Apr 4, 2018
Sabres will clinch top lottery odds with loss to Sens
The Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators have both been long eliminated from playoff contention, but Wednesday's matchup between the two teams is not without meaning. A regulation loss for the Sabres will secure the franchise the top lottery odds for the third time in five years.
TSN.ca Staff
The Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators have both been eliminated from playoff contention, but Wednesday's matchup between the NHL's two worst teams is not without meaning.
A regulation loss for the Sabres, dead last in the overall standings with 62 points, will secure the franchise the top lottery odds for the third time in five years.
The Sabres are currently three points back of the Senators, who sit in the 30th spot, with three games remaining for both teams. Buffalo can't finish higher than 30th, while the Senators could climb to as high as 27th - a five-per-cent swing in the lottery odds - with three straight wins.
The Senators will be without captain Erik Karlsson on Wednesday night since he did not travel with the team on Tuesday. Ottawa is 2-8 in their previous 10 games and have the second-worst road record in the NHL this season with one more win than the Montreal Canadiens.
The Sabres, meanwhile, will be playing their final home game of the season and have already secured the league's worst record on home ice at 11-24-5 through 40 games.
Despite owning the best odds twice, the Sabres have never won the draft lottery. In 2015, they were jumped by the Edmonton Oilers, who selected current NHL leading scorer Connor McDavid.
Below are the draft lottery standings entering Wednesday night's play:
2018 NHL DRAFT LOTTERY ODDS
RK | Team | PTS | Games Remaining | % Chance at No. 1 pick |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Buffalo Sabres | 62 | 3 | 18.5 |
2 | Ottawa Senators | 65 | 3 | 13.5 |
3 | Montreal Canadiens | 69 | 2 | 11.5 |
4 | Arizona Coyotes | 69 | 2 | 9.5 |
5 | Vancouver Canucks | 70 | 2 | 8.5 |
6 | Detroit Red Wings | 72 | 2 | 7.5 |
7 | Edmonton Oilers | 74 | 2 | 6.5 |
8 | Chicago Blackhawks | 74 | 3 | 6.0 |
9 | New York Islanders | 76 | 2 | 5.0 |
10 | New York Rangers | 77 | 2 | 3.5 |
11 | Carolina Hurricanes | 81 | 2 | 3.0 |
12 | Calgary Flames | 82 | 2 | 2.5 |
13 | Dallas Stars | 90 | 2 | 2.0 |
14 | Florida Panthers | 90 | 3 | 1.5 |
15 | St. Louis Blues | 92 | 3 | 1.0 |