Buffalo '77 blizzard game: Fewest number of skaters used by a team in a game since expansion?

[reckoning]

On Jan. 28/1977, Buffalo was hit by a massive blizzard that paralyzed the city. The Sabres were scheduled to play in Montreal the next day. The team was able to find a plane to take them there on the day of the game, but it was difficult getting players to the plane as the city was still buried in snow and travel was treacherous. Some players didn't make it, but Rene Robert and Jocelyn Guevremont both had four wheel drive vehicles and were able to pick up several of their teammates.

There's an article about the blizzard here:
The Blizzard of '77 - 1976-77 Buffalo Sabres Gerry Desjardins Jersey.

Aside from goalies, Buffalo had 13 skaters on the roster that night. Enough for three lines and two defence pairings. Surprisingly, they held Montreal to a 3-3 tie. Impressive considering these were the '77 Habs that had a 60-8-12 record that season.

Buffalo Sabres vs. Montreal Canadiens Box Score: January 29, 1977 | Hockey-Reference.com

My question is: would this be the least number of skaters dressed for a game on one team? I'm sure it was common from the early years of the league up to the Original 6 era. But after expansion, has there been a game where a team used less than 13 skaters?

 

[Summer Rose]

My best guess off the top of my head is that you could probably go back to the infancy of the NHL and find early-era games with fewer skaters, but I'm not sure that it's the answer your quite looking for (and now that I re-read your post halfway through typing this reply, I missed the "after expansion" part originally, so it isn't, but I think this information I found is interesting enough to stick with posting), since those were games where they were dressing the maximum number of skaters permitted at the time, even if it was under 13. For the sake of my own curiosity, I did manage to find a website that talks about the history of roster limits in the NHL, and gives it in the form of the maximum number of skaters a team was allowed to dress for a game. We have to go all the way back to 1929 to find a dressed skater limit of under 13 (the limit that year was dressing 12 skaters). Another curious note is that in 1953 the table says 15.5, which the article clarifies as meaning that for that year, you could dress 16 skaters for away games, but 15 skaters for home games.

Anyway, here's the link to the article I found if you're curious: #4. Roster Size

 

[pnep]

On Jan. 28/1977, Buffalo was hit by a massive blizzard that paralyzed the city. The Sabres were scheduled to play in Montreal the next day. The team was able to find a plane to take them there on the day of the game, but it was difficult getting players to the plane as the city was still buried in snow and travel was treacherous. Some players didn't make it, but Rene Robert and Jocelyn Guevremont both had four wheel drive vehicles and were able to pick up several of their teammates.

There's an article about the blizzard here:
The Blizzard of '77 - 1976-77 Buffalo Sabres Gerry Desjardins Jersey.

Aside from goalies, Buffalo had 13 skaters on the roster that night. Enough for three lines and two defence pairings. Surprisingly, they held Montreal to a 3-3 tie. Impressive considering these were the '77 Habs that had a 60-8-12 record that season.

Buffalo Sabres vs. Montreal Canadiens Box Score: January 29, 1977 | Hockey-Reference.com

My question is: would this be the least number of skaters dressed for a game on one team? I'm sure it was common from the early years of the league up to the Original 6 era. But after expansion, has there been a game where a team used less than 13 skaters?

13:

Season	gameid	Team	#
1967	1967020092	CHI	13
1967	1967020099	CHI	13
1967	1967020158	CHI	13
1967	1967020282	MNS	13
1967	1967020430	MNS	13
1967	1967020134	NYR	13
1967	1967020431	NYR	13
1967	1967020436	NYR	13
1967	1967020011	OAK	13
1967	1967020021	OAK	13
1967	1967020114	OAK	13
1967	1967020127	OAK	13
1967	1967020129	OAK	13
1967	1967020210	OAK	13
1967	1967020229	OAK	13
1967	1967020264	OAK	13
1967	1967020269	OAK	13
1967	1967020280	OAK	13
1967	1967020303	OAK	13
1967	1967020307	OAK	13
1967	1967020354	OAK	13
1967	1967020320	PHI	13
1968	1968020300	BOS	13
1968	1968020099	CHI	13
1968	1968020072	DET	13
1968	1968020344	DET	13
1968	1968020355	DET	13
1968	1968020226	MNS	13
1968	1968020050	MTL	13
1968	1968020054	MTL	13
1968	1968020207	MTL	13
1968	1968020328	MTL	13
1968	1968020399	MTL	13
1968	1968020407	MTL	13
1968	1968020427	MTL	13
1968	1968030114	MTL	13
1968	1968030111	NYR	13
1968	1968020369	PIT	13
1969	1969020138	BOS	13
1969	1969020253	BOS	13
1969	1969020074	MTL	13
1969	1969020076	MTL	13
1969	1969020076	OAK	13
1970	1970020321	BOS	13
1970	1970020250	CGS	13
1970	1970020308	CGS	13
1970	1970020458	CGS	13
1970	1970020510	DET	13
1970	1970020163	LAK	13
1970	1970020364	MNS	13
1970	1970030212	MNS	13
1970	1970030214	MNS	13
1970	1970030216	MNS	13
1971	1971020029	BOS	13
1971	1971020508	BUF	13
1971	1971020205	MTL	13
1972	1972020432	DET	13
1972	1972020122	MTL	13
1972	1972020144	NYI	13
1972	1972020319	NYI	13
1972	1972020331	NYR	13
1972	1972020094	TOR	13
1972	1972020117	TOR	13
1972	1972020131	TOR	13
1972	1972020156	TOR	13
1972	1972020472	TOR	13
1973	1973020106	BUF	13
1973	1973020429	CGS	13
1973	1973020177	DET	13
1973	1973020446	DET	13
1974	1974020189	BOS	13
1974	1974020386	BOS	13
1974	1974020300	BUF	13
1974	1974020704	BUF	13
1974	1974020244	CHI	13
1974	1974020715	DET	13
1974	1974020425	KCS	13
1975	1975020184	DET	13
1975	1975020396	DET	13
1975	1975020617	NYR	13
1976	1976020446	BUF	13
1976	1976020551	CLE	13
1976	1976020671	CLE	13
1976	1976020676	CLE	13
1978	1978020186	LAK	13
1978	1978020509	LAK	13

New York Islanders vs. Los Angeles Kings Box Score: November 29, 1978 | Hockey-Reference.com

Get the latest box score updates on the New York Islanders vs. Los Angeles Kings game played on November 29, 1978 on Hockey-Reference.com

www.hockey-reference.com

Vancouver Canucks vs. Los Angeles Kings Box Score: February 26, 1979 | Hockey-Reference.com

Get the latest box score updates on the Vancouver Canucks vs. Los Angeles Kings game played on February 26, 1979 on Hockey-Reference.com

www.hockey-reference.com

 

[Crazy Cizikas]

Imagine an NHL game only happening because a couple of players had four-wheel vehicles. Reminds me of midnight hockey at the local rink when I was a teen.

 

[Staniowski]

Thirteen skaters wouldn't be too bad in the '70s, especially if you're not missing your best players.