1988–89 Buffalo Sabres season


The 1988-89 Buffalo Sabres season, the team's 19th season of existence, saw the Sabres finish in third place in the Adams Division with a record of 38 wins, 35 losses, and 7 ties for 83 points. They lost the Division Semi-finals in five games to the Boston Bruins.

Regular season

Clint Malarchuk incident

On March 22, 1989, a horrific incident occurred during a game between the Sabres and the St. Louis Blues at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, when Buffalo goaltender Clint Malarchuk had his jugular vein severed by the skate blade of the Blues' Steve Tuttle during a goal mouth collision. According to reports, eleven fans in the stands fainted, two more had heart attacks, and three players vomited on the ice. The Sabres' training staff was immediately on the scene, and Malarchuk eventually needed 300 stitches to close the wound. Malarchuk spent only one night in hospital before returning to practice four days later and was back on the ice within 10 days.

Season standings

Schedule and results

Playoffs

Division semi-finals

Buffalo Sabres vs. Boston Bruins
DateAwayScoreHomeScoreNotes
April 5Buffalo Sabres6Boston Bruins0
April 6Buffalo Sabres3Boston Bruins5
April 8Boston Bruins4Buffalo Sabres2
April 9Boston Bruins3Buffalo Sabres2
April 11Buffalo Sabres1Boston Bruins4

Boston wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 1

Player statistics

Forwards

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalties in minutes
PlayerGPGAPtsPIM
Pierre Turgeon8034548826
Christian Ruuttu6714466098
Dave Andreychuk5628245240
Mike Foligno75272249156
Benoit Hogue69143044120
John Tucker6013314431
Ray Sheppard6722214315
Scott Arniel8018234146
Rick Vaive2819133264
Mark Napier6611172833
Kevin Maguire6081018241
Jeff Parker57991882
Adam Creighton247101744
Mike Hartman708917316
Mike Donnelly22461010
Ken Priestlay152022
Scott Metcalfe911213
Jan Ludvig1302239
Mikael Andersson140114
Trent Kaese10000
Darrin Shannon30000

Defencemen

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalties in minutes
PlayerGPGAPtsPIM
Phil Housley7226447047
Doug Bodger617404752
Uwe Krupp705131855
Lindy Ruff636111786
Mike Ramsey562141684
Calle Johansson472111333
Shawn Anderson332101218
Grant Ledyard131568
Joe Reekie1513426
Larry Playfair42033110
Richie Dunn40112
Bob Halkidis1601166
Mark Ferner20002
Brad Miller70006
Steve Smith30000

Goaltending

Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average
PlayerGPWLTSOGAA
Daren Puppa371710613.36
Jacques Cloutier361514003.63
Clint Malarchuk731112.39
Tom Barrasso1027004.95
Darcy Wakaluk613004.21
Darren Eliot200006.27

Awards and records

Transactions

Roster

Draft picks

Buffalo's draft picks at the 1988 NHL Entry Draft held at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec.
Round#PlayerNationalityCollege/Junior/Club Team
113Joel SavageVictoria Cougars
355Darcy LoewenSpokane Chiefs
476Keith CarneyMount Saint Charles Academy
589Alexander MogilnyCSKA Moscow
597Rob RayCornwall Royals
6106David DiVitaLake Superior State University
6118Mike McLaughlinChoate Rosemary Hall
7139Mike GriffithOttawa 67's
8160Dan RuohoJames Madison Memorial High School
9181Wade FlahertyVictoria Cougars
11223Tom NiemanChoate Rosemary Hall
12244Bobby WallworkMiami University
S18Clark DaviesFerris State University

Farm teams