What Sabres fans need to know about the 2022 NHL Draft Lottery

The NHL Draft Lottery is tonight, and Sabres fans have twice as many reasons to watch.
Depending on how the night goes, the Sabres could have two picks in the top 16 of the 2022 NHL Draft (and three first-round picks overall - more on that in a bit).
The Sabres have their own pick, which is guaranteed to be in the top 11. They also acquired a conditional first-round pick from Vegas in November as part of the return for Jack Eichel.
The bottom line for Sabres fans:

• The Sabres' original pick could end up 1st, 2nd, 9th, 10th, or 11th. We will explain each scenario below.
• The Golden Knights' pick is top-10 protected. If the Golden Knights win one of the two lotteries and move into the top 10, the Sabres will instead receive an unprotected first-round pick in 2023. If the Golden Knights do not win a lottery, the Sabres will receive their pick this year - which would be 16th overall.
It all happens at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN and ESPN+.
In the meantime, let's try and answer any questions you may have.

How does the lottery work?

The NHL Draft Lottery determines the order of selection for the first 16 picks in the NHL Draft. The 16 teams that did not qualify for the playoffs are ranked in inverse order based on where they finished in the standings and given descending odds to win the top selection.
Those odds are as follows:
1. Montreal - 18.5%
2. Arizona - 13.5%
3. Seattle - 11.5%
4. Philadelphia - 9.5%
5. New Jersey - 8.5%
6. Chicago - 7.5%
7. Ottawa - 6.5%
8. Detroit - 6.0%
9. Buffalo - 5.0%
10. Anaheim - 3.5%
11. San Jose - 3.0%
12. Columbus - 2.5%
13. New York Islanders - 2.0%
14. Winnipeg - 1.5%
15. Vancouver - 0.5%
16. Vegas - 0.5%
After the first winner is selected, a second drawing is held among the 15 remaining teams. The other 13 picks are determined by inverse order of the standings.
There is one big change this year, albeit one that does not affect the Sabres' pick. Lottery winners can move a maximum of 10 spots from where they finished in the standings, meaning only the top 11 seeds can win the No. 1 pick. (Vegas, the 16th seed, can move to sixth at best).

What are the potential outcomes for Buffalo's pick?

The Sabres could pick …
• 1st overall, by winning the first lottery drawing. They have the ninth-best odds to do so at 5.0 percent.
• 2nd overall, by winning the second lottery drawing.
• 9th overall, if the two lottery winners are teams that finished behind the Sabres in the standings. (Example: Montreal and Arizona win the lotteries.)
• 10th overall, if one of the lottery winners is a team that finished ahead of the Sabres in the standings. (Example: Montreal and Anaheim win the lotteries.)
• 11th overall, if both lottery winners are teams that finished ahead of the Sabres in the standings. (Example: Anaheim and San Jose win the lotteries.)

What are the potential outcomes for Vegas' pick?

Vegas has just a 0.5 percent chance of winning the lottery, which would move them into the top 10 and defer the pick Buffalo receives to 2023 (that one would be unprotected).
If Vegas does not win a lottery, their pick will be 16th overall.

Do the Sabres have another first-round pick?

They do, courtesy of the Florida Panthers as part of the return for Sam Reinhart. Where that pick falls in the draft order will be determined by how far the Panthers advance in the playoffs, though we know it will fall between 28th and 32nd.
That means the Sabres could hold three first-round picks in 2022: their own, Vegas', and Florida's.

What's on the line?

Shane Wright, a center from Kingston of the Ontario Hockey League, is ranked by NHL Central Scouting Services as the No. 1 North American skater in this year's draft. Wright had 94 points (32+62) in 63 games this season.
USA National Team Development Program forwards Logan Cooley and Cutter Gauthier round out the top three North American skaters according to NHL CSS. Slovakian winger Juraj Slafkovsky is the top European skater, followed by Finnish winger Joakim Kemell and Slovakian defenseman Simon Nemec.