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Buffalo Sabres

Final Connor McDavid-Jack Eichel sweepstakes

Mike Brehm
USA TODAY Sports
Connor McDavid, right, tries to keep the puck away from Jack Eichel at the world under-18 championships in 2013.

Erie Otters center Connor McDavid, who dominated the Ontario Hockey League, and Boston University center Jack Eichel, a Hobey Baker Award winner who took his team in the NCAA championship, are the top two prospects for the June draft.

After a battle that went to the second-to-last day, the Buffalo Sabres will get one of them, regardless of what happens in Saturday's draft lottery (8 p.m. ET, NBC).

All non-playoff teams have a shot at winning the lottery and the right to draft consensus No. 1 pick McDavid. The bottom six has at least a 7.5% chance.

A look:

Buffalo Sabres (23-51-8) - 20% odds of winning lottery

The Sabres clinched 30th place Friday night with a 4-2 loss in Columbus and finished the season by being shut out at home. But coach Ted Nolan won't get the chance to coach whoever's drafted because GM Tim Murray fired him and most of his assistants on Sunday. The Sabres made life interesting by beating the Arizona Coyotes, Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes down the stretch and by tying the Blue Jackets twice in Friday's game, but in the end, they didn't have enough to improve on last season's 30th-place finish. Murray helped the cause by trading both of his goalies, and captain Brian Gionta and Marcus Foligno being injured on the same shift also hurt the team. Because of several bad stretches, including a 14-game losing streak in January, the Sabres ranked last in goals per game, power play, penalty kill, five-on-five play, faceoff winning percentage and shots for and against per game. But getting one of the super prospects next season and the trade for Evander Kane (injured at the time) and Zach Bogosian should make next season more palatable.

Arizona Coyotes (24-50-8) - 13.5%

The Coyotes' losses to the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks made 30th place possible until the Sabres' loss. The Coyotes were done in by goalie Mike Smith's poor start, trouble winning at home and a 10-game losing streak before the trade deadline. They were hampered down the stretch by the trades of Keith Yandle and Antoine Vermette and long-term injuries to Mikkel Boedker and Martin Hanzal. On the positive side, Oliver Ekman-Larsson had 23 goals, tying the franchise mark for a defenseman, and Smith rediscovered his game. The Coyotes ranked 29th in offense and five-on-five play and 28th in defense. Note: The 29th-place team has won the last three draft lotteries.

Edmonton Oilers (24-45-13) - 11.5%

The Oilers got off to a poor start and began showing more structure after Todd Nelson was named coach. Goaltender Ben Scrivens was hit and miss and was particularly porous down the stretch. They did have strong goaltending performances down the stretch by Richard Bachman and Laurent Brossoit. Former No. 1 pick Nail Yakupov showed signs of improvement with a career-best 33 points, though he was also was minus 35.

Toronto Maple Leafs (30-44-8) - 9.5%

The Maple Leafs also fired their coach (Randy Carlyle) during the season and then fired interim coach Peter Horachek, GM David Nonis and several assistant coaches on April 12, the day after the season. The Leafs struggled defensively under Carlyle and offensively under Horachek. They were 10 games over .500 in mid-December and then the wheels fell off, as the team went 11-35-5 down the stretch. They shed most of their pending unrestricted free agents before the deadline. Goalie Jonathan Bernier and James Reimer had some strong performances but also were at fault in some of the losses. Bernier mishandled the puck twice, leading to goals, in the season finale. Phil Kessel, who could be a summer trade project, had six goals, 10 assists and a -32 rating from January through March.

Carolina Hurricanes (30-41-11) - 8.5%

The Hurricanes got off to a bad start because of Jordan Staal's preseason broken leg. They were better after he returned and had a strong January and February, but they began slipping in March after the trades of Andrej Sekera and Jiri Tlusty and finished with a 2-5-1 record in their last eight games. Eric Staal had four goal droughts of six games or more and finished with 54 points, his lowest total in a non-lockout season since he was a rookie. The Hurricanes ranked fourth in penalty killing and had been as high as No. 1, but they ranked 27th in goals per game and five-on-five play.

New Jersey Devils (32-36-14) - 7.5%

The Devils finished the season on a 1-8-2 slide. Offense, ranked 28th at 2.15 goals per game, was an issue all season, and trading Jaromir Jagr didn't help. Adam Henrique, their leading scorer with 43 points, ranked 131st in the league. Goalie Cory Schneider was solid with a 2.26 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage and would have had a better record with more offense in front of him.

Other teams' odds

Philadelphia (6.5%), Columbus (6%), San Jose (5%), Colorado (3.5%), Florida (3%), Dallas (2.5%), Los Angeles (2%), Boston (1%).

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