2007 – 08 Buffalo Sabres season The 2007 – 08 Buffalo Sabres season began on October 5 , 2007 . It was the Buffalo Sabres ' 37th season in the National Hockey League . Prior to the season , the Sabres lost their co - captains of the previous two seasons , Danny Briere and Chris Drury . Briere and Drury were signed as free agents on July 1 by the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers , respectively . Dainius Zubrus was also lost to free agency , as he was signed by the New Jersey Devils on July 3 . Thomas Vanek , who led the team in goals the previous season with 43 , was a restricted free agent and was almost lost as well : the Edmonton Oilers signed him to a 7 - year , $ 50 million offer sheet on July 6 ; however , the Sabres matched the offer . Jocelyn Thibault was signed to the Sabres ' roster on July 5 to serve as a veteran backup to the team ' s starting goaltender , Ryan Miller . Thibault replaces Ty Conklin , who had served as Miller ' s backup for the last month of the 2006 – 07 season and during the playoffs . Conklin was signed by the Pittsburgh Penguins on July 18 . After losing both Briere and Drury in the offseason , the Sabres ' captaincy was vacated . Prior to the season , the team announced that it would rotate captaincy throughout the season , just as it did during the 2003 – 04 season . Jochen Hecht was named the October captain under this system . Toni Lydman was named captain for November , Brian Campbell was named captain for December , and Jaroslav Spacek was named captain for January before the captaincy was cycled back to Hecht in February . Jason Pominville was named the team ' s captain in March , and he finished the season in the role . Longtime Sabres ' color commentator Jim Lorentz retired just prior to the season . He was replaced in the broadcast booth by longtime Hockey Night in Canada broadcaster Harry Neale . The Sabres ' January 1 home game against the Pittsburgh Penguins was played outdoors at Ralph Wilson Stadium , home of the National Football League ' s Buffalo Bills . The NHL called the event the AMP Energy NHL Winter Classic . In addition to selling tickets at Ralph Wilson Stadium , the Sabres also sold tickets to HSBC Arena for the game , which was broadcast for fans on the arena ' s video scoreboard . Brian Campbell was the Sabres ' lone representative in the 2008 NHL All - Star Game , as he was named to the team as a reserve defenceman . It was his second consecutive All - Star Game appearance . Campbell was then traded to the San Jose Sharks on February 26 in exchange for Steve Bernier and a first - round pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft . Regular season . Conference standings . " For complete standings , see 2007 – 08 NHL season . " Game log . October . Record : 5 – 5 – 0 ; Home : 3 – 2 – 0 ; Road : 2 – 3 – 0 November . Record : 6 – 6 – 1 ; Home : 4 – 3 – 0 ; Road : 2 – 3 – 1 December . On December 22 , the Sabres won their first shootout victory of the season on the road in Philadelphia against the Philadelphia Flyers . Thomas Vanek scored with 7 . 2 seconds left in the third period , beating former Sabres goalie Martin Biron from the right circle to force overtime , and Ales Kotalik of the Sabres scored the only shootout goal to provide the Sabres with a win , adding to their total with 6 victories in a row . Record : 8 – 5 – 1 ; Home : 4 – 2 – 0 ; Road : 4 – 3 – 1 January . Record : 4 – 5 – 4 ; Home : 1 – 1 – 2 ; Road : 3 – 4 – 2 February . Record : 8 – 4 – 3 ; Home : 5 – 3 – 2 ; Road : 3 – 1 – 1 March . Record : 6 – 5 – 3 ; Home : 3 – 4 – 2 ; Road : 3 – 1 – 1 April . Record : 2 – 1 – 0 ; Home : 0 – 0 – 0 ; Road : 2 – 1 – 0 Playoffs . After winning the Presidents ' Trophy in the 2006 – 07 NHL season , the Sabres failed to qualify for the playoffs . Player stats . Skaters . " Note : GP = Games played ; G = Goals ; A = Assists ; Pts = Points ; + / - = Plus / minus ; PIM = Penalty minutes " Goaltenders . " Note : GP = Games played ; TOI = Time on ice ( minutes ) ; W = Wins ; L = Losses ; OTL = Overtime losses ; GA = Goals against ; SO = Shutouts ; SV % = Save percentage ; GAA = Goals against average " Transactions . The Sabres have been involved in the following transactions during the 2007 – 08 season . Draft picks . Buffalo ' s picks at the 2007 NHL Entry Draft in Columbus , Ohio . Farm teams . Rochester Americans . The Rochester Americans remain Buffalo ' s top affiliate in the American Hockey League in 2007 – 08 . It is expected to be the last year of the two teams ' long affiliation and the teams are expected to part ways at the end of the season .