1998–99 Buffalo Sabres season

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
Alternate captains	Jay McKee Darryl Shannon
Arena	Marine Midland Arena
Average attendance	17,982
Minor league affiliate(s)	Rochester Americans South Carolina Stingrays B.C. Icemen
Team leaders
Goals	Miroslav Satan (40)
Assists	Jason Woolley (33)
Points	Miroslav Satan (66)
Penalty minutes	Rob Ray (261)
Plus/minus	Darryl Shannon (+28)
Wins	Dominik Hasek (30)
Goals against average	Dominik Hasek (1.87)

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 Finals, which was a losing effort against the Dallas Stars.

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

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

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

Playoffs

See also: 1999 Stanley Cup playoffs

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.

Stanley Cup Finals

See also: 1999 Stanley Cup Finals

"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. 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." 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.

Schedule and results

Regular season

1998–99 regular season
October: 4–3–2 (home: 1–1–1; road: 3–2–1) Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap 1 L October 10, 1998 1–4 @ Dallas Stars (1998–99) 0–1–0 Recap 2 W October 12, 1998 3–0 @ Colorado Avalanche (1998–99) 1–1–0 Recap 3 T October 16, 1998 2–2 OT Florida Panthers (1998–99) 1–1–1 Recap 4 W October 17, 1998 4–3 @ Montreal Canadiens (1998–99) 2–1–1 Recap 5 L October 23, 1998 0–1 Washington Capitals (1998–99) 2–2–1 Recap 6 L October 24, 1998 4–5 @ New York Islanders (1998–99) 2–3–1 Recap 7 T October 27, 1998 0–0 OT @ New York Rangers (1998–99) 2–3–2 Recap 8 W October 30, 1998 4–1 Toronto Maple Leafs (1998–99) 3–3–2 Recap 9 W October 31, 1998 6–3 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1998–99) 4–3–2 Recap
November: 6–2–2 (home: 4–0–1; road: 2–2–1) Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap 10 W November 3, 1998 4–2 Boston Bruins (1998–99) 5–3–2 Recap 11 T November 7, 1998 2–2 OT @ Philadelphia Flyers (1998–99) 5–3–3 Recap 12 T November 10, 1998 2–2 OT Ottawa Senators (1998–99) 5–3–4 Recap 13 W November 12, 1998 2–0 @ Washington Capitals (1998–99) 6–3–4 Recap 14 W November 14, 1998 6–1 Chicago Blackhawks (1998–99) 7–3–4 Recap 15 W November 20, 1998 4–1 Toronto Maple Leafs (1998–99) 8–3–4 Recap 16 L November 21, 1998 1–2 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1998–99) 8–4–4 Recap 17 W November 25, 1998 4–2 New York Rangers (1998–99) 9–4–4 Recap 18 L November 28, 1998 2–6 @ Florida Panthers (1998–99) 9–5–4 Recap 19 W November 29, 1998 6–3 @ Tampa Bay Lightning (1998–99) 10–5–4 Recap
December: 9–3–1 (home: 5–3–0; road: 4–0–1) Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap 20 W December 2, 1998 2–1 Florida Panthers (1998–99) 11–5–4 Recap 21 W December 4, 1998 3–0 Philadelphia Flyers (1998–99) 12–5–4 Recap 22 W December 5, 1998 3–1 @ Nashville Predators (1998–99) 13–5–4 Recap 23 T December 8, 1998 2–2 OT @ St. Louis Blues (1998–99) 13–5–5 Recap 24 W December 11, 1998 2–0 New York Rangers (1998–99) 14–5–5 Recap 25 W December 12, 1998 4–1 @ Boston Bruins (1998–99) 15–5–5 Recap 26 W December 18, 1998 4–2 Montreal Canadiens (1998–99) 16–5–5 Recap 27 L December 19, 1998 2–3 Carolina Hurricanes (1998–99) 16–6–5 Recap 28 W December 21, 1998 4–1 @ Carolina Hurricanes (1998–99) 17–6–5 Recap 29 W December 23, 1998 2–0 Tampa Bay Lightning (1998–99) 18–6–5 Recap 30 W December 26, 1998 2–0 @ New Jersey Devils (1998–99) 19–6–5 Recap 31 L December 28, 1998 4–7 New Jersey Devils (1998–99) 19–7–5 Recap 32 L December 30, 1998 2–3 OT Ottawa Senators (1998–99) 19–8–5 Recap
January: 5–6–3 (home: 3–3–1; road: 2–3–2) Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap 33 L January 1, 1999 2–7 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1998–99) 19–9–5 Recap 34 W January 2, 1999 7–1 Calgary Flames (1998–99) 20–9–5 Recap 35 W January 6, 1999 3–2 OT @ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1998–99) 21–9–5 Recap 36 L January 7, 1999 2–4 @ Los Angeles Kings (1998–99) 21–10–5 Recap 37 T January 9, 1999 2–2 OT @ San Jose Sharks (1998–99) 21–10–6 Recap 38 L January 11, 1999 0–1 @ Phoenix Coyotes (1998–99) 21–11–6 Recap 39 L January 13, 1999 2–4 St. Louis Blues (1998–99) 21–12–6 Recap 40 W January 15, 1999 2–1 Boston Bruins (1998–99) 22–12–6 Recap 41 T January 16, 1999 1–1 OT @ Ottawa Senators (1998–99) 22–12–7 Recap 42 W January 18, 1999 4–0 @ Florida Panthers (1998–99) 23–12–7 Recap 43 L January 19, 1999 1–2 @ Tampa Bay Lightning (1998–99) 23–13–7 Recap 44 T January 26, 1999 1–1 OT Phoenix Coyotes (1998–99) 23–13–8 Recap 45 L January 28, 1999 2–4 Nashville Predators (1998–99) 23–14–8 Recap 46 W January 30, 1999 4–1 Los Angeles Kings (1998–99) 24–14–8 Recap
February: 4–6–4 (home: 3–2–2; road: 1–4–2) Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap 47 L February 2, 1999 3–5 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1998–99) 24–15–8 Recap 48 L February 3, 1999 3–5 Colorado Avalanche (1998–99) 24–16–8 Recap 49 L February 6, 1999 2–3 @ Montreal Canadiens (1998–99) 24–17–8 Recap 50 L February 7, 1999 1–3 @ Washington Capitals (1998–99) 24–18–8 Recap 51 T February 9, 1999 1–1 OT @ Ottawa Senators (1998–99) 24–18–9 Recap 52 W February 11, 1999 5–2 Montreal Canadiens (1998–99) 25–18–9 Recap 53 T February 13, 1999 2–2 OT New York Islanders (1998–99) 25–18–10 Recap 54 W February 15, 1999 3–2 Carolina Hurricanes (1998–99) 26–18–10 Recap 55 L February 17, 1999 2–3 OT Toronto Maple Leafs (1998–99) 26–19–10 Recap 56 W February 19, 1999 4–2 San Jose Sharks (1998–99) 27–19–10 Recap 57 T February 21, 1999 4–4 OT Detroit Red Wings (1998–99) 27–19–11 Recap 58 T February 24, 1999 2–2 OT @ Calgary Flames (1998–99) 27–19–12 Recap 59 L February 26, 1999 3–6 @ Edmonton Oilers (1998–99) 27–20–12 Recap 60 W February 28, 1999 2–0 @ Vancouver Canucks (1998–99) 28–20–12 Recap
March: 5–5–3 (home: 4–2–1; road: 1–3–2) Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap 61 L March 3, 1999 3–5 Edmonton Oilers (1998–99) 28–21–12 Recap 62 W March 5, 1999 2–1 Dallas Stars (1998–99) 29–21–12 Recap 63 T March 7, 1999 1–1 OT Philadelphia Flyers (1998–99) 29–21–13 Recap 64 L March 8, 1999 1–4 @ Carolina Hurricanes (1998–99) 29–22–13 Recap 65 L March 11, 1999 2–5 Tampa Bay Lightning (1998–99) 29–23–13 Recap 66 W March 13, 1999 3–1 Boston Bruins (1998–99) 30–23–13 Recap 67 W March 15, 1999 2–1 New York Islanders (1998–99) 31–23–13 Recap 68 W March 19, 1999 3–2 OT @ New York Rangers (1998–99) 32–23–13 Recap 69 T March 23, 1999 1–1 OT @ New Jersey Devils (1998–99) 32–23–14 Recap 70 L March 24, 1999 1–2 @ Detroit Red Wings (1998–99) 32–24–14 Recap 71 T March 27, 1999 1–1 OT @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1998–99) 32–24–15 Recap 72 W March 28, 1999 4–3 OT Pittsburgh Penguins (1998–99) 33–24–15 Recap 73 L March 31, 1999 1–2 @ Chicago Blackhawks (1998–99) 33–25–15 Recap
April: 4–3–2 (home: 3–1–0; road: 1–2–2) Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap 74 L April 3, 1999 1–2 @ Montreal Canadiens (1998–99) 33–26–15 Recap 75 W April 5, 1999 3–1 Pittsburgh Penguins (1998–99) 34–26–15 Recap 76 W April 6, 1999 4–3 @ New York Islanders (1998–99) 35–26–15 Recap 77 W April 9, 1999 3–1 Florida Panthers (1998–99) 36–26–15 Recap 78 T April 10, 1999 1–1 OT @ Ottawa Senators (1998–99) 36–26–16 Recap 79 T April 13, 1999 2–2 OT @ Philadelphia Flyers (1998–99) 36–26–17 Recap 80 L April 14, 1999 1–2 New Jersey Devils (1998–99) 36–27–17 Recap 81 L April 17, 1999 1–2 OT @ Boston Bruins (1998–99) 36–28–17 Recap 82 W April 18, 1999 3–0 Washington Capitals (1998–99) 37–28–17 Recap
Legend:   Win (2 points)   Loss (0 points)   Tie (1 point)

Playoffs

1999 Stanley Cup playoffs
Eastern Conference Quarterfinals vs. (2) Ottawa Senators – Sabres win 4–0 Game Result Date Score Opponent Series Recap 1 W April 21, 1999 2–1 @ Ottawa Senators Sabres lead 1–0 Recap 2 W April 23, 1999 3–2 2OT @ Ottawa Senators Sabres lead 2–0 Recap 3 W April 25, 1999 3–0 Ottawa Senators Sabres lead 3–0 Recap 4 W April 27, 1999 4–3 Ottawa Senators Sabres win 4–0 Recap
Eastern Conference Semifinals vs. (6) Boston Bruins – Sabres win 4–2 Game Result Date Score Opponent Series Recap 1 L May 6, 1999 2–4 @ Boston Bruins Bruins lead 1–0 Recap 2 W May 9, 1999 3–1 @ Boston Bruins Series tied 1–1 Recap 3 W May 12, 1999 3–2 Boston Bruins Sabres lead 2–1 Recap 4 W May 14, 1999 3–0 Boston Bruins Sabres lead 3–1 Recap 5 L May 16, 1999 3–5 @ Boston Bruins Sabres lead 3–2 Recap 6 W May 18, 1999 3–2 Boston Bruins Sabres win 4–2 Recap
Eastern Conference Finals vs. (4) Toronto Maple Leafs – Sabres win 4–1 Game Result Date Score Opponent Series Recap 1 W May 23, 1999 5–4 @ Toronto Maple Leafs Sabres lead 1–0 Recap 2 L May 25, 1999 3–6 @ Toronto Maple Leafs Series tied 1–1 Recap 3 W May 27, 1999 4–2 Toronto Maple Leafs Sabres lead 2–1 Recap 4 W May 29, 1999 5–2 Toronto Maple Leafs Sabres lead 3–1 Recap 5 W May 31, 1999 4–2 @ Toronto Maple Leafs Sabres win 4–1 Recap
Stanley Cup Finals vs. (W1) Dallas Stars – Stars win 4–2 Game Result Date Score Opponent Series Recap 1 W June 8, 1999 3–2 OT @ Dallas Stars Sabres lead 1–0 Recap 2 L June 10, 1999 2–4 @ Dallas Stars Series tied 1–1 Recap 3 L June 12, 1999 1–2 Dallas Stars Stars lead 2–1 Recap 4 W June 15, 1999 2–1 Dallas Stars Series tied 2–2 Recap 5 L June 17, 1999 0–2 @ Dallas Stars Stars lead 3–2 Recap 6 L June 19, 1999 1–2 3OT Dallas Stars Stars win 4–2 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.

No.	Player	Pos	Regular season						Playoffs
			GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIM	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIM
81	Miroslav Satan	LW	81	40	26	66	24	44	12	3	5	8	3	2
27	Michael Peca	C	82	27	29	56	7	81	21	5	8	13	1	18
18	Michal Grosek	LW	76	20	30	50	21	102	13	0	4	4	1	28
37	Curtis Brown	C	78	16	31	47	23	56	21	7	6	13	3	10
15	Dixon Ward	RW	78	20	24	44	10	44	21	7	5	12	6	32
5	Jason Woolley	D	80	10	33	43	16	62	21	4	11	15	0	10
19	Brian Holzinger	C	81	17	17	34	2	45	21	3	5	8	1	33
44	Alexei Zhitnik	D	81	7	26	33	−6	96	21	4	11	15	−6	52
25	Vaclav Varada	RW	72	7	24	31	11	61	21	5	4	9	2	14
80	Geoff Sanderson	LW	75	12	18	30	8	22	19	4	6	10	5	14
36	Matthew Barnaby‡	RW	44	4	14	18	−2	143	—	—	—	—	—	—
26	Derek Plante‡	C	41	4	11	15	3	12	—	—	—	—	—	—
8	Darryl Shannon	D	71	3	12	15	28	52	2	0	0	0	−1	0
42	Richard Smehlik	D	72	3	11	14	-9	44	21	0	3	3	−4	10
22	Wayne Primeau	C	67	5	8	13	−6	38	19	3	4	7	0	6
9	Erik Rasmussen	C	42	3	7	10	6	37	21	2	4	6	2	18
3	James Patrick	D	45	1	7	8	12	16	20	0	1	1	6	12
74	Jay McKee	D	72	0	6	6	20	75	21	0	3	3	13	24
17	Randy Cunneyworth	LW	14	2	2	4	1	0	3	0	0	0	−1	0
41	Stu Barnes†	C	17	0	4	4	1	10	21	7	3	10	−1	6
32	Rob Ray	RW	76	0	4	4	−2	261	5	1	0	1	1	0
24	Paul Kruse	LW	43	3	0	3	0	114	10	0	0	0	0	4
4	Mike Wilson‡	D	30	1	2	3	10	47	—	—	—	—	—	—
90	Joe Juneau†	C	9	1	1	2	−1	2	20	3	8	11	−2	10
4	Rhett Warrener†	D	13	1	0	1	3	20	20	1	3	4	12	32
34	Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre	D	16	0	1	1	0	17	—	—	—	—	—	—
43	Martin Biron	G	6	0	0	0		0	—	—	—	—	—	—
39	Dominik Hasek	G	64	0	0	0		14	19	0	1	1		8
29	Jason Holland	D	3	0	0	0	−1	8	—	—	—	—	—	—
21	Mike Hurlbut	D	1	0	0	0	2	0	—	—	—	—	—	—
40	Rumun Ndur‡	D	8	0	0	0	1	16	—	—	—	—	—	—
83	Domenic Pittis	C	3	0	0	0	0	2	—	—	—	—	—	—
30	Dwayne Roloson	G	18	0	0	0		4	4	0	0	0		0
6	Cory Sarich	D	4	0	0	0	3	0	—	—	—	—	—	—
46	Dean Sylvester	RW	1	0	0	0	−1	0	4	0	0	0	−1	2

Goaltending

No.	Player	Regular season										Playoffs
		GP	W	L	T	SA	GA	GAA	SV%	SO	TOI	GP	W	L	SA	GA	GAA	SV%	SO	TOI
39	Dominik Hasek	64	30	18	14	1877	119	1.87	.937	9	3817	19	13	6	587	36	1.77	.939	2	1217
30	Dwayne Roloson	18	6	8	2	460	42	2.77	.909	1	911	4	1	1	67	10	4.31	.851	0	139
43	Martin Biron	6	1	2	1	120	10	2.14	.917	0	281	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

Awards and records

Awards

Dominik Hasek was also a nominee for the Hart Memorial Trophy and Lester B. Pearson Trophy.

Type	Award/honor	Recipient	Ref
League (annual)	King Clancy Memorial Trophy	Rob Ray
	NHL First All-Star Team	Dominik Hasek (Goaltender)
	Vezina Trophy	Dominik Hasek
League (in-season)	NHL All-Star Game selection	Dominik Hasek
		Lindy Ruff (coach)
		Alexei Zhitnik
	NHL Player of the Month	Dominik Hasek (December)
	NHL Player of the Week	Dominik Hasek (December 7)
		Dominik Hasek (December 14)
		Miroslav Satan (February 22)
		Miroslav Satan (March 22)
		Dominik Hasek (April 12)

Milestones

Milestone	Player	Date	Ref
First game	Cory Sarich	February 9, 1999
	Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre	February 19, 1999
	Dean Sylvester	April 14, 1999

Draft picks

Buffalo's draft picks at the 1998 NHL Entry Draft held at the Marine Midland Arena in Buffalo, New York.

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

• "Buffalo Sabres 1998-99 roster and scoring statistics at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
• "1998-99 Buffalo Sabres Roster, Stats, Injuries, Scores, Results, Shootouts". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
• Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Toronto: Dan Diamond & Associates. ISBN 978-1-894801-22-5.