1986–87 Buffalo Sabres season

1986–87 Buffalo Sabres
1986–87 Buffalo Sabres
Division	5th Adams
Conference	10th Wales
1986–87 record	28–44–8
Home record	18–18–4
Road record	10–26–4
Goals for	280
Goals against	308
Team information
Coach	Scotty Bowman; Craig Ramsay; Gerry Meehan
Captain	Gilbert Perreault (Oct–Nov) ; Lindy Ruff (Nov–Apr)
Alternate captains	Mike Foligno; Mike Ramsey; Lindy Ruff (Oct–Nov)
Arena	Buffalo Memorial Auditorium
Team leaders
Goals	Mike Foligno (30)
Assists	Dave Andreychuk (48)
Points	Dave Andreychuk (73)
Penalty minutes	Steve Dykstra (179)
Plus/minus	Mike Foligno (13)
Wins	Tom Barrasso (17)
Goals against average	Tom Barrasso (3.34)
	← 1985–86 1987–88 →

The 1986–87 Buffalo Sabres season was the 17th season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on May 22, 1970.^[1] The Sabres failed to qualify for the playoffs for the second consecutive year.

Offseason

Regular season

Final standings

Adams Division^[2]
	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	Pts
Hartford Whalers	80	43	30	7	287	270	93
Montreal Canadiens	80	41	29	10	277	241	92
Boston Bruins	80	39	34	7	301	276	85
Quebec Nordiques	80	31	39	10	267	276	72
Buffalo Sabres	80	28	44	8	280	308	64

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.

Record vs. opponents

Adams Division record vs. opponents

Vs. Wales Conference

Vs. Adams Division

1986–87 NHL records^[3]
Team	BOS	BUF	HFD	MTL	QUE	Total
Boston	—	3–4–1	2–6	2–5–1	6–2	13–17–2
Buffalo	4–3–1	—	4–4	1–5–2	3–4–1	12–16–4
Hartford	6–2	4–4	—	4–3–1	3–3–2	17–12–3
Montreal	5–2–1	5–1–2	3–4−1	—	5–3	18–10–4
Quebec	2–6	4–3–1	3–3–2	3–5	—	12–17–3

Vs. Patrick Division

1986–87 NHL records
Team	NJD	NYI	NYR	PHI	PIT	WSH	Total
Boston	1–1–1	2–0–1	1–2	1–2	2–1	1–1–1	8–7–3
Buffalo	2–1	1–1–1	1–2	1–2	0–2–1	2–1	7–9–2
Hartford	1–1–1	2–1	3–0	2–1	3–0	2–1	13–4–1
Montreal	2–1	1–1–1	2–0–1	0–2–1	1–1–1	0–3	6–8–4
Quebec	1–0–2	1–2	1–2	0–2–1	0–3	2–0–1	5–9–4

Vs. Campbell Conference

Vs. Norris Division

1986–87 NHL records
Team	CHI	DET	MIN	STL	TOR	Total
Boston	1–1–1	0–2–1	3–0	2–1	2–1	8–5–2
Buffalo	2–1	2–0–1	0–3	1–2	0–2–1	5–8–2
Hartford	1–2	1–1–1	1–2	2–1	2–1	7–7–1
Montreal	2–0–1	1–1–1	2–1	2–1	2–1	9–4–2
Quebec	2–1	1–2	2–0–1	0–3	3–0	8–6–1

Vs. Smythe Division

1986–87 NHL records
Team	CGY	EDM	LAK	VAN	WIN	Total
Boston	2–1	2–1	2–1	2–1	2–1	10–5–0
Buffalo	0–3	1–2	2–1	0–3	1–2	4–11–0
Hartford	1–2	1–2	1–2	2–0–1	1–1–1	6–7–2
Montreal	2–1	0–3	3–0	1–2	2–1	8–7–0
Quebec	1–2	0–3	3–0	2–1	0–1–2	6–7–2

Schedule and results

1986–87 regular season^[4]

October

Game	Result	Date	Score	Opponent	Record
1	L	October 9, 1986	2–3	@ Winnipeg Jets (1986–87)	0–1–0
2	T	October 11, 1986	5–5 OT	@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1986–87)	0–1–1
3	L	October 12, 1986	2–4	Calgary Flames (1986–87)	0–2–1
4	T	October 15, 1986	0–0 OT	Montreal Canadiens (1986–87)	0–2–2
5	L	October 17, 1986	3–7	Pittsburgh Penguins (1986–87)	0–3–2
6	W	October 18, 1986	4–2	@ Washington Capitals (1986–87)	1–3–2
7	L	October 22, 1986	4–5 OT	@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1986–87)	1–4–2
8	L	October 24, 1986	4–5	Hartford Whalers (1986–87)	1–5–2
9	L	October 25, 1986	2–3	@ Hartford Whalers (1986–87)	1–6–2
10	L	October 29, 1986	2–5	@ Montreal Canadiens (1986–87)	1–7–2

November

Game	Result	Date	Score	Opponent	Record
11	W	November 1, 1986	3–1	@ New Jersey Devils (1986–87)	2–7–2
12	W	November 2, 1986	7–1	@ Boston Bruins (1986–87)	3–7–2
13	W	November 5, 1986	8–3	Boston Bruins (1986–87)	4–7–2
14	L	November 7, 1986	6–7	Vancouver Canucks (1986–87)	4–8–2
15	L	November 9, 1986	3–4	New York Islanders (1986–87)	4–9–2
16	L	November 12, 1986	1–2 OT	@ New York Rangers (1986–87)	4–10–2
17	L	November 15, 1986	2–4	@ Montreal Canadiens (1986–87)	4–11–2
18	T	November 19, 1986	4–4 OT	Boston Bruins (1986–87)	4–11–3
19	L	November 21, 1986	1–6	Quebec Nordiques (1986–87)	4–12–3
20	L	November 22, 1986	1–3	@ Quebec Nordiques (1986–87)	4–13–3
21	L	November 26, 1986	0–3	@ Hartford Whalers (1986–87)	4–14–3
22	W	November 28, 1986	4–3	Boston Bruins (1986–87)	5–14–3
23	L	November 29, 1986	2–6	@ Boston Bruins (1986–87)	5–15–3

December

Game	Result	Date	Score	Opponent	Record
24	L	December 2, 1986	4–5	Minnesota North Stars (1986–87)	5–16–3
25	L	December 5, 1986	5–6	St. Louis Blues (1986–87)	5–17–3
26	L	December 6, 1986	3–4	@ New Jersey Devils (1986–87)	5–18–3
27	T	December 9, 1986	5–5 OT	@ Detroit Red Wings (1986–87)	5–18–4
28	L	December 10, 1986	3–6	@ Chicago Blackhawks (1986–87)	5–19–4
29	L	December 13, 1986	0–7	@ Quebec Nordiques (1986–87)	5–20–4
30	W	December 14, 1986	4–3	Hartford Whalers (1986–87)	6–20–4
31	L	December 17, 1986	3–4	@ Hartford Whalers (1986–87)	6–21–4
32	W	December 19, 1986	3–2	Montreal Canadiens (1986–87)	7–21–4
33	L	December 20, 1986	4–5 OT	@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1986–87)	7–22–4
34	W	December 23, 1986	2–1	Philadelphia Flyers (1986–87)	8–22–4
35	T	December 26, 1986	3–3 OT	Pittsburgh Penguins (1986–87)	8–22–5
36	L	December 28, 1986	1–4	Calgary Flames (1986–87)	8–23–5
37	W	December 31, 1986	5–2	Chicago Blackhawks (1986–87)	9–23–5

January

Game	Result	Date	Score	Opponent	Record
38	L	January 2, 1987	3–6	Winnipeg Jets (1986–87)	9–24–5
39	W	January 4, 1987	7–2	Quebec Nordiques (1986–87)	10–24–5
40	W	January 7, 1987	4–2	@ Winnipeg Jets (1986–87)	11–24–5
41	L	January 8, 1987	4–5 OT	@ Minnesota North Stars (1986–87)	11–25–5
42	W	January 10, 1987	8–5	@ Los Angeles Kings (1986–87)	12–25–5
43	T	January 14, 1987	3–3 OT	Montreal Canadiens (1986–87)	12–25–6
44	L	January 17, 1987	2–4	@ Montreal Canadiens (1986–87)	12–26–6
45	W	January 18, 1987	6–5 OT	Edmonton Oilers (1986–87)	13–26–6
46	L	January 20, 1987	0–5	@ Minnesota North Stars (1986–87)	13–27–6
47	L	January 23, 1987	2–3	Washington Capitals (1986–87)	13–28–6
48	W	January 24, 1987	6–3	@ Washington Capitals (1986–87)	14–28–6
49	L	January 26, 1987	2–6	@ Boston Bruins (1986–87)	14–29–6
50	L	January 28, 1987	4–7	Philadelphia Flyers (1986–87)	14–30–6
51	W	January 30, 1987	3–1	Quebec Nordiques (1986–87)	15–30–6

February

Game	Result	Date	Score	Opponent	Record
52	W	February 1, 1987	6–1	Detroit Red Wings (1986–87)	16–30–6
53	W	February 4, 1987	3–1	@ Hartford Whalers (1986–87)	17–30–6
54	L	February 7, 1987	2–5	@ Quebec Nordiques (1986–87)	17–31–6
55	W	February 8, 1987	7–4	Chicago Blackhawks (1986–87)	18–31–6
56	W	February 14, 1987	5–1	@ New York Islanders (1986–87)	19–31–6
57	W	February 18, 1987	4–3	Boston Bruins (1986–87)	20–31–6
58	W	February 20, 1987	6–3	@ New York Rangers (1986–87)	21–31–6
59	W	February 22, 1987	5–3	Hartford Whalers (1986–87)	22–31–6
60	L	February 24, 1987	3–6	New York Rangers (1986–87)	22–32–6
61	W	February 26, 1987	4–3	St. Louis Blues (1986–87)	23–32–6
62	L	February 28, 1987	1–5	@ Boston Bruins (1986–87)	23–33–6

March

Game	Result	Date	Score	Opponent	Record
63	L	March 1, 1987	2–4	Vancouver Canucks (1986–87)	23–34–6
64	L	March 3, 1987	2–4	@ Philadelphia Flyers (1986–87)	23–35–6
65	W	March 5, 1987	6–4	New Jersey Devils (1986–87)	24–35–6
66	T	March 7, 1987	5–5 OT	@ Quebec Nordiques (1986–87)	24–35–7
67	W	March 8, 1987	5–1	Quebec Nordiques (1986–87)	25–35–7
68	W	March 11, 1987	3–2	@ Los Angeles Kings (1986–87)	26–35–7
69	L	March 13, 1987	4–6	@ Vancouver Canucks (1986–87)	26–36–7
70	L	March 14, 1987	3–5	@ Edmonton Oilers (1986–87)	26–37–7
71	L	March 17, 1987	2–6	@ Calgary Flames (1986–87)	26–38–7
72	L	March 20, 1987	2–3	Montreal Canadiens (1986–87)	26–39–7
73	W	March 22, 1987	3–2	Detroit Red Wings (1986–87)	27–39–7
74	L	March 24, 1987	5–6	Toronto Maple Leafs (1986–87)	27–40–7
75	L	March 26, 1987	3–5	Los Angeles Kings (1986–87)	27–41–7
76	L	March 28, 1987	3–6	@ Montreal Canadiens (1986–87)	27–42–7
77	L	March 29, 1987	2–3	Edmonton Oilers (1986–87)	27–43–7

April

Game	Result	Date	Score	Opponent	Record
78	L	April 2, 1987	3–5	@ St. Louis Blues (1986–87)	27–44–7
79	T	April 4, 1987	6–6 OT	@ New York Islanders (1986–87)	27–44–8
80	W	April 5, 1987	6–0	Hartford Whalers (1986–87)	28–44–8

Legend: Win (2 points) Loss (0 points) Tie (1 point)

Player statistics

Awards and records

Transactions

Draft picks

Buffalo's draft picks at the 1986 NHL Entry Draft held at the Montreal Forum in Montreal.

Round	#	Player	Nationality	College/Junior/Club team (League)
1	5	Shawn Anderson	Canada	Canadian National Development Team
2	26	Greg Brown	United States	St. Mark's School (ISL)
3	47	Bob Corkum	United States	University of Maine (Hockey East)
3	56	Kevin Kerr	Canada	Windsor Compuware Spitfires (OHL)
4	68	David Baseggio	Canada	Yale University (ECAC)
5	89	Larry Rooney	United States	Thayer Academy (ISL)
6	110	Miguel Baldris	Canada	Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL)
7	131	Mike Hartman	United States	North Bay Centennials (OHL)
8	152	Francois Guay	Canada	Laval Titan (QMJHL)
9	173	Sean Whitham	Canada	Providence College (Hockey East)
10	194	Kenton Rein	Canada	Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)
11	215	Troy Arndt	Canada	Portland Winter Hawks (WHL)
S1	4	Jeff Capello	Canada	University of Vermont (Hockey East)
S2	8	John Cullen	Canada	Boston University (Hockey East)

References

^ National Hockey League (2010). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book/2011. Triumph Books. p. 27. ISBN 978-1-60078-422-4.
^ Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 153. ISBN 9781894801225.
^ "All-Time NHL Results". NHL.com. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
^ "1986-87 Buffalo Sabres Schedule". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved March 25, 2025.

[1] National Hockey League (2010). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book/2011. Triumph Books. p. 27. ISBN 978-1-60078-422-4.

[nhl-gd-standings-2] Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 153. ISBN 9781894801225.

[3] "All-Time NHL Results". NHL.com. Retrieved August 25, 2023.

[Gamelog-4] "1986-87 Buffalo Sabres Schedule". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved March 25, 2025.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

v t e Buffalo Sabres
Founded in 1970 Based in Buffalo, New York
Franchise	Team General managers Coaches Players Captains Draft picks expansion draft Seasons Current season
History	Records Award winners Retired numbers Broadcasters
Personnel	Owner(s) Terry Pegula General manager Kevyn Adams Head coach Lindy Ruff Team captain Rasmus Dahlin Current roster
Arenas	Buffalo Memorial Auditorium KeyBank Center
Affiliates	AHL Rochester Americans ECHL Jacksonville Icemen
Media	TV MSG Western New York Bell Satellite TV Radio Sabres Hockey Network WGR 550
Culture and lore	The French Connection Seymour and Northrup Knox Ted Darling Rick Jeanneret Taro Tsujimoto Ronan Tynan Ryan Vinz Hockey Night Live! LECOM Harborcenter Buffalo Sabres Alumni Hockey Team Buffalo Jr. Sabres Buffalo Bandits Sabretooth "Sabre Dance" Empire Sports Network The Fog Game No Goal 2008 Winter Classic 2011 NHL Premiere 2018 Winter Classic 2022 Heritage Classic
Category Commons

v t e Buffalo Sabres seasons
1970s	1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80
1980s	1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90
1990s	1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00
2000s	2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10
2010s	2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20
2020s	2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25

v t e 1986–87 NHL season
Patrick	New Jersey NY Islanders NY Rangers Philadelphia Pittsburgh Washington
Adams	Boston Buffalo Hartford Montreal Quebec
Norris	Chicago Detroit Minnesota St. Louis Toronto
Smythe	Calgary Edmonton Los Angeles Vancouver Winnipeg
See also	Entry Draft Supplemental draft Waiver draft Rendez-vous '87 Easter Epic Stanley Cup playoffs Stanley Cup Finals