NHL draft lottery: Sabres win Dahlin derby

The Buffalo Sabres followed a season filled with losses by finally winning something: the NHL draft lottery, landing the No. 1 pick for just third time in franchise history.

The Sabres became the first team to finish 31st in the standings following the addition of the expansion Vegas Golden Knights, and they entered the draft lottery on Saturday with the best chance — 18.5 per cent— to win the first pick. They overcame past disappointments the last two times they finished last and settled for the No. 2 pick, in 2014 and 2015.

The Carolina Hurricanes landed the No. 2 pick, making the biggest jump in the order from the 11th spot. The Montreal Canadiens moved up one and will select third — their first top-three pick since 2012, when they selected Alex Galchenyuk at No. 3. Montreal hasn’t had the No. 1 pick since 1980, when they Canadiens selected Doug Wickenheiser.

The Hurricanes and Canadiens moved ahead of Ottawa and Arizona. The Senators dropped from the second slot to having the fourth pick, and Arizona fell from third to fifth. This year’s draft will be held at Dallas on June 22 and 23.

Swedish defenceman Rasmus Dahlin is regarded as the toprated prospect and listed first among European skaters in the final NHL Central Scouting Bureau’s final rankings. Russian forward Andrei Svechnikov is the top-ranked North American prospect based on his play for Barrie of the Ontario Hockey League.

Dahlin has a chance of becoming just the second Swedishborn player to be taken first after the Quebec Nordiques chose Mats Sundin with the No. 1 pick in 1989. Scouting bureau director Dan Marr regards Dahlin as “the clear-cut No. 1, pro-ready prospect.”