2011–12 Buffalo Sabres season

The 2011–12 Buffalo Sabres season was the 42nd season of operation (41st season of play) for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on May 22, 1970.[1] Their season began October 7, 2011 against the Anaheim Ducks in Helsinki, where the team named Jason Pominville the 13th full-time captain in team history.[2] Pominville filled the vacancy left by Craig Rivet, who was claimed via waivers by the Columbus Blue Jackets during the previous season.

2011–12 Buffalo Sabres
Division	3rd Northeast
Conference	9th Eastern
2011–12 record	39–32–11
Home record	21–12–8
Road record	18–20–3
Goals for	218
Goals against	230
Team information
General manager	Darcy Regier
Coach	Lindy Ruff
Captain	Jason Pominville
Alternate captains	Derek Roy Drew Stafford Thomas Vanek Paul Gaustad (Oct.–Feb.)
Arena	First Niagara Center
Average attendance	18,272
Team leaders
Goals	Jason Pominville (30)
Assists	Jason Pominville (43)
Points	Jason Pominville (73)
Penalty minutes	Patrick Kaleta (116)
Plus/minus	Tyler Ennis (+11)
Wins	Ryan Miller (30)
Goals against average	Drew MacIntyre (1.38)

Off-season

The Sabres signed several free agents. This was due to the new ownership giving permission to the managing staff to bid for free agents. The previous ownership allowed free agents to leave rather than pay for free agent contracts. The Sabres home also underwent a makeover. The interior of the arena was painted Sabres colors, blue and gold. The players locker rooms also received an extensive multimillion-dollar upgrade.[3] The naming rights were transferred from HSBC to First Niagara Bank and the arena took on the name First Niagara Center. [4]

Regular season

The Sabres participated in the 2011 NHL Premiere, playing their first two regular season games in Europe. After a 2–0 start in Europe, the Sabres returned home and continued to play well. They had a record of 10–5 going into a November 12 game against the Boston Bruins,[5] where, in the first period, Ryan Miller left his crease to play a puck and was hit by the Bruins' Milan Lucic. Miller suffered a concussion and neck injury on the hit and would go on to miss nine games. Lucic was penalized for charging on the play but was not suspended or fined by the League.[6] During the middle part of the season, injuries plagued the team. By the All-Star break the Sabres sat in 14th place in the Eastern Conference and had 225 man-games lost to injury.[7] Jason Pominville was the only Sabre named to the All-Star Game roster.[8] Luke Adam was one of 12 rookies selected to participate in the All-Star Skills Competition.[9]

During the 33 game stretch from the Bruins game (November 12) to January 24, the Sabres had a record of 9–19–5. The poor play included a team record 12-game road losing streak and a run of five consecutive regulation loses on a single road trip.[10]

Things then began to turn around with a shootout win at the New Jersey Devils on January 24, the final game before the All-Star break.[11] The Sabres then went on an 18–5–5 run, going from 14th in the Eastern Conference back into the eighth and final playoff position on March 24 with a 3–1 win at home against the Minnesota Wild.[12] On March 27, the Sabres faced the Washington Capitals for a pivotal game for the final playoff position. The teams entered the game tied at 84 points, with the Capitals holding the tie breaker advantage. The Sabres won the game by a convincing 5–1 score.[13] In the second period of the game, the Sabres were ahead 3–1 and down injuries to two defensemen. Christian Ehrhoff and Andrej Sekera were both injured in the period and the Capitals were going on the power play when Robyn Regehr took a hooking penalty. The penalty left the Sabres with only three available defensemen. On the ensuing power play, Alexander Ovechkin bobbled a pass at the blue line, where Jason Pominville took the puck and scored a short-handed goal to put the Sabres up 4–1. Ryan Miller made 44 saves, improving to a personal record of 8–0–2 in his last ten games and 14–1–3 in 18 games. The win put Buffalo in sole possession of the eighth playoff spot and even in games with Washington.

The Sabres' position in eighth place was short lived, however, due to two consecutive regulation losses, first at home to Pittsburgh and then at Toronto.[14][15] At home on the back end of the home and home with Toronto, the Sabres fell behind 3–0 in the first period and 5–3 in the third. The Sabres then rallied to score two goals in the final five minutes of the third to tie the game at five. In overtime, Dion Phaneuf took a delay of game penalty, where Derek Roy ended the game on the ensuing power play with his second goal of the game. The win pulled Buffalo even in points with Washington at 88.[16] Washington still held the tie breaker advantage, with each team having two games left to play.

The Sabres would go on to pick up only one point in their final two games, ultimately failing to make the playoffs.[17]

On April 3, 2012, following their final regular season home game, the Sabres announced a new record for average paid attendance of 18,272 per home game.[18]

Playoffs

The Sabres attempted to qualify for the playoffs. The attempt fell three points short and the Sabres finished in ninth place in the Eastern Conference.

Standings

Northeast Division

Pos	Team	GP	W	L	OTL	ROW	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	y – Boston Bruins	82	49	29	4	40	269	202	+67	102
2	x – Ottawa Senators	82	41	31	10	35	249	240	+9	92
3	Buffalo Sabres	82	39	32	11	32	218	230	−12	89
4	Toronto Maple Leafs	82	35	37	10	31	231	264	−33	80
5	Montreal Canadiens	82	31	35	16	26	212	226	−14	78

Source: National Hockey League
x – Clinched playoff spot; y – Clinched division.

Eastern Conference

Pos	Div	Team	GP	W	L	OTL	ROW	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	AT	z – New York Rangers	82	51	24	7	47	226	187	+39	109
2	NE	y – Boston Bruins	82	49	29	4	40	269	202	+67	102
3	SE	y – Florida Panthers	82	38	26	18	32	203	227	−24	94
4	AT	x – Pittsburgh Penguins	82	51	25	6	42	282	221	+61	108
5	AT	x – Philadelphia Flyers	82	47	26	9	43	264	232	+32	103
6	AT	x – New Jersey Devils	82	48	28	6	36	228	209	+19	102
7	SE	x – Washington Capitals	82	42	32	8	38	222	230	−8	92
8	NE	x – Ottawa Senators	82	41	31	10	35	249	240	+9	92
9	NE	Buffalo Sabres	82	39	32	11	32	218	230	−12	89
10	SE	Tampa Bay Lightning	82	38	36	8	35	235	281	−46	84
11	SE	Winnipeg Jets	82	37	35	10	33	225	246	−21	84
12	SE	Carolina Hurricanes	82	33	33	16	32	213	243	−30	82
13	NE	Toronto Maple Leafs	82	35	37	10	31	231	264	−33	80
14	AT	New York Islanders	82	34	37	11	27	203	255	−52	79
15	NE	Montreal Canadiens	82	31	35	16	26	212	226	−14	78

Source: National Hockey League
x – Clinched playoff spot; y – Clinched division; z – Clinched conference.

Schedule and results

Pre-season

2011 Pre-season Game log: 5–1–1 (Home: 2–0–0 ; Road: 3–1–1)

#	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	OT	Decision	Record	Recap
1	September 19	Carolina Hurricanes	1–3	Buffalo Sabres		Enroth	1–0–0
2	September 21	Buffalo Sabres	3–1	Montreal Canadiens		Miller	2–0–0
3	September 23	Buffalo Sabres	2–1	Toronto Maple Leafs		Miller	3–0–0
4	September 24	Toronto Maple Leafs	2–3	Buffalo Sabres		Enroth	4–0–0
5	September 25	Buffalo Sabres	1–4	Columbus Blue Jackets		Miller	4–1–0
6	September 30	Buffalo Sabres	4–5	Washington Capitals	SO	Miller	4–1–1
7	October 4	Buffalo Sabres	8–3	Adler Mannheim		Enroth	5–1–1

Regular season

2011–12 Game Log
October: 6–4–0 (Home: 2–3–0; Road: 4–1–0) Game October Opponent Score Decision Location/Attendance Record 1 7 Anaheim Ducks 4–1 Miller Helsinki, Finland/13,349 1–0–0 2 8 @ Los Angeles Kings 4–2 Miller Berlin, Germany/14,300 2–0–0 3 14 Carolina Hurricanes 4–3 Miller First Niagara Center/18,690 2–1–0 4 15 @ Pittsburgh Penguins 3–2 Enroth Consol Energy Center/18,562 3–1–0 5 18 @ Montreal Canadiens 3–1 Miller Bell Centre/21,273 4–1–0 6 20 @ Florida Panthers 3–0 Miller Bank Atlantic Center/14,811 5–1–0 7 22 @ Tampa Bay Lightning 3–0 Miller St. Pete Times Forum/19,204 5–2–0 8 25 Tampa Bay Lightning 4–3 Miller First Niagara Center/18,690 5–3–0 9 27 Columbus Blue Jackets 4–2 Enroth First Niagara Center/18,690 6–3–0 10 29 Florida Panthers 3–2 Miller First Niagara Center/18,690 6–4–0
November: 7–6–1 (Home: 4–4–1; Road: 3–2–0) Game November Opponent Score Decision Location/Attendance Record 11 2 Philadelphia Flyers 3–2 Miller First Niagara Center/18,299 6–5–0 12 4 Calgary Flames 2–1 Enroth First Niagara Center/18,690 7–5–0 13 5 @ Ottawa Senators 3–2 (SO) Enroth Scotiabank Place/18,805 8–5–0 14 8 Winnipeg Jets 6–5 (OT) Miller First Niagara Center/18,690 9–5–0 15 11 Ottawa Senators 5–1 Enroth First Niagara Center/18,690 10–5–0 16 12 @ Boston Bruins 6–2 Miller TD Garden/17,565 10–6–0 17 14 @ Montreal Canadiens 3–2 (SO) Enroth Bell Centre 11–6–0 18 16 New Jersey Devils 5–3 Enroth First Niagara Center/18,690 11–7–0 19 18 @ Carolina Hurricanes 1–0 Enroth RBC Center/15,072 12–7–0 20 19 Phoenix Coyotes 4–2 Enroth First Niagara Center/18,690 12–8–0 21 23 Boston Bruins 4–3 (SO) Enroth First Niagara Center/18,690 12–8–1 22 25 @ Columbus Blue Jackets 5–1 Enroth Nationwide Arena/16,705 12–9–1 23 26 Washington Capitals 5–1 Enroth First Niagara Center/18,690 13–9–1 24 29 New York Islanders 2–1 Enroth First Niagara Center/18,690 13–10–1
December: 4–7–3 (Home: 3–2–3; Road: 1–5–0) Game December Opponent Score Decision Location/Attendance Record 25 2 Detroit Red Wings 4–1 Enroth First Niagara Center/18,690 13–11–1 26 3 @ Nashville Predators 3–2 Miller Bridgestone Arena/17,113 14–11–1 27 7 Philadelphia Flyers 5–4 (OT) Miller First Niagara Center/18,690 14–11–2 28 9 Florida Panthers 2–1 (OT) Miller First Niagara Center/18,690 15–11–2 29 10 New York Rangers 4–1 Enroth First Niagara Center/18,690 15–12–2 30 13 Ottawa Senators 3–2 (OT) Miller First Niagara Center/18,690 15–12–3 31 16 Toronto Maple Leafs 5–4 Miller First Niagara Center/18,690 16–12–3 32 17 @ Pittsburgh Penguins 8–3 Enroth Consol Energy Center/18,584 16–13–3 33 20 @ Ottawa Senators 4–1 Miller Scotiabank Place/18,474 16–14–3 34 22 @ Toronto Maple Leafs 3–2 Miller Air Canada Centre/19,473 16–15–3 35 26 Washington Capitals 4–2 Miller First Niagara Center/18,690 17–15–3 36 28 @ New Jersey Devils 3–1 Miller Prudential Center/17,625 17–16–3 37 30 @ Washington Capitals 3–1 Miller Verizon Center/18,506 17–17–3 38 31 Ottawa Senators 3–2 (SO) Enroth First Niagara Center/18,690 17–17–4
January: 4–7–1 (Home: 2–0–1; Road: 2–7–0) Game January Opponent Score Decision Location/Attendance Record 39 3 Edmonton Oilers 4–3 Miller First Niagara Center/18,690 18–17–4 40 6 @ Carolina Hurricanes 4–2 Miller RBC Center/16,095 18–18–4 41 7 Winnipeg Jets 2–1 (OT) Enroth First Niagara Center/18,690 18–18–5 42 10 @ Toronto Maple Leafs 2–0 Miller Air Canada Centre/19,431 18–19–5 43 13 Toronto Maple Leafs 3–2 Miller First Niagara Center/18,690 19–19–5 44 14 @ New York Islanders 4–2 Enroth Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum/13,848 19–20–5 45 16 @ Detroit Red Wings 5–0 Miller Joe Louis Arena/20,066 19–21–5 46 18 @ Chicago Blackhawks 6–2 Enroth United Center/21,114 19–22–5 47 19 @ Winnipeg Jets 4–1 Miller MTS Centre/15,004 19–23–5 48 21 @ St. Louis Blues 4–2 Miller Scottrade Center/19,150 19–24–5 49 24 @ New Jersey Devils 2–1 (SO) Miller Prudential Center/13,735 20–24–5 50 31 @ Montreal Canadiens 3–1 Miller Bell Centre/21,273 21–24–5
February: 7–3–3 (Home: 5–2–2; Road: 2–1–1) Game February Opponent Score Decision Location/Attendance Record 51 1 New York Rangers 1–0 (SO) Miller First Niagara Center/18,690 21–24–6 52 4 @ New York Islanders 4–3 (SO) Miller Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum/14,618 22–24–6 53 8 Boston Bruins 6–0 Miller First Niagara Center/18,690 23–24–6 54 10 Dallas Stars 3–2 (SO) Miller First Niagara Center/18,690 24–24–6 55 11 Tampa Bay Lightning 2–1 Miller First Niagara Center/18,690 24–25–6 56 14 New Jersey Devils 4–1 Miller First Niagara Center/18,690 24–26–6 57 16 @ Philadelphia Flyers 7–2 Enroth Wells Fargo Center/19,725 24–27–6 58 17 Montreal Canadiens 4–3 (SO) Miller First Niagara Center/18,690 24–27–7 59 19 Pittsburgh Penguins 6–2 Miller First Niagara Center/18,690 25–27–7 60 21 New York Islanders 2–1 Miller First Niagara Center/18,690 26–27–7 61 24 Boston Bruins 2–1 (SO) Miller First Niagara Center/18,690 27–27–7 62 25 @ New York Rangers 3–2 (OT) Miller Madison Square Garden/18,200 27–27–8 63 29 @ Anaheim Ducks 2–0 Miller Honda Center/14,972 28–27–8
March: 10–4–2 (Home: 4–1–1; Road: 6–3–1) Game March Opponent Score Decision Location/Attendance Record 64 1 @ San Jose Sharks 1–0 Miller HP Pavilion/17,562 29–27–8 65 3 @ Vancouver Canucks 5–3 Miller Rogers Arena/18,890 30–27–8 66 5 @ Winnipeg Jets 1–3 Miller MTS Centre/15,004 30–28–8 67 7 Carolina Hurricanes 3–2 (OT) Miller First Niagara Center/18,690 31–28–8 68 8 @ Boston Bruins 3–1 Enroth TD Garden/17,565 31–29–8 69 10 @ Ottawa Senators 4–3 (SO) Miller Scotiabank Place/19,951 32–29–8 70 12 Montreal Canadiens 3–2 (OT) Miller First Niagara Center/18,690 33–29–8 71 14 Colorado Avalanche 5–4 (SO) Miller First Niagara Center/18,690 33–29–9 72 17 @ Florida Panthers 3–2 (SO) Miller BankAtlantic Center/16,827 33–29–10 73 19 @ Tampa Bay Lightning 7–3 Miller St. Pete Times Forum/17,212 34–29–10 74 21 Montreal Canadiens 3–0 Miller First Niagara Center/18,690 35–29–10 75 23 @ New York Rangers 4–1 Miller Madison Square Garden/18,200 36–29–10 76 24 Minnesota Wild 3–1 Miller First Niagara Center/18,690 37–29–10 77 27 @ Washington Capitals 5–1 Miller Verizon Center/18,506 38–29–10 78 30 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–5 Miller First Niagara Center/18,690 38–30–10 79 31 @ Toronto Maple Leafs 3–4 Miller Air Canada Centre/19,446 38–31–10
April: 1–1–1 (Home: 1–0–0; Road: 0–1–1) Game April Opponent Score Decision Location/Attendance Record 80 3 Toronto Maple Leafs 6–5 OT Miller First Niagara Center/18,690 39–31–10 81 5 @ Philadelphia Flyers 1–2 Miller Wells Fargo Center/19,873 39–32–10 82 7 @ Boston Bruins 3–4 SO Enroth TD Garden/17,565 39–32–11
2011–2012 Schedule

Player statistics

Skaters

Regular season Player GP G A Pts +/− PIM Jason Pominville 82 30 43 73 −7 12 Thomas Vanek 78 26 35 61 −6 52 Drew Stafford 80 20 30 50 5 46 Derek Roy 80 17 27 44 −7 54 Tyler Ennis 48 15 19 34 11 14 Christian Ehrhoff 66 5 27 32 −2 47 Nathan Gerbe 62 6 19 25 2 32 Ville Leino 71 8 17 25 −2 16 Jordan Leopold 79 10 14 24 4 28 Brad Boyes 65 8 15 23 2 6 Tyler Myers 55 8 15 23 5 33 Luke Adam 52 10 10 20 −6 14 Paul Gaustad^‡ 56 7 10 17 −1 70 Andrej Sekera 69 3 10 13 3 18 Marcus Foligno 14 6 7 13 6 9 Marc-Andre Gragnani^‡ 44 1 11 12 10 20 Patrick Kaleta 63 5 5 10 −5 116 Jochen Hecht 22 4 4 8 1 6 Matt Ellis 60 3 5 8 −3 25 Alexander Sulzer^† 15 3 5 8 2 6 Corey Tropp 34 3 5 8 0 20 Cody Hodgson^† 20 3 5 8 −7 2 Brayden McNabb 25 1 7 8 −1 15 Zack Kassian^‡ 27 3 4 7 −1 20 Robyn Regehr 76 1 4 5 −12 56 Mike Weber 51 1 4 5 −19 64 Cody McCormick 50 1 3 4 −7 56 Paul Szczechura 9 1 3 4 0 4 T. J. Brennan 11 1 0 1 0 6 Travis Turnbull 3 1 0 1 0 5 Colin Stuart 2 0 0 0 −3 0 Joe Finley 5 0 0 0 −3 12 Derek Whitmore 2 0 0 0 0 0

Goaltenders

Regular season

Player	GP	TOI	W	L	OT	GA	GAA	SA	SV%	SO	G	A	PIM
Ryan Miller	61	3536	31	21	7	150	2.55	1788	.916	6	0	0	0
Jhonas Enroth	26	1399	8	11	4	63	2.70	756	.917	1	0	0	2
Drew MacIntyre	2	43	0	0	0	1	1.40	18	.944	0	0	0	0

^†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Sabres. Stats reflect time with Sabres only.
^‡Traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with Sabres only.

Awards and records

Awards

Regular Season

Player	Award	Awarded
Ryan Miller[19]	NHL First Star of the Week	March 5, 2012
Ryan Miller[20]	NHL Second Star of the Week	March 26, 2012
Marcus Foligno[21]	NHL Rookie of the Month	March 2012
Ryan Miller[22]	NHL Third Star of the Month	April 2, 2012

Records

On October 25, 2011, Brad Boyes played in his 500th consecutive NHL game, becoming the 20th player in NHL history to reach that mark. This streak ended at 513 when he was injured in the November 23 game.[23][24]

Milestones

Regular Season

Player	Milestone	Reached
Brad Boyes	200th Career NHL Assist	October 7, 2011
Ryan Miller	400th Career NHL Game	October 7, 2011
Drew Stafford	200th Career NHL Point	October 15, 2011
Brad Boyes	500th Career NHL Game	October 22, 2011
Thomas Vanek	400th Career NHL Point	October 27, 2011
Corey Tropp	1st Career NHL Game	November 4, 2011
	1st Career NHL Goal 1st Career NHL Point	November 8, 2011
	1st Career NHL Assist	November 11, 2011
Nathan Gerbe	100th Career NHL Game	November 12, 2011
T. J. Brennan	1st Career NHL Game 1st Career NHL Goal 1st Career NHL Point	November 23, 2011
Zack Kassian	1st Career NHL Game 1st Career NHL Assist 1st Career NHL Point	November 25, 2011
	1st Career NHL Goal	November 26, 2011
Brayden McNabb	1st Career NHL Game	November 26, 2011
Joe Finley	1st Career NHL Game	December 2, 2011
Derek Roy	400th Career NHL Point	December 2, 2011
Tyler Ennis	100th Career NHL Game	December 2, 2011
Drew Stafford	100th Career NHL Goal	December 16, 2011
Derek Roy	500th Career NHL Game	December 16, 2011
Thomas Vanek	500th Career NHL Game	December 16, 2011
	200th Career NHL Assist	December 20, 2011
Derek Whitmore	1st Career NHL Game	December 20, 2011
Marcus Foligno	1st Career NHL Game	December 20, 2011
Brayden McNabb	1st Career NHL Goal 1st Career NHL Point	December 26, 2011
	1st Career NHL Assist	December 31, 2011
Cody McCormick	300th Career NHL Game	January 3, 2012
Jason Pominville	500th Career NHL Game	January 16, 2012
Mike Weber	100th Career NHL Game	January 16, 2012
Jason Pominville	400th Career NHL Point	January 18, 2012
Ryan Miller	25th Career NHL Shutout	February 8, 2012
Tyler Myers	200th Career NHL Game 100th Career NHL Point	February 17, 2012
Ville Leino	200th Career NHL Game	February 25, 2012
Marcus Foligno	1st Career NHL Goal 1st Career NHL Point	March 10, 2012
	1st Career NHL Assist	March 12, 2012
Travis Turnbull	1st Career NHL Game	March 21, 2012
Christian Ehrhoff	200th Career NHL Assist	March 21, 2012
Travis Turnbull	1st Career NHL Goal 1st Career NHL Point	March 23, 2012
Robyn Regehr	900th Career NHL Game	April 3, 2012
Andrej Sekera	300th Career NHL Game	April 3, 2012

Final roster

Updated April 7, 2012[25]

-->

#	Nat	Player	Pos	S/G	Age	Acquired	Birthplace
22		Brad Boyes	RW	R	38	2011	Mississauga, Ontario
33		T. J. Brennan	D	L	31	2007	Willingsboro, New Jersey
10		Christian Ehrhoff	D	L	38	2011	Moers, West Germany
37		Matt Ellis	C	L	39	2008	Welland, Ontario
63		Tyler Ennis	LW	L	31	2008	Edmonton, Alberta
1		Jhonas Enroth	G	L	32	2006	Stockholm, Sweden
82		Marcus Foligno	LW	L	29	2009	Buffalo, New York
42		Nathan Gerbe	C	L	33	2005	Oxford, Michigan
55		Jochen Hecht	LW	L	43	2002	Mannheim, West Germany
19		Cody Hodgson	C	R	30	2012	Toronto, Ontario
36		Patrick Kaleta	RW	R	34	2004	Buffalo, New York
23		Ville Leino	LW	L	37	2011	Savonlinna, Finland
3		Jordan Leopold	D	L	40	2010	Golden Valley, Minnesota
8		Cody McCormick	C	R	37	2009	London, Ontario
81		Brayden McNabb	D	L	30	2009	Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
30		Ryan Miller	G	L	40	1999	East Lansing, Michigan
57		Tyler Myers	D	R	31	2008	Katy, Texas
29		Jason Pominville (C)	RW	R	38	2001	Repentigny, Quebec
24		Robyn Regehr	D	L	40	2011	Recife, Brazil
9		Derek Roy (A)	C	L	37	2001	Ottawa, Ontario
44		Andrej Sekera	D	L	34	2004	Bojnice, Czechoslovakia
21		Drew Stafford (A)	RW	R	35	2004	Milwaukee, Wisconsin
52		Alexander Sulzer	D	R	36	2012	Kaufbeuren, West Germany
26		Thomas Vanek (A)	LW	R	37	2003	Baden bei Wien, Austria
6		Mike Weber	D	L	33	2006	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Transactions

The Sabres have been involved in the following transactions during the 2011–12 season:

Trades

Date	Details
June 25, 2011[26]	To Calgary Flames Chris Butler Paul Byron	To Buffalo Sabres Ales Kotalik Robyn Regehr 2nd-round pick in 2012
June 29, 2011[27]	To New York Islanders 4th-round pick in 2012	To Buffalo Sabres Christian Ehrhoff[lower-alpha 1]
June 29, 2011[28]	To Chicago Blackhawks Steve Montador[lower-alpha 2]	To Buffalo Sabres Conditional 7th-round pick in 2012[lower-alpha 3]
February 27, 2012[29]	To Nashville Predators Paul Gaustad 4th-round pick in 2013	Buffalo Sabres 1st-round pick in 2012
February 27, 2012[29]	To Vancouver Canucks Marc-Andre Gragnani Zack Kassian	To Buffalo Sabres Cody Hodgson Alexander Sulzer

Trade of negotiating rights to. Trade of negotiating rights to. Condition satisfied. Free agents signed Player Former team Contract terms Ville Leino[30] Philadelphia Flyers 6 years, $27 million Drew MacIntyre[31] Hamilton Bulldogs 1 year, $525,000 Michael Ryan[32] Adirondack Phantoms 1 year, $525,000 Paul Szczechura[32] Norfolk Admirals 1 year, $525,000 Jonathan Parker[33] Prince Albert Raiders 3-years, $1.605 million entry-level contract Joe Finley[34] Rochester Americans 3 years, $1.575 million Phil Varone[35] Rochester Americans 3 years, $1.71 million entry-level contract Brian Flynn[36] University of Maine 1 year, $925,000 entry level contract

Free agents lost Player New team Contract terms Tim Connolly[37] Toronto Maple Leafs 2 years, $9.5 million Mark Mancari[38] Vancouver Canucks 1 year, $525,000 Rob Niedermayer[39] HC Lugano 1 year Mark Parrish[40] Ottawa Senators 1 year, $650,000 Tim Conboy[41] Ottawa Senators 1 year, $600,000

Claimed via waivers Player Former team Date claimed off waivers

Lost via waivers Player New team Date claimed off waivers

Lost via retirement Player Patrick Lalime[42] Mike Grier[43] Player signings Player Date Contract terms Brayden McNabb[44] May 18, 2011 3-years, $2.045 million entry-level contract Marcus Foligno[45] May 25, 2011 3-years, $2.48 million entry-level contract Mark Pysyk[46] June 2, 2011 3-years, $2.7 million entry-level contract Drew Stafford[47] June 3, 2011 4-years, $16 million David Leggio[48] June 24, 2011 1 year, $525,000 Nathan Gerbe[49] June 29, 2011 3-years, $4.3 million Christian Ehrhoff[50] June 30, 2011 10-years, $40 million Cody McCormick[51] July 1, 2011 3-years, $3.6 million Mike Weber[52] July 4, 2011 2-years, $1.9 million Derek Whitmore[31] July 7, 2011 1 year, $525,000 Colin Stuart[31] July 7, 2011 1 year, $525,000 Dennis Persson[53] July 15, 2011 1 year, $525,000 Travis Turnbull[53] July 15, 2011 1 year, $525,000 Matt Ellis[54] July 19, 2011 2 years, $1.05 million Andrej Sekera[54] July 19, 2011 4 years, $11 million Jhonas Enroth[55] July 21, 2011 2 years, $1.35 million Marc-Andre Gragnani[56] August 11, 2011 1 year, $550,000 Tyler Myers[57] September 15, 2011 7 years, $38.5 million contract extension Matt MacKenzie[58] October 4, 2011 3-years, $1.8 million entry-level contract Riley Boychuk[33] October 7, 2011 3-years, $1.7075 million entry-level contract Kevin Sundher[59] December 15, 2011 3 years, $1.895 million entry-level contract Jerome Gauthier-Leduc[60] December 30, 2011 3 years, $1.995 million entry-level contract Connor Knapp[61] April 3, 2012 2 years, $1.19 million entry-level contract Daniel Catenacci[61] April 3, 2012 3 years, $1.815 million entry-level contract

Draft picks

Buffalo's picks at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

Round	#	Player	Position	Nationality	College/Junior/Club Team (League)
1	16	Joel Armia	Right Wing	Finland	Assat (SM-liiga)
3	77	Daniel Catenacci	Center	Canada	Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL)
4	107	Colin Jacobs	Center	United States	Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL)
5	137	Alex Lepkowski	Defense	United States	Barrie Colts (OHL)
6	167	Nathan Lieuwen	Goaltender	Canada	Kootenay Ice (WHL)
7	197	Brad Navin	Center	United States	Waupaca High School (USHS-WI)

See also

• 2011–12 NHL season

References

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. "Sabres name Pominville as captain". October 6, 2011. Archived from the original on June 17, 2013. Retrieved May 7, 2013.
3. "New digs honor Sabres' past". Retrieved October 24, 2011.
4. "NHL's Sabres to rename arena First Niagara Center". Retrieved October 24, 2011.
5. "Bruins bounce Sabres for fifth consecutive win". ESPN. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
6. Miller skeptical of Milan Lucic
7. Harrington, Mike (January 29, 2012). "First-half follies have Sabres stuck in the breakdown lane". The Buffalo News. Retrieved January 30, 2012.
8. Morreale, Mike. "Pominville excited to spend time among All-Stars". NHL.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved January 30, 2012.
9. "POMINVILLE & ADAM SELECTED TO ALL-STAR GAME". NHL.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved January 30, 2012.
10. 4, Sabres 2
11. 2, Devils 1, SO
12. 3, Wild 1
13. "Sabres climb past Caps, into 8th as Ryan Miller saves 44". ESPN.com. ESPN. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
14. "Crosby leads Penguins to 5-3 win in Buffalo". NHL.com. NHL.com. Retrieved April 2, 2012.
15. "Leafs damage Sabres' playoff hopes with 4-3 win". NHL.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved April 2, 2012.
16. Vogl, John (April 3, 2012). "Sabres display wow factor". The Buffalo News. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
17. "Bruins top Sabres 4-3 in season-ending shootout". NHl.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved April 9, 2012.
18. "AVERAGE PAID ATTENDANCE AT AN ALL-TIME HIGH FOR SABRES IN 2011-12". Sabres.com. NHL.com. Retrieved April 5, 2012.
19. Three Stars: Miller, Kronwall, Emery earn honors
20. Malkin, Miller, Ovechkin named week's Three Stars
21. Sabres' Foligno named Rookie of the Month
22. Flyers' Bryzgalov earns First Star for March
23. "Sabres Boyes hits 500 games in a row tonight". Archived from the original on April 15, 2012. Retrieved October 28, 2011.
24. Reitz, Mark (November 23, 2011). "Ironman Brad Boyes "out for a period of time"". NBC Sports. Retrieved December 21, 2011.
25. "Buffalo Sabres - Team - Roster". Retrieved April 7, 2012.
26. SABRES ACQUIRE REGEHR, KOTALIK AND 2012 SECOND ROUND PICK FROM CALGARY
27. BUFFALO SABRES ACQUIRE RIGHTS TO NEGOTIATE WITH CHRISTIAN EHRHOFF
28. SABRES TRADE MONTADOR'S NEGOTIATING RIGHTS
29. SABRES ACQUIRE HODGSON, SULZER, FIRST-ROUND DRAFT PICK AT TRADE DEADLINE
30. SABRES SIGN VILLE LEINO
31. SABRES SIGN MacINTYRE, WHITMORE AND STUART
32. SABRES SIGN RYAN AND SZCZECHURA
33. SABRES INK FORWARDS BOYCHUK, PARKER
34. SABRES SIGN JOE FINLEY
35. SABRES SIGN VARONE TO ENTRY-LEVEL CONTRACT
36. SABRES AGREE TO TERMS WITH FORWARD BRIAN FLYNN TO NHL CONTRACT
37. Leafs Sign Tim Connolly
38. Vancouver Canucks sign Nolan Baumgartner and Mark Mancari
39. Rob Niedermayer will play in Switzerland next season
40. Bulletin: Senators sign forward Mark Parrish to a one-year contract
41. Bulletin: Senators sign defenceman Tim Conboy to a one-year contract
42. LALIME RETIRES, WILL WORK ON RDS HOCKEY BROADCASTS
43. GRIER ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT AFTER MORE THAN 1,000 NHL GAMES
44. SABRES SIGN 2009 DRAFT PICK BRAYDEN McNABB
45. SABRES AGREE TO TERMS WITH MARCUS FOLIGNO
46. SABRES SIGN 2010 FIRST-ROUND PICK MARK PYSYK
47. SABRES AGREE TO TERMS WITH DREW STAFFORD
48. SABRES GET THEIR MAN
49. SABRES AGREE TO TERMS WITH NATHAN GERBE
50. SABRES SIGN CHRISTIAN EHRHOFF TO A LONG-TERM CONTRACT
51. SABRES RE-SIGN CODY McCORMICK
52. SABRES RE-SIGN DEFENSEMAN MIKE WEBER
53. SABRES RE-SIGN PERSSON AND TURNBULL
54. SEKERA AND ELLIS SIGN MULTI-YEAR DEALS
55. ENROTH AGREES TO TERMS ON MULTI-YEAR DEAL
56. SABRES LOCK UP GRAGNANI FOR ANOTHER YEAR
57. SEVENTH (HOCKEY) HEAVEN
58. Sabres sign Matt MacKenzie
59. SABRES SIGN PROSPECT KEVIN SUNDHER
60. SABRES INK GAUTHIER-LEDUC TO ENTRY LEVEL CONTRACT
61. "SABRES AGREE TO TERMS WITH CATENACCI AND KNAPP". Sabres.com. NHL.com. Retrieved April 4, 2012.