NHL Draft Lottery 2018: Selection Order Results, Analysis and Twitter Reaction

The first pick of the 2018 NHL draft is headed to Buffalo.

The Sabres drew the top selection Saturday night in a reveal that took place during the second intermission of Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinal between the Las Vegas Golden Knights and San Jose Sharks. The Carolina Hurricanes drew the second selection, and the Montreal Canadiens were third.

The three teams were revealed as the finalists for the top pick in a lottery special that aired before the Knights-Sharks game.

Here is how the lottery played out:

15. Florida Panthers

14. Philadelphia Flyers (via St. Louis Blues)

13. Dallas Stars

12. New York Islanders (via Calgary Flames)

11. New York Islanders

10. Edmonton Oilers

9. New York Rangers

8. Chicago Blackhawks

7. Vancouver Canucks

6. Detroit Red Wings

5. Arizona Coyotes

4. Ottawa Senators

3. Montreal Canadiens

2. Carolina Hurricanes

1. Buffalo Sabres

Here's how Twitter reacted:

The lottery's biggest winner, by far, is Carolina. The Hurricanes entered Saturday night's drawing with the 11th-best odds of any team and only a 9.9 percent chance of landing in the top three. Their odds of landing the No. 2 pick were just 3.3 percent.

The Hurricanes and Canadiens crashed the top-three party, sending the Ottawa Senators and Arizona Coyotes heading backward. Ottawa entered the lottery with the second-best odds of landing the top pick and wound up dropping to No. 4; Arizona moved back two spots from the third-best odds to No. 5.

This is the third time in franchise history the Sabres have had the No. 1 overall pick. They selected Gilbert Perreault (1970) and Pierre Turgeon (1987) with their previous top picks.