LW · BUF · NHL id 8484145
Zach Benson has played 1 game for the Buffalo Sabres in 2026-27, scoring 0 goals and 1 assist (1 points) on 1 shots while averaging 18:34 a night (13:18 at even strength, 4:27 on the power play and 0:31 shorthanded). At 5v5 he has skated 92% of his 5v5 minutes with Jack Quinn and 89% with Noah Ostlund in his only game so far, and the Sabres have controlled 71% of shot attempts with Benson on the ice (1-1 in goals, 100% offensive-zone starts). In the Sabres' most recent game against CBJ he was on L1 with Jack Quinn and Noah Ostlund and on PP1.
Right now
From the Oct 1 game vs CBJ, detected from shift data
- +3:28 PP TOI
- PP1 in 1 of last 1 (was 1 of 20)
- Top-six in 1 of last 1 (was 8 of 20)
Deployment timeline
2026-27 · per-game ice time by strength, with line and power-play unit changes
Usage: 1 games, 18:16 average time on ice, PP1 in 1 games, 0 line changes.
- Even strength
- Power play
- Penalty kill
- 5-game average
- Did not play
- ▲ promoted · ▼ demoted
NHL EDGE tracking
2025-26 percentiles among skaters at his position
Only 1 GP in 2026-27; showing 2025-26 NHL EDGE data.
Season-level NHL EDGE puck and player tracking, refreshed nightly. The percentile is the league rank among skaters this season; the label at the right is the raw value.
Shot map
2026-27 · 6 attempts, 1 on goal, 0 goals
Shot map, OPP at BUF: 6 attempts, 1 on goal, 0 goals, 0.29 expected goals; best chance Zach Benson at 0.13 xG.
- Even strength
- Power play
- Penalty kill
- Goal
- Shot on goal
- Missed
- Blocked
Luck
2025-26 · 65 GP · 43 points vs 37.9 expected
Last 20 games: +46. Positive means running hot (sell), negative running cold (buy).
- 11.2%
- 104.0
- 59.7%
- G vs xG
- 13 / 13.9
- • Role rose over the last 10 games (4 promotion events): some of the heat may be real.
- • Shot diet improved: 0.136 xG per attempt lately vs 0.099 before (more from the slot).
- Actual goals
- Expected
- ±1σ
- Above expected
- Below expected
Player analytics
Compare with another player →2025-26 regular season. Rank is among all qualified players; the bar is his percentile among forwards. Each stat links to its explainer.
- 2026-27 so far: 1 GP, 0 G, 1 A, 0 PPP, 1 SOG.
Fantasy box score
- Games played65
- Goals13227th of 715
- Assists30135th of 715
- Points43172nd of 715
- Power-play points5261st of 715
- Shorthanded points238th of 715
- Shots on goal116244th of 715
- Hits40463rd of 715
- Blocked shots22561st of 715
- Plus/minus+2724th of 715
- Penalty minutes42165th of 715
- Faceoffs won7329th of 715
Possession & shot quality (5-on-5 on-ice)
- Corsi (CF%)52.3%170th of 719
- Fenwick (FF%)52.7%149th of 719
- Expected goals (xGF%)53.4%167th of 719
- Sequence xG (sxGF%)53.6%155th of 719
- High-danger chances (HDCF%)54.0%154th of 719
- Scoring chances (SCF%)50.2%313th of 719
Transition, turnovers & faceoffs
- Transition attempts /600.72423rd of 719
- Turnover Ledger /60−0.014186th of 719
- Forecheck xG /60 (on-ice)0.21593rd of 719
- Faceoff win %46.7%
- Draw Equity /100−0.015
Usage
- Ice time per game15:53375th of 715
- Power-play time per game1:43229th of 715
- Offensive-zone start %49.4%382nd of 719
Special teams & discipline
- Net penalties drawn /600.00267th of 719
Luck & trend
- On-ice PDO104040th of 719
- Goals above expected−0.9454th of 715
- Luck Meter+35148th of 828
- Ascension score6043rd of 445
NHL EDGE tracking
- Top skating speed22.1448th of 715
- 20+ mph bursts74279th of 715
- Hardest shot80.9658th of 715
- Offensive-zone time43.1%226th of 715
Unranked rows are below the sample minimum (20 GP, 200 five-on-five minutes, 100 draws or 10 goalie games).
Beyond the box score
2025-26 regular season · 65 of 65 games through the sequence engine
- −0.017
- Season net
- −0.24xG
5-on-5. Each takeaway is credited, and each giveaway charged, at the league xG value of the zone.
- Per 60
- 0.72
- Attempts
- 10
- 0.040
5-on-5 shots within 10 seconds of winning the puck outside the offensive zone.
Role changes
Notable promotions, demotions and ice-time swings from Line Watch
- Moved up to L1 from L2May 14, 2026 alerts →
- Moved up to L2 from L4Mar 12, 2026 alerts →
- Moved up to L2 from L4Mar 10, 2026 alerts →
- Dropped off PP1 to PP2Jan 10, 2026 alerts →
- Dropped off PP1 to PP2Jan 8, 2026 alerts →
- Dropped off PP1 to PP2Dec 23, 2025 alerts →
- Moved up to PP1 from PP2Dec 15, 2024 alerts →
- Moved up to PP1 from PP2Jan 20, 2024 alerts →
How the goals happened
37 goals since 2023-24 with NHL EDGE tracking: press Replay to watch the tracking animation
| Game | Play | Entry | Passes | Shot mph | Notes | Replay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 16, 2026 @ MTL | Rebound | — | 3* | 13.2 | rebound | |
| May 12, 2026 @ MTL | Forecheck turnover | — | 0 | 21.8 | — | |
| May 8, 2026 vs MTL | Deflection | — | 2* | 15.5 | — | |
| May 1, 2026 @ BOS | Rush | loose | 0 | 54.9 | — | |
| Apr 26, 2026 @ BOS | Deflection | — | 1 | 6.8 | — | |
| Apr 15, 2026 vs DAL | Odd-man rush | carry | 1 | 35.9 | 1-on-0 | |
| Apr 8, 2026 @ NYR | Odd-man rush | loose | 0 | 33.9 | 2-on-0 | |
| Apr 8, 2026 @ NYR | Deflection | — | 2* | 26.9 | one-timer | |
| Mar 25, 2026 vs BOS | Deflection | — | 1 | 14.9 | deflection | |
| Mar 22, 2026 @ ANA | Rebound | — | 0 | 35.3 | rebound | |
| Mar 21, 2026 @ LAK | Rush | carry | 0 | 62.0 | — | |
| Feb 2, 2026 @ FLA | Odd-man rush | loose | 2* | 25.3 | 1-on-0 | |
| Jan 22, 2026 @ MTL | Rebound | — | 3 | 5.6 | rebound | |
| Jan 12, 2026 vs FLA | Rebound | — | 0 | 2.5 | rebound | |
| Dec 29, 2025 @ STL | Rush | loose | 1 | 17.9 | — | |
| Dec 14, 2025 @ SEA | Odd-man rush | pass | 1 | 49.2 | 2-on-1 | |
| Dec 11, 2025 @ VAN | Cycle | — | 5 | 24.6 | one-timer | |
| Mar 12, 2025 @ DET | Forecheck turnover | — | 0 | 35.1 | — | |
| Jan 28, 2025 vs BOS | Deflection | — | 3* | 26.3 | deflection | |
| Jan 17, 2025 vs PIT | Odd-man rush | pass | 1* | 25.1 | 3-on-2, one-timer | |
| Jan 2, 2025 @ COL | Forecheck turnover | — | 0 | 26.5 | — | |
| Dec 27, 2024 vs CHI | Deflection | carry | 2* | 16.3 | — | |
| Dec 23, 2024 @ NYI | Rush | carry | 3* | 4.9 | — | |
| Dec 9, 2024 vs DET | Odd-man rush | pass | 1* | 60.4 | 3-on-2 | |
| Nov 14, 2024 vs STL | Cycle | — | 3* | 55.3 | — | |
| Nov 9, 2024 vs CGY | Forecheck turnover | — | 0 | 26.8 | — | |
| Nov 7, 2024 @ NYR | Forecheck turnover | — | 0 | 33.9 | — | |
| Apr 15, 2024 @ TBL | Deflection | — | 0 | 19.7 | — | |
| Apr 11, 2024 vs WSH | Deflection | — | 3 | 40.0 | deflection | |
| Mar 14, 2024 vs NYI | Odd-man rush | loose | 0 | 36.3 | 1-on-0 | |
| Mar 14, 2024 vs NYI | Deflection | — | 2 | 29.1 | deflection | |
| Mar 12, 2024 vs DET | Cycle | — | 0 | 6.3 | — | |
| Feb 19, 2024 vs ANA | Deflection | — | 2 | 25.3 | deflection | |
| Feb 13, 2024 vs LAK | Forecheck turnover | — | 2* | 27.1 | — | |
| Dec 15, 2023 @ VGK | Forecheck turnover | — | 0 | 21.5 | — | |
| Dec 13, 2023 @ COL | Rebound | — | 0 | 23.9 | rebound | |
| Nov 22, 2023 @ WSH | Forecheck turnover | — | 0 | 20.4 | — |
* includes a royal-road (cross-slot) pass. Derived from NHL EDGE puck and player tracking.
Linemates
2026-27 · 5v5 time together and how each pairing performs with and without Benson
| Teammate | Pos | GP | Share | CF% together | GF% together | CF% Benson apart | CF% mate apart | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Quinn | RW | 1 | 12:16 | 92% | 75.0% | 50% (1-1) | 0.0% 1:02 | — 1:18 |
| Noah Ostlund | C | 1 | 11:52 | 89% | 68.4% | 50% (1-1) | 100.0% 1:26 | 100.0% 0:49 |
| Rasmus Dahlin | D | 1 | 5:51 | 44% | 80.0% | — (0-0) | 63.6% 7:27 | 50.0% 13:50 |
| Owen Power | D | 1 | 5:46 | 43% | 44.4% | 50% (1-1) | 91.7% 7:32 | 65.2% 14:59 |
| Mattias Samuelsson | D | 1 | 5:33 | 42% | 88.9% | — (0-0) | 58.3% 7:45 | 35.3% 11:12 |
| Louis Crevier | D | 1 | 5:09 | 39% | 55.6% | 50% (1-1) | 83.3% 8:09 | 64.3% 8:42 |
| Matt Grzelcyk | D | 1 | 2:51 | 21% | 100.0% | — (0-0) | 66.7% 10:27 | 30.0% 10:30 |
| Zach Metsa | D | 1 | 1:20 | 10% | 100.0% | — (0-0) | 68.4% 11:58 | 54.5% 9:27 |
Linemate and opposition quality
2025-26 · 5v5 · 837:29 on ice · ranked against 510 forwards · last season, until this season has enough games to rank
Middle-of-the-lineup deployment: average linemates and opposition.
Each value is the ice-time-weighted average season xGF% of the skaters Benson shared the 5v5 ice with, each shrunk toward 50%. Most skaters land between about 45% and 55% for QoT and 49% and 51% for QoC, so the percentile is the easier read.
Game log
1 game in 2026-27, newest first
| Date | Opp | Result | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | HIT | BLK | EV | PP | PK | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1 | @ CBJ | L 3-6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 18:34 | 13:18 | 4:27 | 0:31 |
Season splits by strength
2026-27 regular season · on-ice numbers from shift and play-by-play data
| Strength | GP | TOI/GP | SA | GF | GA | GF% | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All situations | 1 | 18:34 | 18:34 | 26 | 7 | 78.8% | 82.6% | 10 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 33% | 1.3 | 0.8 | 100% |
| Even strength | 1 | 13:18 | 13:18 | 15 | 6 | 71.4% | 78.6% | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 50% | 0.5 | 0.3 | 100% |
| 5v5 | 1 | 13:18 | 13:18 | 15 | 6 | 71.4% | 78.6% | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 50% | 0.5 | 0.3 | 100% |
| Power play | 1 | 4:27 | 4:27 | 11 | 0 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0.8 | 0.0 | 100% |
| Penalty kill | 1 | 0:31 | 0:31 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0.0 | 0.0 | — |
| 5v4 | 1 | 2:27 | 2:27 | 4 | 0 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0.3 | 0.0 | 100% |
| 5v3 | 1 | 2:00 | 2:00 | 7 | 0 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0.4 | 0.0 | — |
Career by season
Seasons in Edgehalla's data (2025-26 is being backfilled; earlier seasons follow)
| Season | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | HIT | BLK | TOI/GP | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | BUF | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 0 | 1 | 0.0% | 2 | 1 | 18:34 |
| 2025-26Playoffs | BUF | 13 | 5 | 4 | 9 | +6 | 64 | 26 | 19.2% | 16 | 7 | 17:06 |
| 2025-26 | BUF | 65 | 13 | 30 | 43 | +27 | 42 | 116 | 11.2% | 40 | 22 | 15:53 |
| 2024-25 | BUF | 75 | 10 | 18 | 28 | -2 | 60 | 120 | 8.3% | 35 | 29 | 14:49 |
| 2023-24 | BUF | 71 | 11 | 19 | 30 | -3 | 36 | 98 | 11.2% | 35 | 35 | 14:31 |
Zach Benson news
- Sabres Announce the 2026-27 Opening Night RosterThe Hockey Writers
- Sabres’ Power Play Has to Be a Success in 2026-27The Hockey Writers
- Addressing the Sabres’ Forward LogjamThe Hockey Writers
- Sabres Weekly: Prospect Challenge Underway, Ostlund Extension & MoreThe Hockey Writers
- 5 Value Contracts That Set the Buffalo Sabres Up for the FutureThe Hockey Writers
- Which Sabres “Breakout” Player from 2025-26 Can Grow Even More?The Hockey Writers
- Sabres Have One of the NHL’s Most Enviable Long-Term CoresThe Hockey Writers
- Grading the Sabres’ Offseason Moves So FarThe Hockey Writers
Headlines via LineupExperts. Links open the original publisher.
On-ice and deployment numbers are derived by Edgehalla from NHL play-by-play and shift data. Tracking percentiles are from NHL EDGE. Data updates after every game.