Sabres fans cheer Coyotes' OT win in Buffalo

The impending arrival of Connor McDavid has created an uncomfortable scenario in the NHL this season, pitting fans in some cities against their own teams amid hopes of landing a transcendant player in the upcoming draft.

The team that finishes the regular season with the worst record will receive the best odds (though still only 20 per cent) of getting the No. 1 overall choice via the draft lottery. That spot will presumably be used on McDavid, the 18-year-old OHL superstar.

The rest of the slots are determined by reverse order of finish, so the bottom team will, at worst, pick second. And with another "can't miss" prospect, U.S. college phenom Jack Eichel, also entering the draft, the rewards for finishing last have seldom been higher.

With little hope of a playoff berth in their near future, many fans of the rebuilding Sabres have been quietly rooting against their team this season. But on Thursday night, with their NHL-worst club hosting second-worst Phoenix, many Buffalo fans couldn't contain their joy when the Coyotes' Sam Gagner scored an overtime goal that put his team six points up (or down, depending how you look at it) on the Sabres in the overall standings.

The unusual reaction wasn't lost on Buffalo's players, who despite management's efforts to "tank" the season by icing an inexperienced and talent-poor roster, don't go into games wishing to lose.

Defenceman Mike Weber called it "a whole new low."

"We understand what this team's doing, what the organization's doing, the place we've put ourselves in," Weber said. "But I've never been a part of something like that, where the away team comes into a home building, and they're cheering for them."