Buffalo Sabres vs. Washington CapitalsJan 22, 2021

Final / SOFriday, Jan 22, 2021· Capital One Arena

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Goals	1	2	3	OT	SO	T		Shots	1	2	3	OT	T
BUF	1	2	0	0	0	3		BUF	7	14	6	0	27
WSH	1	2	0	0	1	4		WSH	11	10	7	4	32

: BUF 57WSH 52
: BUF 2.67WSH 1.97
PP goals: BUF 0WSH 0
Hits: BUF 20WSH 24
Blocks: BUF 12WSH 11
PIM: BUF 4WSH 6
: BUF 60%WSH 40%

Fantasy takeaways

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

Washington Capitals edge Buffalo Sabres 4–3 (SO)

Washington Capitals beat Buffalo Sabres 4–3 in a shootout at home. Jakub Vrana (WSH) led the scoring with 1G 1A. Rasmus Dahlin (BUF) played 10:08, −11:41 down on his 21:49 season average over 55 games.

Points
Jakub Vrana had a goal and an assist (2 points) on 3 shots in 18:44.Vrana
Usage
Rasmus Dahlin (BUF) played 10:08, −11:41 down on his 21:49 season average over 55 games.Dahlin
New line
New look for WSH: Backstrom–Wilson–Vrana skated 9:39 together at 5v5 as the L2 trio (45.8% of the shot attempts), a combination not used in the team's last 5 games.Backstrom Wilson Vrana
Usage
John Carlson (WSH) played 28:37, +4:56 up on his 23:41 season average over 51 games.Carlson
New line
New look for WSH: Pinho–Sheary–Sprong skated 6:29 together at 5v5 as the L4 trio (54.5% of the shot attempts), a combination not used in the team's last 5 games.Pinho Sheary Sprong
Usage
Nic Dowd (WSH) played 19:10, +4:53 up on his 14:17 season average over 55 games.Dowd
Usage
Taylor Hall (BUF) played 25:08, +7:25 up on his 17:43 season average over 52 games.Hall
Usage
Brenden Dillon (WSH) played 23:31, +4:39 up on his 18:52 season average over 55 games.Dillon

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.

Strength

Period

Team

← BUF attacks left (bottom on phones)WSH attacks right (top on phones) →

WSH
BUF
Goal
Shot on goal
Missed
Blocked

Showing 109 of 109 attempts · WSH 52 · BUF 57

Game flow

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

Cumulative shot attempts

WSH
BUF
Goal
Power play (shaded)

Pressure Index

WSH 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 40% of the game, WSH 20%.

Shift chart

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

Shifts

WSH

BUF

goals / penalties

Even strength
Power play
Penalty kill
Goal
Penalty

Sequence card

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

Sequence card
Stat	BUF	WSH
	59	50
	2.79	1.38
	2.63	1.35
	11	7
	1	7
	10	10
	+0.111	−0.111
	40%	20%

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

L1Hall – Reinhart – Eichel
16:2870% CF
L2Eakin – Rieder – Cozens
10:2857% CF
L3Sheahan – Skinner – Lazar
8:5250% CF
L4Staal – Olofsson – Thompson
6:2660% CF
D1Montour – Jokiharju
16:0541% CF
D2McCabe – Ristolainen
15:2965% CF
D3Miller – Dahlin
7:2660% CF

PP1Hall – Reinhart – Olofsson – Eichel – Dahlin
2:1783% CF
PP2Staal – Skinner – Ristolainen – Thompson – Cozens
1:20
PK1FSheahan – Lazar
0:10
PK1DMcCabe – Montour
0:10

Current BUF line combinations →

Washington Capitals

L1Hagelin – Dowd – Hathaway
13:2240% CF
L2Backstrom – Wilson – Vrana
9:3946% CF
L3Oshie – Eller – Panik
8:2138% CF
L4Pinho – Sheary – Sprong
6:2955% CF
D1Carlson – Dillon
18:4745% CF
D2Chara – Jensen
15:5525% CF
D3Schultz – Siegenthaler
15:2663% CF

PP1Oshie – Backstrom – Carlson – Schultz – Vrana
0:100% CF
PK1FHagelin – Eller
1:22
PK2FDowd – Hathaway
0:51
PK1DCarlson – Dillon
1:56
PK2DChara – Jensen
1:27

Current WSH line combinations →

Scoring summary

Every goal with the skaters on the ice for it.

1st period

12:33
BUFEric Staal (Victor Olofsson)wrist0.14 xG
BUF: Staal, McCabe, Ristolainen, Olofsson, ThompsonWSH: Chara, Oshie, Eller, Panik, Jensen
BUF 1 – 0 WSH
16:18
WSHNicklas Backstrom (Tom Wilson, Brenden Dillon)backhand0.04 xG
BUF: Staal, Miller, Olofsson, Thompson, DahlinWSH: Backstrom, Carlson, Dillon, Wilson, Vrana
BUF 1 – 1 WSH

2nd period

4:14
WSHNic Dowd (Jakub Vrana, John Carlson)snap0.17 xG
BUF: Eakin, Rieder, McCabe, Ristolainen, CozensWSH: Carlson, Jensen, Dowd, Hathaway, Vrana
BUF 1 – 2 WSH
10:43
BUFDylan Cozenswrist0.01 xG
BUF: Eakin, Rieder, McCabe, Ristolainen, CozensWSH: Schultz, Pinho, Sheary, Siegenthaler, Sprong
BUF 2 – 2 WSH
13:07
WSHJakub Vrana (Zdeno Chara, T.J. Oshie)wrist0.21 xG
BUF: Eakin, Montour, Olofsson, Thompson, DahlinWSH: Chara, Oshie, Eller, Schultz, Vrana
BUF 2 – 3 WSH
13:49
BUFRiley Sheahan (Jeff Skinner, Curtis Lazar)backhand0.17 xG
BUF: Sheahan, Skinner, McCabe, Ristolainen, LazarWSH: Chara, Jensen, Pinho, Sheary, Sprong
BUF 3 – 3 WSH

Decided in the shootout: BUF 3 – 4 WSH.

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
Skater	Line	G	A	P	+/-			Hits	Blk	PIM		PP	SH
Taylor Hall L	L1	0	0	0	0	2	0.64	2	1	0	25:08	—	—	68	84
Jack Eichel C	L1	0	0	0	0	4	0.32	0	2	0	23:31	—	—	69	87
Sam Reinhart C	L1	0	0	0	0	0	0.02	0	0	0	22:54	—	—	63	74
Cody Eakin C	L2	0	0	0	-1	0	0.02	1	0	0	16:35	—	—	46	41
Tobias Rieder L	L2	0	0	0	0	2	0.22	4	1	0	13:30	—	—	47	44
Dylan Cozens C	L2	1	0	1	0	1	0.01	1	2	0	13:24	—	—	44	49
Curtis Lazar C	L3	0	1	1	+1	0	0.04	3	1	0	13:12	—	—	47	77
Riley Sheahan C	L3	1	0	1	+1	1	0.23	0	0	0	12:53	—	—	50	77
Jeff Skinner L	L3	0	1	1	+1	1	0.20	0	1	0	12:15	—	—	43	74
Victor Olofsson L	L4	0	1	1	-1	4	0.37	0	0	0	14:25	—	—	48	50
Eric Staal C	L4	1	0	1	0	2	0.15	0	0	0	12:54	—	—	52	67
Tage Thompson C	L4	0	0	0	-1	0	0.00	0	0	2	8:34	—	—	50	60
Brandon Montour D	D1	0	0	0	-1	2	0.20	0	0	0	25:44	—	—	43	38
Henri Jokiharju D	D1	0	0	0	0	2	0.08	1	2	0	22:28	—	—	42	49
Rasmus Ristolainen D	D2	0	0	0	+2	2	0.03	5	2	2	26:39	—	—	61	75
Jake McCabe D	D2	0	0	0	+2	2	0.09	1	0	0	23:22	—	—	65	80
Colin Miller D	D3	0	0	0	-1	0	0.00	2	0	0	18:13	—	—	68	85
Rasmus Dahlin D	D3	0	0	0	-2	2	0.06	0	0	0	10:08	—	—	46	65

BUF goalies
Goalie	Dec	SA	SV	GA			TOI
Linus Ullmark(start)	O	32	29	3	.906	1.97	65:00

Washington Capitals

WSH skaters
Skater	Line	G	A	P	+/-			Hits	Blk	PIM		PP	SH
Carl Hagelin L	L1	0	0	0	0	0	0.00	0	0	0	19:52	—	—	38	11
Nic Dowd C	L1	1	0	1	+1	1	0.17	3	0	0	19:10	—	—	39	23
Garnet Hathaway R	L1	0	0	0	+1	1	0.07	5	0	0	16:19	—	—	35	22
Nicklas Backstrom C	L2	1	0	1	+1	3	0.24	0	2	0	20:56	—	—	49	54
Jakub Vrana L	L2	1	1	2	+3	3	0.25	0	1	2	18:44	—	—	53	67
Tom Wilson R	L2	0	1	1	+1	4	0.28	0	1	0	12:57	—	—	48	56
T.J. Oshie R	L3	0	1	1	0	2	0.07	3	0	2	17:45	—	—	54	34
Lars Eller C	L3	0	0	0	0	1	0.23	0	0	0	17:29	—	—	46	30
Richard Panik R	L3	0	0	0	-1	1	0.04	1	0	0	13:19	—	—	37	10
Daniel Sprong R	L4	0	0	0	-2	2	0.01	0	0	0	10:14	—	—	58	27
Conor Sheary L	L4	0	0	0	-2	0	0.04	0	0	2	9:52	—	—	44	21
Brian Pinho C	L4	0	0	0	-2	1	0.01	0	0	0	7:26	—	—	58	20
John Carlson D	D1	0	1	1	+2	6	0.36	3	2	0	28:37	—	—	40	33
Brenden Dillon D	D1	0	1	1	+1	1	0.01	2	1	0	23:31	—	—	45	36
Nick Jensen D	D2	0	0	0	-1	3	0.04	1	0	0	19:12	—	—	28	16
Zdeno Chara D	D2	0	1	1	-1	1	0.01	2	0	0	19:08	—	—	36	20
Jonas Siegenthaler D	D3	0	0	0	-1	1	0.02	4	2	0	20:13	—	—	57	48
Justin Schultz D	D3	0	0	0	0	1	0.12	0	2	0	19:08	—	—	69	80

WSH goalies
Goalie	Dec	SA	SV	GA			TOI
Vitek Vanecek(start)	W	27	24	3	.889	2.67	64:57

Methodology

Shot locations come from the NHL play-by-play, normalised so each shooter attacks the same way, then flipped so the home team attacks right. On-ice stats and lines come from the shift charts: a unit is the exact set of skaters sharing the ice, and CF% is the share of all shot attempts while they were out. Head-to-head cells are 5v5 time against each opponent. Expected goals and the Pressure Index appear as their models are released.