[1]

Final standings

Northeast Division^[2]

No.	CR		GP	W	L	T	OTL	GF	GA	Pts
1	2	Ottawa Senators	82	48	21	9	4	274	205	109
2	5	Buffalo Sabres	82	46	30	5	1	218	184	98
3	7	Toronto Maple Leafs	82	37	29	11	5	232	207	90
4	9	Boston Bruins	82	36	30	8	8	227	249	88
5	11	Montreal Canadiens	82	28	40	8	6	206	232	70

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

Eastern Conference^[3]

R		Div	GP	W	L	T	OTL	GF	GA	Pts
1	Z- New Jersey Devils	AT	82	48	19	12	3	295	195	111
2	Y- Ottawa Senators	NE	82	48	21	9	4	274	205	109
3	Y- Washington Capitals	SE	82	41	27	10	4	233	211	96
4	X- Philadelphia Flyers	AT	82	43	25	11	3	240	207	100
5	X- Buffalo Sabres	NE	82	46	30	5	1	218	184	98
6	X- Pittsburgh Penguins	AT	82	42	28	9	3	281	256	96
7	X- Toronto Maple Leafs	NE	82	37	29	11	5	232	207	90
8	X- Carolina Hurricanes	SE	82	38	32	9	3	212	225	88
8.5
9	Boston Bruins	NE	82	36	30	8	8	227	249	88
10	New York Rangers	AT	82	33	43	5	1	250	290	72
11	Montreal Canadiens	NE	82	28	40	8	6	206	232	70
12	Florida Panthers	SE	82	22	38	13	9	200	246	66
13	Atlanta Thrashers	SE	82	23	45	12	2	211	289	60
14	Tampa Bay Lightning	SE	82	24	47	6	5	201	280	59
15	New York Islanders	AT	82	21	51	7	3	185	268	52

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

Z – Clinched Conference; Y – Clinched Division; X – Clinched Playoff spot

Playoffs

See also: 2001 Stanley Cup playoffs

(4) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (5) Buffalo Sabres

The Flyers were entering this year's playoffs still trying to forget the Eastern Conference finals the previous year. In 2000, they had a 3–1 series lead against the eventual Stanley Cup champion New Jersey Devils, but lost the next three. Head coach Craig Ramsay was fired in the middle of the season, with general manager Bobby Clarke explaining his decision was based on the fact his Flyers were not "tough enough". As Ramsay's replacement, Clarke hired former teammate Bill Barber. The Sabres season was not as complicated, as head coach Lindy Ruff led his Sabres to one of their best regular seasons in recent history. In the playoffs, the two teams had met three times in four years, with the most recent series ending in with a Flyers win. The Sabres would look for revenge in the city of brotherly love.

After Philadelphia was stopped by Dominik Hasek and the Sabres in the first two games, one of which was ended by a Jay McKee overtime goal, the Flyers came out in Game 3 determined to win a game before losing the first three, and they did by one goal, but they lost again to the Sabres in Game 4 in overtime after Curtis Brown beat goaltender Roman Cechmanek. The Flyers won in Game 5 by a two-goal margin, but were hammered by the Sabres in Game 6: they gave up a total of eight goals, five of which were surrendered by Cechmanek, who was replaced early by Brian Boucher, who himself conceded three goals. Hasek recorded another shutout in Game 6 as the Sabres progressed to the conference semifinals.

(5) Buffalo Sabres vs. (6) Pittsburgh Penguins

Entering the series, Buffalo held the best penalty killing (PK) squad which killed 88%, and Pittsburgh entered the series with the fifth best powerplay (PP) squad, which scored on 20% of its opportunities. However, the Buffalo PK and the Pittsburgh PP would underachieve during the series: Pittsburgh only scored 4 times on 27 opportunities (14%), so, consequently, Buffalo's PK percent dropped to 86. Buffalo also scored four power play goals, but on 33 chances (12%).

The Sabres and Penguins had evenly matched goaltending: Pittsburgh goaltenders saved 155 shots out of 172 (90.2%), and Buffalo's saved 166 shots out of 183 (90.8%). Both teams scored 17 goals during the series, and they also scored the same number of power play goals, four.

The Sabres just could not put the puck past Johan Hedberg in Game 1, with the Penguins needing only star center Mario Lemieux's first-period goal to finish off Buffalo and take an early series lead. Dominik Hasek gave up three goals, the other two of which came courtesy of centers Wayne Primeau and Jan Hrdina in the second half of the third period. Penguins winger Jaromir Jagr, who assisted on the Lemieux goal in the first period, injured his leg in the third period and would miss Game 2. Both teams were rather inept on the powerplay, wasting five conversion opportunities each.

In Game 2, the first period had no scoring, despite five different powerplays for the two teams. Then, about halfway through the second period, Penguins center Robert Lang scored a goal to give the Penguins a 1–0. Three minutes later, Sabres center Stu Barnes tied the game with the game's only powerplay goal. In the third period, Pittsburgh would score two more goals through defenceman Andrew Ference and an empty-netter by Alexei Kovalev.

For the second consecutive game, there were no goals scored in the first period of Game 3, despite a combined 17 shots on goal. The Penguins scored on the power play in the second period to take the lead, but Sabres center Curtis Brown would tie the game through an even-strength goal as the period would end at 1–1. Johan Hedberg had been solid in the net for the Penguins, but conceded 3 goals from just 11 shots in the third period. At about the halfway point in the third period, Sabres defenseman Jason Woolley scored the go-ahead goal, and three minutes later, Miroslav Satan would score another goal to give Buffalo a two-goal lead. Defenseman James Patrick finished off the game with an empty-net goal to send the Sabres to a 4–1 victory in Game 3.

Building off the road win in Game 3, Buffalo scored the first goal in Game 4 very early in the first period by center Jean-Pierre Dumont, but the Penguins would respond with a powerplay goal by center Martin Straka. Sabres center Curtis Brown scored a short-handed goal late in the first period to give Buffalo the edge heading into the locker rooms. The second period featured only one goal by Janne Laukkanen, set up by Jagr and Lemieux, and the game was tied up going into the third. Stu Barnes scored twice in the third period, and the Sabres went on to win the game by three, five goals to two. Both teams were effective on the powerplay, each scoring one goal on two chances. Coming off two straight home losses, Buffalo works hard on the road to swipe the two home games back, swinging the series back to Buffalo's advantage.

Penguins wingman Jaromir Jagr initiated the scoring in game five with a powerplay goal, the only goal in the first period. Pittsburgh would tack on another goal early on in the second period by winger Aleksey Morozov, but Sabres center Chris Gratton would respond with a powerplay goal, and the Penguins still had the lead until they gave up another short-handed goal to Curtis Brown. Curtis Brown's goal forced overtime, and Stu Barnes would score the game-winning goal to give Buffalo the series lead. The Sabres were down by two goals early but fought back and won the game by scoring three unanswered goals. Game five was the first overtime game in the string of three that would end the series.

Buffalo's right winger Maxim Afinogenov scored in the first half of the first period of game six to give the Sabres and early lead, a lead the team would need because Pittsburgh's Alexei Kovalev tied the game up early in the second period. Donald Audette would break up the tied game with an even-strength goal late in the second period. Pittsburgh would persevere and score the tying goal with less than a minute to go in the third period courtesy of Mario Lemieux, so this match headed to overtime. Martin Straka was the hero of the Penguins on that night, as he scored the game-winning goal about halfway through the overtime period. Both teams didn't score on any of the combined seven chances they saw, and the fabled game seven was due.

In game seven, the first period was an uneventful one, featuring no goals and few penalties, but the second period was a different story. Buffalo struck first as Jean-Pierre Dumont scored very early in the period, but that one-goal lead wouldn't last because Andrew Ference scored a powerplay goal to even things up at one goal apiece. Just about 30 seconds into the third period, Buffalo struck again as winger Steve Heinze scored a powerplay goal. Robert Lang would then score to tie the game up at two goals apiece. With a minute remaining in the third period and the Sabres applying pressure in the Penguins zone, Penguins defenceman Darius Kasparaitis grabbed the puck and threw it over the boards into the crowd. No penalty was called on the play and the game went to overtime.^[4] Later, Kasparaitis would win the game and the series for the Penguins as he scored off of passes from Jagr and Lang. Pittsburgh went on to face the New Jersey Devils in the conference finals.

Schedule and results

Regular season

2000–01 regular season^[5]
October: 5–3–1–1 (home: 4–0–1–0; road: 1–3–0–1) Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap 1 W October 5, 2000 4–2 Chicago Blackhawks (2000–01) 1–0–0–0 Recap 2 W October 7, 2000 5–3 Los Angeles Kings (2000–01) 2–0–0–0 Recap 3 L October 13, 2000 2–3 @ Edmonton Oilers (2000–01) 2–1–0–0 Recap 4 L October 14, 2000 0–4 @ Vancouver Canucks (2000–01) 2–2–0–0 Recap 5 L October 17, 2000 3–4 @ Montreal Canadiens (2000–01) 2–3–0–0 Recap 6 T October 20, 2000 2–2 OT Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2000–01) 2–3–1–0 Recap 7 OTL October 21, 2000 4–5 OT @ Detroit Red Wings (2000–01) 2–3–1–1 Recap 8 W October 25, 2000 4–1 Carolina Hurricanes (2000–01) 3–3–1–1 Recap 9 W October 27, 2000 2–1 Toronto Maple Leafs (2000–01) 4–3–1–1 Recap 10 W October 28, 2000 3–1 @ Chicago Blackhawks (2000–01) 5–3–1–1 Recap
November: 7–4–1–0 (home: 5–1–1–0; road: 2–3–0–0) Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap 11 W November 3, 2000 5–4 Montreal Canadiens (2000–01) 6–3–1–1 Recap 12 L November 4, 2000 0–3 @ Philadelphia Flyers (2000–01) 6–4–1–1 Recap 13 W November 9, 2000 3–0 New York Islanders (2000–01) 7–4–1–1 Recap 14 W November 11, 2000 4–0 @ New Jersey Devils (2000–01) 8–4–1–1 Recap 15 W November 13, 2000 3–2 OT Calgary Flames (2000–01) 9–4–1–1 Recap 16 T November 15, 2000 2–2 OT Dallas Stars (2000–01) 9–4–2–1 Recap 17 W November 17, 2000 3–1 Minnesota Wild (2000–01) 10–4–2–1 Recap 18 L November 18, 2000 1–4 @ St. Louis Blues (2000–01) 10–5–2–1 Recap 19 L November 22, 2000 1–3 Philadelphia Flyers (2000–01) 10–6–2–1 Recap 20 W November 24, 2000 3–2 New York Rangers (2000–01) 11–6–2–1 Recap 21 W November 25, 2000 5–3 @ Montreal Canadiens (2000–01) 12–6–2–1 Recap 22 L November 28, 2000 1–3 @ Ottawa Senators (2000–01) 12–7–2–1 Recap
December: 8–5–1–0 (home: 4–3–0–0; road: 4–2–1–0) Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap 23 L December 1, 2000 4–6 Pittsburgh Penguins (2000–01) 12–8–2–1 Recap 24 W December 2, 2000 3–2 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (2000–01) 13–8–2–1 Recap 25 W December 5, 2000 3–2 @ Montreal Canadiens (2000–01) 14–8–2–1 Recap 26 W December 7, 2000 5–2 New Jersey Devils (2000–01) 15–8–2–1 Recap 27 L December 8, 2000 2–5 @ New York Rangers (2000–01) 15–9–2–1 Recap 28 W December 12, 2000 3–0 @ Boston Bruins (2000–01) 16–9–2–1 Recap 29 L December 15, 2000 3–5 @ Carolina Hurricanes (2000–01) 16–10–2–1 Recap 30 W December 16, 2000 3–2 Florida Panthers (2000–01) 17–10–2–1 Recap 31 T December 20, 2000 2–2 OT @ Washington Capitals (2000–01) 17–10–3–1 Recap 32 L December 21, 2000 1–3 Washington Capitals (2000–01) 17–11–3–1 Recap 33 W December 23, 2000 5–2 San Jose Sharks (2000–01) 18–11–3–1 Recap 34 L December 26, 2000 3–5 Pittsburgh Penguins (2000–01) 18–12–3–1 Recap 35 W December 29, 2000 2–0 Ottawa Senators (2000–01) 19–12–3–1 Recap 36 W December 30, 2000 2–0 @ New York Islanders (2000–01) 20–12–3–1 Recap
January: 5–7–2–0 (home: 2–3–1–0; road: 3–4–1–0) Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap 37 L January 1, 2001 3–4 Boston Bruins (2000–01) 20–13–3–1 Recap 38 T January 3, 2001 1–1 OT @ Toronto Maple Leafs (2000–01) 20–13–4–1 Recap 39 T January 5, 2001 3–3 OT Toronto Maple Leafs (2000–01) 20–13–5–1 Recap 40 W January 6, 2001 2–0 @ Nashville Predators (2000–01) 21–13–5–1 Recap 41 L January 9, 2001 1–2 @ San Jose Sharks (2000–01) 21–14–5–1 Recap 42 L January 11, 2001 2–3 @ Los Angeles Kings (2000–01) 21–15–5–1 Recap 43 W January 12, 2001 4–0 @ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2000–01) 22–15–5–1 Recap 44 W January 16, 2001 3–1 Tampa Bay Lightning (2000–01) 23–15–5–1 Recap 45 W January 19, 2001 1–0 Florida Panthers (2000–01) 24–15–5–1 Recap 46 L January 20, 2001 0–2 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (2000–01) 24–16–5–1 Recap 47 L January 23, 2001 1–2 Columbus Blue Jackets (2000–01) 24–17–5–1 Recap 48 L January 26, 2001 1–2 Boston Bruins (2000–01) 24–18–5–1 Recap 49 W January 27, 2001 2–1 @ New York Islanders (2000–01) 25–18–5–1 Recap 50 L January 31, 2001 2–5 @ Florida Panthers (2000–01) 25–19–5–1 Recap
February: 9–4–0–0 (home: 5–2–0–0; road: 4–2–0–0) Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap 51 L February 1, 2001 2–4 @ Tampa Bay Lightning (2000–01) 25–20–5–1 Recap 52 W February 6, 2001 6–3 @ New York Rangers (2000–01) 26–20–5–1 Recap 53 W February 7, 2001 2–1 OT New York Islanders (2000–01) 27–20–5–1 Recap 54 W February 10, 2001 2–1 OT @ Ottawa Senators (2000–01) 28–20–5–1 Recap 55 L February 11, 2001 3–4 Montreal Canadiens (2000–01) 28–21–5–1 Recap 56 L February 13, 2001 4–5 @ Atlanta Thrashers (2000–01) 28–22–5–1 Recap 57 W February 15, 2001 3–1 Atlanta Thrashers (2000–01) 29–22–5–1 Recap 58 W February 17, 2001 5–1 New Jersey Devils (2000–01) 30–22–5–1 Recap 59 W February 19, 2001 2–0 Ottawa Senators (2000–01) 31–22–5–1 Recap 60 W February 22, 2001 1–0 @ New Jersey Devils (2000–01) 32–22–5–1 Recap 61 L February 23, 2001 3–7 Phoenix Coyotes (2000–01) 32–23–5–1 Recap 62 W February 25, 2001 5–4 Tampa Bay Lightning (2000–01) 33–23–5–1 Recap 63 W February 27, 2001 4–1 @ Ottawa Senators (2000–01) 34–23–5–1 Recap
March: 9–5–0–0 (home: 5–1–0–0; road: 4–4–0–0) Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap 64 L March 1, 2001 0–2 @ Philadelphia Flyers (2000–01) 34–24–5–1 Recap 65 W March 3, 2001 3–2 OT @ Colorado Avalanche (2000–01) 35–24–5–1 Recap 66 L March 4, 2001 1–4 @ Dallas Stars (2000–01) 35–25–5–1 Recap 67 W March 6, 2001 3–1 @ Boston Bruins (2000–01) 36–25–5–1 Recap 68 L March 9, 2001 0–4 Edmonton Oilers (2000–01) 36–26–5–1 Recap 69 W March 14, 2001 6–3 New York Rangers (2000–01) 37–26–5–1 Recap 70 W March 16, 2001 4–2 Vancouver Canucks (2000–01) 38–26–5–1 Recap 71 W March 17, 2001 3–2 @ Washington Capitals (2000–01) 39–26–5–1 Recap 72 W March 20, 2001 3–0 Toronto Maple Leafs (2000–01) 40–26–5–1 Recap 73 L March 21, 2001 0–1 @ Carolina Hurricanes (2000–01) 40–27–5–1 Recap 74 W March 24, 2001 3–1 Carolina Hurricanes (2000–01) 41–27–5–1 Recap 75 W March 26, 2001 4–0 @ Atlanta Thrashers (2000–01) 42–27–5–1 Recap 76 L March 27, 2001 1–4 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (2000–01) 42–28–5–1 Recap 77 W March 30, 2001 4–0 Atlanta Thrashers (2000–01) 43–28–5–1 Recap
April: 3–2–0–0 (home: 1–2–0–0; road: 2–0–0–0) Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap 78 W April 1, 2001 4–2 @ Tampa Bay Lightning (2000–01) 44–28–5–1 Recap 79 W April 2, 2001 5–3 @ Florida Panthers (2000–01) 45–28–5–1 Recap 80 L April 4, 2001 2–3 Boston Bruins (2000–01) 45–29–5–1 Recap 81 W April 6, 2001 2–1 Washington Capitals (2000–01) 46–29–5–1 Recap 82 L April 8, 2001 1–2 Philadelphia Flyers (2000–01) 46–30–5–1 Recap
Legend:   Win (2 points)   Loss (0 points)   Tie (1 point)   Overtime loss (1 point)

Playoffs

2001 Stanley Cup playoffs^[5]
Eastern Conference Quarterfinals vs. (4) Philadelphia Flyers – Sabres win 4–2 Game Result Date Score Opponent Series Recap 1 W April 11, 2001 2–1 @ Philadelphia Flyers Sabres lead 1–0 Recap 2 W April 14, 2001 4–3 OT @ Philadelphia Flyers Sabres lead 2–0 Recap 3 L April 16, 2001 2–3 Philadelphia Flyers Sabres lead 2–1 Recap 4 W April 17, 2001 4–3 OT Philadelphia Flyers Sabres lead 3–1 Recap 5 L April 19, 2001 1–3 @ Philadelphia Flyers Sabres lead 3–2 Recap 6 W April 21, 2001 8–0 Philadelphia Flyers Sabres win 4–2 Recap
Eastern Conference Semifinals vs. (6) Pittsburgh Penguins – Penguins win 4–3 Game Result Date Score Opponent Series Recap 1 L April 26, 2001 0–3 Pittsburgh Penguins Penguins lead 1–0 Recap 2 L April 28, 2001 1–3 Pittsburgh Penguins Penguins lead 2–0 Recap 3 W April 30, 2001 4–1 @ Pittsburgh Penguins Penguins lead 2–1 Recap 4 W May 2, 2001 5–2 @ Pittsburgh Penguins Series tied 2–2 Recap 5 W May 5, 2001 3–2 OT Pittsburgh Penguins Sabres lead 3–2 Recap 6 L May 8, 2001 2–3 OT @ Pittsburgh Penguins Series tied 3–3 Recap 7 L May 10, 2001 2–3 OT Pittsburgh Penguins Penguins win 4–3 Recap
Legend:   Win   Loss

Player statistics

Scoring

• Position abbreviations: C = Center; D = Defense; G = Goaltender; LW = Left Wing; RW = Right Wing
• † = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Sabres only.
• ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Sabres only.

			Regular season						Playoffs
No.	Player	Pos	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIM	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIM
81^[b]	Miroslav Satan	LW	82	29	33	62	5	36	13	3	10	13	4	8
17	Jean-Pierre Dumont	RW	79	23	28	51	1	54	13	4	3	7	4	8
41	Stu Barnes	C	75	19	24	43	−2	26	13	4	4	8	0	2
77	Chris Gratton	C	82	19	21	40	0	102	13	6	4	10	0	14
93	Doug Gilmour	C	71	7	31	38	3	70	13	2	4	6	−1	12
44	Alexei Zhitnik	D	78	8	29	37	−3	75	13	1	6	7	−3	12
61	Maxim Afinogenov	RW	78	14	22	36	1	40	11	2	3	5	1	4
52	Dave Andreychuk	LW	74	20	13	33	0	32	13	1	2	3	0	4
37	Curtis Brown	C	70	10	22	32	15	34	13	5	0	5	4	8
9	Erik Rasmussen	LW	82	12	19	31	0	51	3	0	1	1	2	0
25	Vaclav Varada	RW	75	10	21	31	−2	81	13	0	4	4	2	8
5	Jason Woolley	D	67	5	18	23	0	46	8	1	5	6	1	2
45	Dmitri Kalinin	D	79	4	18	22	−2	38	13	0	2	2	5	4
4	Rhett Warrener	D	77	3	16	19	10	78	13	0	2	2	5	4
42	Richard Smehlik	D	56	3	12	15	6	4	10	0	1	1	3	4
29	Vladimir Tsyplakov	LW	36	7	7	14	2	10	9	1	0	1	1	4
3	James Patrick	D	54	4	9	13	9	12	13	1	2	3	0	2
57	Steve Heinze†	RW	14	5	7	12	6	8	13	3	4	7	0	10
55	Denis Hamel	LW	41	8	3	11	−2	22	—	—	—	—	—	—
74	Jay McKee	D	74	1	10	11	9	76	8	1	0	1	3	6
32	Rob Ray	RW	63	4	6	10	2	210	3	0	0	0	0	2
28	Donald Audette†	RW	12	2	6	8	1	12	13	3	6	9	−1	4
26	Eric Boulton	LW	35	1	2	3	−1	94	—	—	—	—	—	—
39	Dominik Hasek	G	67	0	3	3		22	13	0	0	0		14
16	Chris Taylor	C	14	0	2	2	1	6	—	—	—	—	—	—
43	Martin Biron	G	18	0	0	0		0	—	—	—	—	—	—
51	Brian Campbell	D	8	0	0	0	−2	2	—	—	—	—	—	—
35	Mika Noronen	G	2	0	0	0		0	—	—	—	—	—	—
34	Peter Skudra†‡	G	1	0	0	0		0	—	—	—	—	—	—

Goaltending

• † = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Sabres only.
• ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Sabres only.

		Regular season										Playoffs
No.	Player	GP	W	L	T	SA	GA	GAA	SV%	SO	TOI	GP	W	L	SA	GA	GAA	SV%	SO	TOI
39	Dominik Hasek	67	37	24	4	1726	137	2.11	.921	11	3904	13	7	6	347	29	2.09	.916	1	833
43	Martin Biron	18	7	7	1	427	39	2.55	.909	2	918	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
35	Mika Noronen	2	2	0	0	39	5	2.78	.872	0	108	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
34	Peter Skudra†‡	1	0	0	0	0	0	0.00		0	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

Awards and records

Awards

Type	Award/honor	Recipient	Ref
League (annual)	NHL First All-Star Team	Dominik Hasek (Goaltender)	^[6]
	Vezina Trophy	Dominik Hasek	^[7]
	William M. Jennings Trophy	Dominik Hasek	^[8]
League (in-season)	NHL All-Star Game selection	Dominik Hasek	^[9]

Milestones

Milestone	Player	Date	Ref
500th game played	Dominik Hasek	February 25, 2001	^[10]

Transactions

The Sabres were involved in the following transactions from June 11, 2000, the day after the deciding game of the 2000 Stanley Cup Finals, through June 9, 2001, the day of the deciding game of the 2001 Stanley Cup Finals.^[11]

Trades

Date	Details		Ref
June 23, 2000	To Buffalo Sabres Past considerations^[c]	To Columbus Blue Jackets Matt Davidson Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre 5th-round pick in 2000 5th-round pick in 2001	^[12]
June 25, 2000	To Buffalo Sabres 5th-round pick in 2001	To Montreal Canadiens 6th-round pick in 2000	^[11]
June 25, 2000	To Buffalo Sabres 7th-round pick in 2000	To Tampa Bay Lightning 7th-round pick in 2001 9th-round pick in 2001	^[11]
June 25, 2000	To Buffalo Sabres 8th-round pick in 2000	To Calgary Flames 8th-round pick in 2001	^[11]
March 13, 2001	To Buffalo Sabres Donald Audette	To Atlanta Thrashers Rights to Kamil Piros 4th-round pick in 2001	^[13]
March 13, 2001	To Buffalo Sabres Steve Heinze	To Columbus Blue Jackets 3rd-round pick in 2001	^[13]

Players acquired

Date	Player	Former team	Term	Via	Ref
July 13, 2000 (2000-07-13)	Dave Andreychuk	Colorado Avalanche	1-year	Free agency	^[14]
October 6, 2000 (2000-10-06)	Peter Skudra	Boston Bruins		Waivers	^[15]

Players lost

Date	Player	New team	Via^[d]	Ref
June 23, 2000 (2000-06-23)	Dwayne Roloson	Columbus Blue Jackets	Expansion draft	^[17]
	Geoff Sanderson	Columbus Blue Jackets	Expansion draft	^[17]
July 1, 2000 (2000-07-01)	Craig Fisher^[e]		Contract expiration (VI)	^[16]
	Mike Zanutto^[f]		Contract expiration (UFA)	^[16]
July 26, 2000 (2000-07-26)	Domenic Pittis	Edmonton Oilers	Free agency (VI)	^[20]
August 9, 2000 (2000-08-09)	Jason Cipolla	Rochester Americans (AHL)	Free agency (UFA)	^[21]
August 29, 2000 (2000-08-29)	Mark Dutiaume	B.C. Icemen (UHL)	Free agency (UFA)	^[22]
September 8, 2000 (2000-09-08)	Randy Cunneyworth		Retirement (III)	^[23]
September 10, 2000 (2000-09-10)	Paul Kruse	San Jose Sharks	Free agency (UFA)	^[24]
September 18, 2000 (2000-09-18)	Scott Nichol	Detroit Vipers (IHL)	Free agency (VI)	^[25]
September 23, 2000 (2000-09-23)	Daniel Bienvenue	El Paso Buzzards (WPHL)	Free agency (UFA)	^[26]
November 3, 2000 (2000-11-03)	Dixon Ward	Boston Bruins	Free agency (III)	^[27]
November 14, 2000 (2000-11-14)	Peter Skudra	Boston Bruins	Waivers	^[28]
May 12, 2001 (2001-05-12)	Doug Gilmour		Retirement^[g]	^[30]

Signings

Date	Player	Term	Contract type	Ref
July 12, 2000 (2000-07-12)	Rob Ray	1-year	Re-signing	^[31]
July 20, 2000 (2000-07-20)	Alexei Zhitnik	1-year	Re-signing	^[32]
July 28, 2000 (2000-07-28)	Chris Taylor	1-year	Re-signing	^[33]
August 1, 2000 (2000-08-01)	Jason Woolley	1-year	Re-signing	^[34]
August 23, 2000 (2000-08-23)	James Patrick	1-year	Re-signing	^[35]
September 7, 2000 (2000-09-07)	Vladimir Tsyplakov	1-year	Re-signing	^[36]
	Jason Woolley	multi-year	Extension	^[36]
September 8, 2000 (2000-09-08)	Denis Hamel		Re-signing	^[11]
	Jason Holland		Re-signing	^[37]
	Erik Rasmussen		Re-signing	^[37]
November 7, 2000 (2000-11-07)	Martin Biron		Re-signing	^[38]

Draft picks

Buffalo's draft picks at the 2000 NHL Entry Draft held at the Pengrowth Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta.^[39]

Round	#	Player	Nationality	College/Junior/Club team (League)
1	15	Artyom Kryukov	Russia	Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (Russia)
2	48	Gerard Dicaire	Canada	Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL)
4	111	Ghyslain Rousseau	Canada	Baie-Comeau Drakkar (QMJHL)
5	149	Denis Denisov	Russia	CSKA Moscow Jr. (Russia)
7	213	Vasili Bizyayev	Russia	CSKA Moscow Jr. (Russia)
7	220	Paul Gaustad	United States	Portland Winterhawks (WHL)
8	258	Sean McMorrow	Canada	Kitchener Rangers (OHL)
9	277	Ryan Courtney	Canada	Windsor Spitfires (OHL)

Farm teams

Rochester Americans finished with a record of 46–22–9–3. They were swept out of the playoffs in the first round.

See also

• 2000–01 NHL season

Notes

1. Michael Peca, the previous captain, sat out the entire season due to a contract dispute.
2. Satan wore number 18 through November 18.
3. Columbus agreed to select Dwayne Roloson and Geoff Sanderson in the Expansion Draft.^[11]
4. In parentheses is the player's free agency group on July 1 if applicable.^[16]
5. Fisher suffered a career-ending concussion during the 1999–2000 season.^[18]
6. Zanutto, who did not play during the 1999–2000 season, did not play professionally in 2000–01.^[19]
7. Gilmour would un-retire five months later to sign with the Montreal Canadiens on October 6, 2001.^[29]

References

• "Buffalo Sabres 2000-01 roster and scoring statistics at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
• "2000-01 Buffalo Sabres Roster, Stats, Injuries, Scores, Results, Shootouts". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved April 7, 2023.

1. "2000-01 NHL Summary".
2. "2000-2001 Division Standings". NHL.com. Retrieved July 15, 2012.
3. "2000–2001 Standings by Conference". National Hockey League. Retrieved July 15, 2012.
4. Archived at Ghostarchive and the : "Darius Kasparaitis throws puck in the stands late in 3rd period of a tied Game 7 Playoff Game". YouTube.
5. "2000-01 Buffalo Sabres Schedule". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
6. "Postseason All-Star Teams". records.nhl.com. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
7. "Vezina Trophy". records.nhl.com. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
8. "William M. Jennings Trophy". records.nhl.com. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
9. "NHL All-Star Game Historical Summaries - 2001". NHL.com. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
10. "Sabres 5, Lightning 4". AP NEWS. February 25, 2001. Retrieved April 19, 2023. Dominik Hasek, playing in his 500th NHL game
11. "Hockey Transactions Search Results". www.prosportstransactions.com. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
12. "Columbus Blue Jackets - All-Time Transactions". Columbus Blue Jackets. Retrieved May 5, 2023. June 23, 2000 - Acquired D Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre, RW Matt Davidson, a fifth round pick in the 2000 Entry Draft and a fifth round pick in the 2001 Draft from Buffalo for past considerations.
13. . Buffalo Sabres. March 13, 2001. Archived from the original on June 19, 2001. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
14. . Buffalo Sabres. July 13, 2000. Archived from the original on September 4, 2001. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
15. "Sabres sign backup goalie - UPI Archives". UPI. October 6, 2000. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
16. . tsn.ca. July 1, 2000. Archived from the original on August 15, 2000. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
17. "NHL Expansion Draft List - UPI Archives". UPI. June 23, 2000. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
18. Fitz-Gerald, Sean (December 4, 2015). "The coach and the concussion that won't go away". thestar.com. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
19. Mike Zanutto career statistics at EliteProspects.com, retrieved May 5, 2023
20. "SPORTS TRANSACTIONS FOR WEDNESDAY, JULY 26+ - UPI Archives". UPI. August 2, 2000. Retrieved May 5, 2023. Edmonton Oilers -- Signed center Domenic Pittis to a two-year contract
21. . Rochester Americans. August 9, 2000. Archived from the original on December 18, 2000. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
22. "Headlines for August 30, 2000". OurSports Central. Retrieved May 5, 2023. Icemen re-sign Dutiaume, add NHL draftee to blue line corps - Press & Sun-Bulletin
23. . Buffalo Sabres. September 8, 2000. Archived from the original on June 19, 2001. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
24. "SPORTS TRANSACTIONS FOR SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 10+ - UPI Archives". UPI. September 10, 2000. Retrieved May 5, 2023. San Jose Sharks -- Signed unrestricted free agent left wing Paul Kruse
25. . TSN.ca. Archived from the original on January 5, 2003. Retrieved May 5, 2023. 18-Sep-00: Assigned to Detroit (IHL).
26. "TRANSACTIONS". The New York Times. September 24, 2000. Retrieved May 5, 2023. EL PASO BUZZARDS--Signed F Daniel Bienvenue
27. "SPORTS TRANSACTIONS FOR FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 3+ - UPI Archives". UPI. November 4, 2000. Retrieved May 5, 2023. Boston Bruins -- Agreed to terms with center-right wing Dixon Ward on a one-year contract.
28. "Skudra claimed by Bruins - UPI Archives". UPI. November 14, 2000. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
29. "HOCKEY; Montreal Gets Gilmour". The New York Times. October 7, 2001. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
30. "Sabres Gilmour announces retirement - UPI Archives". UPI. May 12, 2001. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
31. . Buffalo Sabres. July 12, 2000. Archived from the original on June 19, 2001. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
32. . Buffalo Sabres. July 20, 2000. Archived from the original on June 19, 2001. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
33. . Buffalo Sabres. July 28, 2000. Archived from the original on June 19, 2001. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
34. . Buffalo Sabres. August 1, 2000. Archived from the original on June 19, 2001. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
35. . Buffalo Sabres. August 23, 2000. Archived from the original on September 4, 2001. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
36. "TRANSACTIONS". The New York Times. September 8, 2000. Retrieved May 5, 2023. BUFFALO SABRES--Signed F Vladimir Tsyplakov to a one-year contract and D Jason Woolley to a multiyear contract extension.
37. "TRANSACTIONS". The New York Times. September 9, 2000. Retrieved May 5, 2023. BUFFALO SABRES--Re-signed F Erik Rasmussen and D Jason Holland.
38. "Sabres re-sign Biron - UPI Archives". UPI. November 8, 2000. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
39. "2000 NHL Entry Draft Picks at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved April 19, 2023.