Franchise History

Standings by Year

As of:

Final NHL standings as of the last day of the regular season, for any year on record. View by Division, Conference, or League, and track where Buffalo (and every other team) stood across a season with the trend chart below.

2018–19 Final Standings

2018–19 Game Results

Buffalo finished 27th in the league, 6th in the Atlantic.

TeamGPWLOTLPTSPTS%GFGASOWSOLDIFFxPTSSTRK
1p-Tampa Bay Lightning8262164128.78032522261+103111W2
2z-Calgary Flames8250257107.65228922704+62103L2
3x-Boston Bruins8249249107.65225921523+4498L1
4y-Washington Capitals8248268104.63427824941+2990L1
5x-New York Islanders8248277103.62822819655+3295W2
6x-San Jose Sharks8246279101.61628926103+2891W2
7x-Toronto Maple Leafs8246288100.61028625102+3593OT1
8y-Nashville Predators8247296100.61024021442+2691W3
9x-Pittsburgh Penguins82442612100.61027324123+3293OT1
10x-Winnipeg Jets824730599.60427224421+2891W1
11x-Carolina Hurricanes824629799.60424522322+2290W3
12x-St. Louis Blues824528999.60424722333+2490W2
13x-Columbus Blue Jackets824731498.59825823221+2690W2
14Montréal Canadiens824430896.58524923630+1385W1
15x-Dallas Stars824332793.56721020212+886W1
16x-Vegas Golden Knights824332793.56724923032+1988L2
17x-Colorado Avalanche8238301490.54926024622+1487L1
18Arizona Coyotes823935886.52421322343-1078L1
19Florida Panthers8236321486.52426728037-1379OT2
20Chicago Blackhawks8236341284.51227029231-2275L1
21Minnesota Wild823736983.50621123714-2674L2
22Philadelphia Flyers823737882.50024428131-3770L5
23Vancouver Canucks8235361181.49422525466-2972OT1
24Anaheim Ducks8235371080.48819925133-5263W3
25Edmonton Oilers823538979.48223227433-4268W1
26New York Rangers8232361478.47622727265-4567W1
27Buffalo Sabres8233391076.46322627153-4566W2
28Detroit Red Wings8232401074.45122727735-5066L2
29New Jersey Devils8231411072.43922227534-5365W1
30Los Angeles Kings823142971.43320226334-6161W1
31Ottawa Senators822947664.39024230201-6064L2

x - clinched playoff spot, y - clinched division, z - clinched conference, p - clinched Presidents' Trophy.

Standings goals include the shootout deciding goal, one per shootout result, as every league standings page does. The rest of this site leaves it out, so the season pages read lower by each team's shootout record: GF minus SOW and GA minus SOL are the goals for and against on the Scores and Team Stats pages. DIFF follows the goals beside it, so it reads higher here than everywhere else on the site by a team's shootout wins less its shootout losses.

xPTS is the points a team’s goals for and against project: the Pythagorean win estimate GF² / (GF² + GA²), scaled to points as win% × 2 × games played, from goals excluding the shootout deciding goal (GF minus SOW, GA minus SOL), the same goals the rest of the site counts. It follows the current pace on any “as of” date. +/-xPTS is real points minus xPTS, after removing each team’s overtime-loss points. That step matters because xPTS splits a flat 2 points per game, while an overtime game pays out 3, so without it almost every team since 1999–00 reads as lucky. What is left is the points a team banked above or below its goal margin: positive means winning more of the close and overtime games than goal difference alone predicts.

Standings Over the Course of the Season

Buffalo in navy. Tap any team to compare.
through 82 GP
1st5th10th15th20th25th31st1020304050607082games playedBUF 27th