Robin Lehner and Linus Ullmark shared an objective. The goaltenders wanted to skate to the crease and prove they could stay there all year.

Based on the results, they figure to share something else next season: the net in Buffalo.

Though contracts need to be worked out and an expansion draft looms, the Sabres seem set in goal when they return to the ice. Lehner and Ullmark showed they could be competitive workhorses, erasing many of the questions that accompanied each netminder.

“It was nice to get out there, nice to play a lot of games, nice to go out and show you’re capable,” Lehner said. “I tried to give my team a chance to win games. I feel like on most nights I have.”

Lehner helped the Sabres post a team save percentage of .921, the fifth-best total in franchise history. He set a career high with 55 appearances, a necessity after ankle injuries limited him to 21 during his first season with Buffalo. He became a locker-room leader with a perceptive voice that was as commanding as his 6-foot-4, 239-pound frame.

“We’ve obviously got really good goaltending or we probably would have been in the Colorado area in terms of points,” said left wing Evander Kane, referring to the dismal showing by the Avalanche, who at 48 points had 30 fewer than Buffalo.