Edgehalla

Buffalo Sabres vs. Columbus Blue JacketsJan 3, 2026

Final· Nationwide Arena
away
BUF
1
@
home
CBJ
5
Goals123TShots123T
BUF1001BUF10111233
CBJ3115CBJ1314835
BUF 81CBJ 66
BUF 4.69CBJ 3.84
PP goals
BUF 0CBJ 0
Hits
BUF 15CBJ 23
Blocks
BUF 15CBJ 13
PIM
BUF 6CBJ 14
BUF 53%CBJ 47%

Fantasy takeaways

Generated from the play-by-play, shifts and season context. No opinions, just what changed.

Columbus Blue Jackets rout Buffalo Sabres 5–1

Columbus Blue Jackets beat Buffalo Sabres 5–1 at home. Denton Mateychuk (CBJ) led the scoring with 1G 1A. BUF scored 1 goal on 4.69 expected goals (81 attempts), well short of its chances.

  1. Points
    Denton Mateychuk had a goal and an assist (2 points) on 1 shot in 24:15.Mateychuk
  2. Points
    Damon Severson had 2 assists (2 points) on 3 shots in 16:55.Severson
  3. Points
    Zach Werenski had 2 assists (2 points) on 5 shots in 23:12.Werenski
  4. Luck
    BUF scored 1 goal on 4.69 expected goals (81 attempts), well short of its chances.
  5. Usage
    Josh Doan (BUF) played 21:30, +5:42 up on his 15:48 season average over 81 games.Doan
  6. Usage
    Denton Mateychuk (CBJ) played 24:15, +5:08 up on his 19:07 season average over 74 games.Mateychuk
  7. Usage
    Dmitri Voronkov (CBJ) played 9:11, −4:50 down on his 14:01 season average over 62 games.Voronkov
  8. New line
    New look for CBJ: Heinen–Voronkov–Sillinger skated 6:37 together at 5v5 as the L4 trio (50% of the shot attempts), a combination not used in the team's last 5 games.HeinenVoronkovSillinger

Shot map

Both teams on one rink, filtered by strength and period.

Shot map

Every attempt, sized by expected goals. Goals are rings, shots on goal dots, misses hollow, blocks crosses.

Shot map, BUF at CBJ: 147 attempts, 68 on goal, 6 goals, 8.53 expected goals; best chance Cole Sillinger at 0.82 xG.

Strength
Period
Team
← BUF attacks left (bottom on phones)CBJ attacks right (top on phones) →
  • CBJ
  • BUF
  • Goal
  • Shot on goal
  • Missed
  • Blocked

Showing 147 of 147 attempts · CBJ 66 · BUF 81

Game flow

Cumulative expected goals and shot attempts, with power plays shaded and goals marked.

Cumulative shot attempts

Game flow, BUF at CBJ: expected goals 3.84 to 4.69 (BUF led the chances), shot attempts 66 to 81, 6 goals.

0.01.02.03.04.05.01st2nd3rdCBJBUFMDGVOSnet xGcumulative expected goals · 60:00
  • CBJ
  • BUF
  • Goal
  • Power play (shaded)
Pressure Index
CBJBUFcontrol2nd3rdMateychuk · 1st 3:00Doan · 1st 11:26Gaunce · 1st 14:04Voronkov · 1st 17:12Olivier · 2nd 8:04Sillinger · 3rd 11:46
  • CBJ pressure
  • BUF pressure
  • Goal
  • Control (|PI| > 0.25)

: descriptive only, the team with more pressure scored the next goal about half the time. In control: BUF 35% of the game, CBJ 28%.

Shift chart

Every shift, grouped by line and pair; bars are coloured by strength state. Click a player to highlight.

Shifts

Shift chart, BUF at CBJ: 38 players over 60:00; most ice Jet Greaves (60:00) for CBJ and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (58:34) for BUF, 6 goals.

CBJ
BUF
goals / penalties
  • Even strength
  • Power play
  • Penalty kill
  • Goal
  • Penalty

Head-to-head matchups

CBJ skaters (rows) against BUF skaters (columns) at 5v5. Square size is time together; colour is xGF% from the CBJ side.

Matchup matrix

Head-to-head matrix, CBJ rows versus BUF columns: 250 matchups; most common Mateychuk vs Samuelsson, 10:40 at 29% xGF.

CBJ ↓ · BUF →GreenwayDunneMalenstynThompsonDoanKrebsTuchNorrisOstlundMcLeodBensonQuinnDahlinSamuelssonByramPowerBrysonMetsaL1 FantilliL1 MarchenkoL1 MarchmentL2 JennerL2 OlivierL2 CoyleL3 GaunceL3 Aston-ReeseL3 JohnsonL4 SillingerL4 VoronkovL4 HeinenD1 MateychukD1 WerenskiD2 ProvorovD2 SeversonD3 FabbroD3 Christiansen
CBJ xGF% 4060square size = TOI together · blank = under 1:00

Sequence card

5-on-5 possession-chain numbers from the sequence engine (Draw Equity and control cover all situations).

Sequence card
StatBUFCBJ
6767
2.962.69
2.802.61
147
27
1424
+0.035−0.035
35%28%

Definitions: sequence xG, transition attempts, Draw Equity, control and the Pressure Index.

Lines used

Detected from who actually shared the ice, with time together. Percentages are the unit's share of shot attempts.

Buffalo Sabres

Current BUF line combinations →

Columbus Blue Jackets

Current CBJ line combinations →

Scoring summary

Every goal with the skaters on the ice for it.

1st period

  1. 3:00
    CBJDenton Mateychuk (Boone Jenner, Zach Werenski)wrist0.01 xG
    BUF: Thompson, Samuelsson, Dahlin, Krebs, DoanCBJ: Jenner, Gaunce, Werenski, Olivier, Mateychuk
    BUF 0 – 1 CBJ
  2. 11:26
    BUFJosh Doan (Josh Norris, Owen Power)snap0.25 xG
    BUF: Norris, Samuelsson, Doan, Power, OstlundCBJ: Jenner, Werenski, Olivier, Sillinger, Mateychuk
    BUF 1 – 1 CBJ
  3. 14:04
    CBJBrendan GaunceSHsnap0.19 xG
    BUF: Thompson, Norris, Dahlin, Doan, BensonCBJ: Coyle, Gaunce, Provorov, Mateychuk
    BUF 1 – 2 CBJ
  4. 17:12
    CBJDmitri Voronkov (Ivan Provorov, Damon Severson)tip-in0.12 xG
    BUF: Greenway, Malenstyn, Bryson, Byram, DunneCBJ: Severson, Heinen, Provorov, Voronkov, Sillinger
    BUF 1 – 3 CBJ

2nd period

  1. 8:04
    CBJMathieu Olivier (Zachary Aston-Reese, Damon Severson)backhand0.09 xG
    BUF: Tuch, Norris, Byram, Power, OstlundCBJ: Coyle, Severson, Provorov, Olivier, Aston-Reese
    BUF 1 – 4 CBJ

3rd period

  1. 11:46
    CBJCole SillingerEN (Denton Mateychuk, Zach Werenski)snap0.83 xG
    BUF: Tuch, Thompson, Norris, Dahlin, DoanCBJ: Gaunce, Werenski, Sillinger, Mateychuk
    BUF 1 – 5 CBJ

Box score

Skaters grouped by the line they played on; CF% is the 5v5 share of shot attempts while on the ice.

Buffalo Sabres

BUF skaters
SkaterLineGAP+/-HitsBlkPIMPPSH
Jordan Greenway LL1000-100.001008:36——2533
Josh Dunne CL1000-110.242008:15——2337
Beck Malenstyn LL1000-110.021007:53——2734
Tage Thompson CL2000-340.5222022:42——4958
Josh Doan RL2101-210.5700021:30——5165
Peyton Krebs CL2000-110.0003014:28——4249
Alex Tuch RL3000-250.6721019:49——6264
Josh Norris CL3011-220.4502217:38——6256
Noah Ostlund CL3000010.1100012:36——5044
Ryan McLeod CL4000020.2501016:59——5754
Zach Benson LL4000-130.2711216:39——6169
Jack Quinn RL4000030.3501015:53——5223
Rasmus Dahlin DD1000-310.2021025:30——5363
Mattias Samuelsson DD1000040.1610020:59——5765
Bowen Byram DD2000-230.7311024:33——4943
Owen Power DD2011000.1410021:41——5457
Jacob Bryson DD3000-110.001129:59——3310
Zach Metsa DD3000000.000109:46——3611
BUF goalies
GoalieDecSASVGATOI
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen(start)L34304.8823.0258:34

Columbus Blue Jackets

CBJ skaters
SkaterLineGAP+/-HitsBlkPIMPPSH
Adam Fantilli CL1000030.3540016:40——4753
Kirill Marchenko RL1000020.2720016:28——5158
Mason Marchment LL1000010.2312015:45——5567
Boone Jenner CL2011030.0600017:44——5134
Mathieu Olivier RL2101+110.1331415:08——5237
Charlie Coyle CL2000+240.5021014:49——6256
Brendan Gaunce CL3101+310.2703016:14——3825
Zachary Aston-Reese LL3011+100.0041012:48——3329
Kent Johnson CL3000010.1211210:51——4234
Cole Sillinger CL4101+120.8720012:12——6055
Dmitri Voronkov LL4101+130.411109:11——6169
Danton Heinen LL4000+100.001008:51——5454
Denton Mateychuk DD1112+210.0100024:15——4236
Zach Werenski DD1022+150.2310023:12——4239
Ivan Provorov DD2011+330.2501425:32——5551
Damon Severson DD2022+230.1200216:55——6471
Dante Fabbro DD3000000.0311218:03——4138
Jake Christiansen DD3000010.0101011:22——5566
CBJ goalies
GoalieDecSASVGATOI
Jet Greaves(start)W33321.9704.6960:00

Goal anatomy

Animated replays from NHL EDGE tracking, with the entry, passes and shot speed for each goal.

Denton Mateychuk (CBJ) 1st 3:00 · assists Boone Jenner, Zach Werenski · Rush · carried in · 60.6 mph shot · 2.5 s from entry to goal.

Brendan Gaunce · 1st 14:04 · CBJ SH

Play
odd-man-rush
Entry
carry
Odd man
1-on-0
Passes
0
Shot
67.0 mph
Distance
29 ft
Entry to goal
1.9 s

Watch on NHL.com → · Tracking-derived via NHL EDGE

Cole Sillinger · 3rd 11:46 · CBJ EN

Play
rush
Entry
pass
Odd man
No
Passes
1
Shot
68.9 mph
Distance
27 ft
Entry to goal
2.2 s

Watch on NHL.com → · Tracking-derived via NHL EDGE