Breaking down every Sabres single-season 100-point scorer in team history
The Sabres have seen a few players ace the century mark in points throughout a single season, so who has the most?
In 2022-23, Tage Thompson showed Sabres fans his 2021-22 season was no fluke when he finished the year with 94 points. Considering the circumstances surrounding the Blue and Gold, it was refreshing to see someone finally break through the 90-plus-point barrier, but even Tage’s 94 points weren’t even enough to warrant him a place in the top 10 of single-season points scored.
The likes of Rick Martin, Dale Hawerchuk, and Daniel Briere are just a few names who landed in the top 10 in scoring throughout Buffalo’s long history, but none of them hit the century mark in points. The same can’t be said for the following five players on the list, and one particular forward reached 100-plus points twice.
Rene Robert, 1974-75
A journeyman in the NHL, everyone best remembers Rene Robert for his time with the Sabres thanks to his spot on the French Connection, which also included Gilbert Perreault and Rick Martin. While Martin never hit 100 points and Perreault was the top player of the group, Robert was the first to the century mark in team history when he scored 40 goals and 60 assists in 1974-75.
He never came close to 100 again for the Sabres, but Robert did score 73-plus in the following three seasons, including 87 points and 35 goals in 1975-76. Throughout eight seasons with the Blue and Gold, Robert finished with 552 points in 524 games with 222 goals.
Pierre Turgeon, 1989-90
Pierre Turgeon’s 88 points in 1988-89 foreshadowed what was coming in the 1989-90 season, but perhaps few thought he’d break 100 points. To be exact, Turgeon finished the year with 106 points and 40 goals, and while he saw a drop-off in points the following season, he still averaged over one per game.
1990-91 would be his final year in a Sabres uniform, but would break through 100 points yet again while with the New York Islanders. In 1992-93, Turgeon scored 58 goals and recorded an astounding 132 points, which undoubtedly helped him in his quest for the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Gilbert Perreault, 1975-76, 1979-80
One of the many reasons Gilbert Perreault is regarded as the greatest to ever wear a Sabres uniform is that he crossed the century mark in points twice. It first occurred in 1975-76, when Perreault finished the season with 44 goals and 113 points in 80 games, leading to a seventh-place finish for the Hart Trophy.
After three more seasons in which he finished with 85-plus points, Perreault struck again in 1979-80 with 40 goals and 66 assists, good for 106 points. One of just a handful of Sabres players to play their entire career with one team - 17 seasons - Perreault saw ice time in 1,191 games, where he finished with 1,326 points and 512 goals.
Alexander Mogilny, 1992-93
Alexander Mogilny enjoyed one of the finest seasons in Sabres history in 1992-93 when he finished the year with 76 goals, but he also tacked on an additional 51 assists, giving him 127 points on the season.
He’s yet another player on this list who hit 100 or more points in a single season twice, but the second time it occurred in 1995-96, he found himself playing for the Sabres expansion brethren, the Vancouver Canucks. Mogilny finished with 107 points, and as was the case during the 1992-93 campaign, he also made the Second Team All-Star.
Pat LaFontaine, 1992-93
Before his time in the City of Good Neighbors, Pat LaFontaine enjoyed a 105-point outburst in 1989-90 with the New York Islanders. He did it again in 1992-93 with a career-best 148 points and 53 goals, which should explain why opponents found it to be a nightmare to play against him that season.
Well, being that LaFontaine is in the Hockey Hall of Fame, there was never an ideal time to play against him. But that 1992-93 season was special, and it may be a while before anyone wearing a Sabres uniform finishes with that points total.
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(Statistics powered by Hockey-Reference)