Arena scorer bias · Buffalo Sabres
KeyBank Center: how its scorers counted hits
In 2023-24 the KeyBank Center crew credited 4% more hits than Sabres road games (raw), ranking 10 of 32 after shrinkage (1.03). With central recording, the 2025-26 factor is 1.00: in that season the building did not change the count.
KeyBank Center: hits and blocks factor by season
Solid = shrunk factor we use, dashed = raw home ÷ road ratio; 1.00 = neutral
KeyBank Center hits factor by season (shrunk): 2017-18 0.83, 2018-19 0.80, 2019-20 0.78, 2020-21 0.78, 2021-22 0.77, 2022-23 0.80, 2023-24 1.03, 2024-25 1.02, 2025-26 1.00.
- Hits (shrunk)
- Hits (raw)
- Blocks (shrunk)
Every stat, every season
| Season | Hits | Blocked shots | Giveaways | Takeaways | Missed shots |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 1.00 (1.05) | 1.00 (1.04) | 1.00 (0.99) | 1.00 (0.98) | 1.00 (1.01) |
| 2024-25 | 1.02 (1.05) | 1.01 (1.08) | 1.00 (1.02) | 1.00 (1.00) | 0.98 (0.95) |
| 2023-24 | 1.03 (1.04) | 1.00 (1.00) | 0.59 (0.52) | 0.88 (0.81) | 1.01 (1.02) |
| 2022-23 | 0.80 (0.74) | 0.98 (0.96) | 0.75 (0.62) | 0.94 (0.91) | 0.99 (0.96) |
| 2021-22 | 0.77 (0.63) | 0.96 (0.95) | 0.72 (0.61) | 0.83 (0.72) | 1.00 (1.01) |
| 2020-21 | 0.78 (0.68) | 0.98 (0.96) | 0.81 (0.70) | 0.89 (0.85) | 0.97 (0.96) |
| 2019-20 | 0.78 (0.71) | 0.81 (0.76) | 0.75 (0.70) | 0.61 (0.49) | 0.96 (0.92) |
| 2018-19 | 0.80 (0.74) | 0.89 (0.85) | 0.76 (0.72) | 0.64 (0.57) | 1.00 (1.01) |
| 2017-18 | 0.83 (0.78) | 0.91 (0.86) | 0.81 (0.78) | 0.72 (0.64) | 0.94 (0.92) |
Sabres hits and blocks in 2025-26
The Sabres have absorbed 22.8 hits per game (#4 in the league), delivered 19.2, and blocked 14.2 of the 58.4 shot attempts they face per game, over 82 games. Their own shots hit a teammate 1.1 times a game; the play-by-play logs those as blocked shots but nobody is credited. Opponents facing a team that absorbs many hits get a higher hit environment in Hits tonight.
Sabres hitters at home vs on the road, 2025-26
*Home rate ÷ road rate, divided by the league's home edge that season (1.04×). Above 1 means he is credited more at home than an average player. Central recording season: differences here are role and opponents, not the scorer. A player traded during the season is listed under his last team with his full-season totals.
| Player | GP | Hits | Adjusted | Home /60 | Road /60 | Home vs road* | Flag |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beck MalenstynL | 81 | 282 | 282 | 19.8 | 17.4 | 1.09× | – |
| Peyton KrebsC | 82 | 201 | 201 | 10.0 | 11.4 | 0.85× | – |
| Luke SchennD | 50 | 149 | 149 | 14.2 | 11.7 | 1.16× | – |
| Mattias SamuelssonD | 78 | 132 | 132 | 5.2 | 3.8 | 1.29× | – |
| Tyson KozakC | 46 | 120 | 120 | 15.5 | 12.6 | 1.18× | – |
| Logan StanleyD | 76 | 110 | 110 | 5.0 | 5.4 | 0.89× | – |
| Sam CarrickC | 73 | 106 | 106 | 9.3 | 7.4 | 1.19× | – |
| Tage ThompsonC | 81 | 85 | 85 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 0.93× | – |
| Alex TuchR | 79 | 82 | 82 | 3.5 | 3.1 | 1.10× | – |
| Josh DoanR | 82 | 78 | 78 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 0.94× | – |
| Tanner PearsonL | 56 | 74 | 74 | 8.4 | 6.3 | 1.27× | – |
| Rasmus DahlinD | 77 | 67 | 67 | 2.2 | 2.2 | 0.96× | – |
| Jason ZuckerL | 62 | 57 | 57 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 1.26× | – |
| Jordan GreenwayL | 40 | 57 | 57 | 5.7 | 8.0 | 0.68× | – |
| Jack QuinnR | 82 | 52 | 52 | 2.2 | 2.7 | 0.80× | – |
Sabres hitters at home vs on the road, 2023-24
*Home rate ÷ road rate, divided by the league's home edge that season (1.04×). Above 1 means he is credited more at home than an average player. A player traded during the season is listed under his last team with his full-season totals.
| Player | GP | Hits | Adjusted | Home /60 | Road /60 | Home vs road* | Flag |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connor CliftonD | 79 | 204 | 202 | 9.1 | 9.6 | 0.91× | – |
| Rasmus DahlinD | 81 | 195 | 193 | 5.9 | 5.5 | 1.04× | – |
| Zemgus GirgensonsC | 63 | 141 | 139 | 12.5 | 10.1 | 1.20× | – |
| Jordan GreenwayL | 67 | 141 | 138 | 7.5 | 7.1 | 1.01× | – |
| Peyton KrebsC | 80 | 108 | 107 | 6.7 | 6.3 | 1.03× | – |
| Dylan CozensC | 79 | 107 | 105 | 4.9 | 4.5 | 1.06× | – |
| Mattias SamuelssonD | 41 | 106 | 106 | 7.7 | 7.4 | 1.01× | – |
| Eric RobinsonL | 47 | 94 | 96 | 10.8 | 10.3 | 1.01× | – |
| Bowen ByramD | 73 | 94 | 95 | 4.1 | 3.5 | 1.14× | – |
| Henri JokiharjuD | 74 | 92 | 90 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 0.82× | – |
| Tage ThompsonC | 71 | 79 | 78 | 3.5 | 3.9 | 0.85× | – |
| Alex TuchR | 75 | 72 | 71 | 2.7 | 3.2 | 0.83× | – |
| Owen PowerD | 76 | 45 | 44 | 1.2 | 1.9 | 0.60× | – |
| Tyson JostC | 43 | 44 | 43 | 7.1 | 4.6 | 1.51× | – |
| Zach BensonL | 71 | 35 | 34 | 2.1 | 2.0 | 1.00× | – |
FAQ
Does KeyBank Center inflate hits?
In 2023-24, the last season with arena crews whose habits repeated, KeyBank Center credited 3% more hits than Buffalo Sabres road games after shrinkage. In 2025-26, with central recording, its factor is 1.00.
Should I adjust Buffalo Sabres players' hits for their arena?
Mainly for seasons up to 2023-24. After the NHL centralised event recording in 2024-25 the factors shrank to within about ±6%, and in 2025-26 they were 1.00 everywhere, so current hits need no adjustment. Use the adjusted hits leaderboard for older seasons.