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Last-place Sabres win draft lottery; Kraken get No. 2 pick

The Buffalo Sabres won the NHL draft lottery and the expansion Seattle Kraken jumped up the order to take the No. 2 pick Wednesday night.

Credit: AP

Flags for the Seattle Kraken NHL hockey team and the Amazon-sponsored Climate Pledge Arena hang in the rafters Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2020, as work continues in Seattle on the home of the Seattle Kraken NHL hockey team. Sometime in the late summer or early fall of 2021, the Kraken will open the new facility -- at a cost that will likely total $1 billion by the time it's done -- and become the NHL's 32nd franchise. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The Buffalo Sabres won the NHL draft lottery and the expansion Seattle Kraken jumped up the order to take the No. 2 pick Wednesday night.

The Sabres have the No. 1 pick for the fourth time in franchise history and second in three years. It marks a turnaround for a team that finished last in the overall standings for the fourth time since 2013-14, and lost the draft lottery in both 2014 and '15.

For the second time in four years, the @BuffaloSabres will hold the No. 1 pick in the #NHLDraft. pic.twitter.com/6HKWUwNjiC
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) June 2, 2021

The Kraken were seeded third with New Jersey, and jumped ahead of the Anaheim Ducks, who will be selecting third overall.

The two-day draft will be held virtually for a second consecutive year, with the first round being held on July 23.

Credit: KING 5 Sports