Colorado AvalancheCOL 3–1 Final Buffalo SabresBUF

Monday, October 13, 2025

Final 1st2nd3rd T SOG
Colorado AvalancheCOL 120 3 37
Buffalo SabresBUF 100 1 28

No impact calculated for this game. Impacts are calculated for games in the next 7 days.

Highlights

Scoring

1st Period
3:14 COL Nathan MacKinnon (3) Martin Necas (4), Brent Burns (2) · backhand xG 0.06 1–0 ▶
16:32 BUF Tage Thompson (1) Alex Tuch (1), Rasmus Dahlin (1) · wrist xG 0.05 1–1 ▶
2nd Period
4:32 COL Cale Makar (1) Valeri Nichushkin (1) · snap xG 0.22 2–1 ▶
11:59 COL Nathan MacKinnon (4) Martin Necas (5), Cale Makar (4) · wrist xG 0.11 3–1 ▶
3rd Period
No scoring

Score away–home after each goal; season totals in parentheses.

Shot quality

Expected goals (xG) rate every unblocked shot by how often shots like it go in, from where it was taken, the shot type, the strength and what happened just before it. How it works

COL 73%Deserve to win27% BUF
COLBUF
3.45Expected goals2.09
3Goals (no shootout)1
2.42Expected goals, 5 on 51.41
63Shot attempts66
51Unblocked attempts45
37Shots on goal28

Game notes

What stood out as the game went on, from the play-by-play and the shifts. Time on the bench is counted in 5-on-5 play outside the penalty box; the note says the player sat, not why. Goals saved are against the shots' expected goals (xG).

3rd Period
11:10 COL xG swing xG swing · Out-chanced BUF 1.23–0.16
In xG over 10 minutes, 1:20 to 11:20 of the 3rd; neither team scored
15:20 BUF No shift No shift · Dunne, 10:57 on the bench
No shift after 3:14 of the 3rd; 9 shifts (6:25) before that
18:21 BUF Pulled goalie Pulled goalie · Pulled Lyon, down 3–1
With 1:39 left

Shot map

COL shoots ←Bigger circle: higher xG; filled: goal→ BUF shoots
Beck Malenstyn: tip-in, 17 ft, xG 0.08 (P1 0:29) Owen Power: snap, 87 ft, xG 0.00 (P1 0:40) Josh Doan: tip-in, 11 ft, xG 0.03 (P1 0:44) Owen Power: wrist, 73 ft, xG 0.00 (P1 0:49) Peyton Krebs: snap, 64 ft, xG 0.01 (P1 1:24) Parker Kelly: wrist, 13 ft, xG 0.18 (P1 2:06) Rasmus Dahlin: slap, 48 ft, xG 0.00 (P1 2:52) Owen Power: wrist, 58 ft, xG 0.00 (P1 2:56) Alex Tuch: tip-in, 7 ft, xG 0.02 (P1 3:34) Rasmus Dahlin: wrist, 28 ft, xG 0.10 (P1 5:44) Nathan MacKinnon: slap, 41 ft, xG 0.07 (P1 6:43) Conor Timmins: wrist, 69 ft, xG 0.01 (P1 7:24) Sam Malinski: backhand, 33 ft, xG 0.01 (P1 7:35) Ilya Solovyov: wrist, 26 ft, xG 0.08 (P1 7:55) Jiri Kulich: wrist, 40 ft, xG 0.04 (P1 9:08) Jiri Kulich: slap, 33 ft, xG 0.09 (P1 9:25) Alex Tuch: wrist, 34 ft, xG 0.07 (P1 10:14) Nathan MacKinnon: wrist, 40 ft, xG 0.01 (P1 11:43) Alex Tuch: wrist, 43 ft, xG 0.01 (P1 12:08) Josh Doan: tip-in, 6 ft, xG 0.12 (P1 12:19) Tage Thompson: wrist, 6 ft, xG 0.06 (P1 12:20) Tage Thompson: wrist, 59 ft, xG 0.01 (P1 12:43) Cale Makar: wrist, 43 ft, xG 0.01 (P1 13:39) Brock Nelson: wrist, 28 ft, xG 0.07 (P1 14:41) Cale Makar: wrist, 58 ft, xG 0.03 (P1 14:48) Victor Olofsson: wrist, 38 ft, xG 0.07 (P1 15:02) Victor Olofsson: slap, 37 ft, xG 0.09 (P1 15:12) Tyson Kozak: wrist, 23 ft, xG 0.02 (P1 16:48) Brent Burns: wrist, 187 ft, xG 0.00 (P1 18:20) Josh Doan: wrist, 46 ft, xG 0.04 (P1 19:56) Tage Thompson: snap, 40 ft, xG 0.02 (P2 0:21) Jacob Bryson: wrist, 70 ft, xG 0.01 (P2 2:23) Alex Tuch: wrist, 28 ft, xG 0.09 (P2 3:14) Josh Doan: wrist, 18 ft, xG 0.03 (P2 3:33) Tage Thompson: wrist, 14 ft, xG 0.05 (P2 3:52) Ross Colton: wrist, 53 ft, xG 0.02 (P2 4:45) Devon Toews: poke, 20 ft, xG 0.03 (P2 4:46) Owen Power: wrist, 67 ft, xG 0.01 (P2 6:17) Rasmus Dahlin: wrist, 33 ft, xG 0.01 (P2 7:26) Rasmus Dahlin: wrist, 31 ft, xG 0.08 (P2 7:37) Tyson Kozak: slap, 61 ft, xG 0.02 (P2 7:56) Jacob Bryson: wrist, 11 ft, xG 0.16 (P2 7:59) Victor Olofsson: wrist, 58 ft, xG 0.01 (P2 8:18) Martin Necas: tip-in, 5 ft, xG 0.13 (P2 9:32) Martin Necas: wrist, 36 ft, xG 0.07 (P2 10:13) Devon Toews: snap, 52 ft, xG 0.04 (P2 10:40) Ross Colton: wrist, 37 ft, xG 0.01 (P2 10:55) Rasmus Dahlin: wrist, 62 ft, xG 0.02 (P2 11:22) Tage Thompson: wrist, 37 ft, xG 0.04 (P2 12:42) Bowen Byram: wrist, 15 ft, xG 0.11 (P2 12:50) Sam Malinski: slap, 56 ft, xG 0.04 (P2 13:56) Beck Malenstyn: backhand, 16 ft, xG 0.04 (P2 14:04) Bowen Byram: slap, 57 ft, xG 0.04 (P2 14:41) Gavin Brindley: tip-in, 10 ft, xG 0.07 (P2 16:07) Cale Makar: snap, 62 ft, xG 0.02 (P2 16:41) Martin Necas: wrist, 62 ft, xG 0.02 (P2 16:59) Nathan MacKinnon: wrist, 27 ft, xG 0.06 (P2 17:11) Nathan MacKinnon: slap, 51 ft, xG 0.02 (P2 17:27) Ross Colton: poke, 4 ft, xG 0.32 (P2 17:47) Jiri Kulich: backhand, 9 ft, xG 0.08 (P2 18:17) Jason Zucker: wrist, 43 ft, xG 0.01 (P2 19:05) Josh Doan: wrist, 35 ft, xG 0.08 (P2 19:45) Jiri Kulich: tip-in, 16 ft, xG 0.08 (P3 0:43) Jack Drury: wrist, 17 ft, xG 0.20 (P3 1:29) Victor Olofsson: snap, 32 ft, xG 0.13 (P3 1:58) Josh Dunne: wrap-around, 8 ft, xG 0.02 (P3 2:59) Alex Tuch: wrist, 26 ft, xG 0.13 (P3 3:42) Nathan MacKinnon: wrist, 30 ft, xG 0.04 (P3 4:21) Victor Olofsson: slap, 57 ft, xG 0.05 (P3 5:01) Brent Burns: slap, 46 ft, xG 0.05 (P3 5:05) Gabriel Landeskog: wrist, 36 ft, xG 0.02 (P3 6:15) Valeri Nichushkin: wrist, 52 ft, xG 0.02 (P3 6:24) Jack Drury: backhand, 7 ft, xG 0.37 (P3 6:27) Parker Kelly: wrist, 23 ft, xG 0.02 (P3 6:40) Ilya Solovyov: wrist, 65 ft, xG 0.01 (P3 8:52) Ilya Solovyov: wrist, 38 ft, xG 0.06 (P3 9:27) Nathan MacKinnon: backhand, 28 ft, xG 0.01 (P3 9:52) Gabriel Landeskog: wrist, 7 ft, xG 0.13 (P3 9:54) Martin Necas: slap, 40 ft, xG 0.04 (P3 11:00) Nathan MacKinnon: slap, 41 ft, xG 0.07 (P3 11:08) Nathan MacKinnon: wrist, 48 ft, xG 0.02 (P3 11:14) Alex Tuch: wrist, 42 ft, xG 0.01 (P3 11:24) Valeri Nichushkin: slap, 37 ft, xG 0.06 (P3 11:52) Parker Kelly: wrist, 36 ft, xG 0.03 (P3 12:07) Brock Nelson: wrist, 36 ft, xG 0.04 (P3 14:05) Josh Manson: wrist, 61 ft, xG 0.01 (P3 14:32) Jiri Kulich: wrist, 37 ft, xG 0.01 (P3 15:53) Cale Makar: wrist, 61 ft, xG 0.03 (P3 16:27) Cale Makar: slap, 49 ft, xG 0.07 (P3 16:57) Nathan MacKinnon: snap, 30 ft, xG 0.10 (P3 17:19) Jiri Kulich: slap, 29 ft, xG 0.13 (P3 18:39) Tage Thompson: slap, 35 ft, xG 0.03 (P3 18:46) Nathan MacKinnon: GOAL, backhand, 22 ft, xG 0.06 (P1 3:14) Tage Thompson: GOAL, wrist, 57 ft, xG 0.05 (P1 16:32) Cale Makar: GOAL, snap, 13 ft, xG 0.22 (P2 4:32) Nathan MacKinnon: GOAL, wrist, 29 ft, xG 0.11 (P2 11:59)
About these numbers

xG comes from hockeystats.io's own model, a gradient-boosted tree model trained on every unblocked shot from the 2021-22 to 2025-26 regular seasons using the NHL's public play-by-play. Each shot's value is the share of similar shots that became goals. A team's xG is the sum over its shots; "deserve to win" asks how often the team would outscore its opponent if every shot went in at exactly that rate. Blocked shots count as attempts but have no xG (the NHL records where they were blocked, not where they were taken), so the map leaves them out.

Box score

Colorado Avalanche

Skater GAP+/− AttxG HitBlkTOI
Forwards
29 Nathan MacKinnon 202 +2 130.58 0121:47
88 Martin Necas 022 +2 40.27 1018:27
62 Artturi Lehkonen 000 +1 20.00 1117:50
11 Brock Nelson 000 +1 20.10 1416:23
43 Valeri Nichushkin 011 +1 20.07 1015:46
18 Jack Drury 000 -1 20.57 0213:40
92 Gabriel Landeskog 000 +1 20.15 0013:35
95 Victor Olofsson 000 0 70.33 1013:31
79 Ross Colton 000 -1 30.35 1113:23
17 Parker Kelly 000 0 30.24 3012:27
22 Joel Kiviranta 000 0 00.00 3111:36
54 Gavin Brindley 000 -1 10.07 0010:06
Defense
8 Cale Makar 112 +2 80.38 3225:22
7 Devon Toews 000 +1 30.07 0123:34
42 Josh Manson 000 0 10.01 2218:54
84 Brent Burns 011 +1 40.05 0118:17
70 Sam Malinski 000 0 30.05 1215:21
7 Ilya Solovyov 000 0 30.14 2312:04
Goalie SAGA SVSV% xGA GSAx
Scott Wedgewood 28127 .964 2.09 +1.09

Buffalo Sabres

Skater GAP+/− AttxG HitBlkTOI
Forwards
72 Tage Thompson 101 +1 100.26 0020:14
89 Alex Tuch 011 +1 80.34 0118:28
15 Justin Danforth 000 -1 10.00 0017:35
91 Josh Doan 000 +1 60.30 1017:34
20 Jiri Kulich 000 -2 70.43 0116:09
71 Ryan McLeod 000 -2 10.00 0016:09
17 Jason Zucker 000 -1 20.01 0015:53
22 Jack Quinn 000 -1 20.00 0114:49
29 Beck Malenstyn 000 0 20.12 2011:34
19 Peyton Krebs 000 -1 10.01 0011:07
48 Tyson Kozak 000 0 20.04 4008:35
44 Josh Dunne 000 0 10.02 2006:25
Defense
26 Rasmus Dahlin 011 0 70.22 1127:19
24 Bowen Byram 000 0 30.15 0125:59
25 Owen Power 000 -2 50.02 0223:24
21 Conor Timmins 000 -2 30.01 0418:04
78 Jacob Bryson 000 0 30.17 0011:50
Goalie SAGA SVSV% xGA GSAx
Alex Lyon 37334 .919 3.45 +0.45

Skaters by time on ice. Goalie lines count shots with the goalie in net, from the NHL play-by-play.

Player ratings

What each player added to the result, in goals, from most to least. Hover a number for what it's made of.

Colorado Avalanche

Player Rating Points Shots On ice Pen FO Other GSAx TOI
8 Cale Makar D +2.92 +1.30 +0.25 +1.31 0.00 0.00 +0.06 — 25:22
29 Nathan MacKinnon C +2.40 +1.50 +0.38 +0.46 0.00 +0.03 +0.03 — 21:47
88 Martin Necas C +1.99 +1.40 +0.17 +0.26 +0.15 +0.01 0.00 — 18:27
13 Valeri Nichushkin R +1.46 +0.70 +0.05 +0.56 +0.15 0.00 0.00 — 15:46
18 Jack Drury C +1.15 0.00 +0.37 +0.81 -0.15 +0.03 +0.08 — 13:40
41 Scott Wedgewood G +1.09 0.00 — — 0.00 — — +1.09 59:57
92 Gabriel Landeskog L +0.79 0.00 +0.10 +0.67 0.00 +0.02 0.00 — 13:35
7 Devon Toews D +0.75 0.00 +0.05 +0.71 0.00 0.00 -0.01 — 23:34
84 Brent Burns D +0.64 +0.55 +0.03 +0.01 0.00 0.00 +0.05 — 18:17
62 Artturi Lehkonen L +0.59 0.00 0.00 +0.54 0.00 0.00 +0.05 — 17:50
70 Sam Malinski D +0.56 0.00 +0.03 +0.45 0.00 0.00 +0.08 — 15:21
95 Victor Olofsson L +0.53 0.00 +0.22 +0.29 0.00 0.00 +0.02 — 13:31
20 Ross Colton C +0.48 0.00 +0.23 +0.24 0.00 +0.01 +0.01 — 13:23
17 Parker Kelly C +0.39 0.00 +0.15 +0.27 0.00 -0.03 0.00 — 12:27
28 Ilya Solovyov D +0.19 0.00 +0.09 -0.03 0.00 0.00 +0.13 — 12:04
42 Josh Manson D +0.12 0.00 +0.01 +0.03 0.00 0.00 +0.08 — 18:54
54 Gavin Brindley C +0.10 0.00 +0.04 +0.06 0.00 -0.01 0.00 — 10:06
94 Joel Kiviranta L +0.01 0.00 0.00 -0.04 0.00 0.00 +0.05 — 11:36
11 Brock Nelson C -0.03 0.00 +0.07 -0.32 0.00 +0.02 +0.20 — 16:23

Buffalo Sabres

Player Rating Points Shots On ice Pen FO Other GSAx TOI
72 Tage Thompson C +1.12 +0.75 +0.17 +0.16 0.00 +0.02 +0.02 — 20:14
89 Alex Tuch R +0.89 +0.70 +0.22 +0.07 -0.15 0.00 +0.05 — 18:28
34 Alex Lyon G +0.45 0.00 — — 0.00 — — +0.45 58:20
29 Beck Malenstyn L +0.34 0.00 +0.08 +0.28 0.00 0.00 -0.02 — 11:34
91 Josh Doan R +0.32 0.00 +0.19 +0.15 0.00 0.00 -0.02 — 17:34
78 Jacob Bryson D +0.29 0.00 +0.11 +0.20 0.00 0.00 -0.02 — 11:50
33 Ryan Johnson D +0.13 0.00 0.00 +0.15 0.00 0.00 -0.02 — 10:32
48 Tyson Kozak C -0.03 0.00 +0.02 -0.04 0.00 -0.03 +0.02 — 8:35
44 Josh Dunne C -0.14 0.00 +0.01 -0.13 0.00 0.00 -0.02 — 6:25
26 Rasmus Dahlin D -0.17 +0.55 +0.14 -0.51 -0.30 0.00 -0.05 — 27:19
17 Jason Zucker L -0.18 0.00 +0.01 -0.36 +0.15 0.00 +0.02 — 15:53
4 Bowen Byram D -0.27 0.00 +0.10 -0.40 0.00 0.00 +0.03 — 25:59
19 Peyton Krebs C -0.44 0.00 0.00 -0.45 0.00 -0.01 +0.02 — 11:07
20 Jiri Kulich C -0.51 0.00 +0.28 -0.82 0.00 -0.02 +0.05 — 16:09
22 Jack Quinn R -0.62 0.00 0.00 -0.82 +0.15 0.00 +0.05 — 14:49
71 Ryan McLeod C -0.63 0.00 0.00 -0.56 0.00 -0.05 -0.02 — 16:09
21 Conor Timmins D -0.80 0.00 0.00 -0.81 -0.15 0.00 +0.16 — 18:04
25 Owen Power D -1.04 0.00 +0.01 -1.13 0.00 0.00 +0.08 — 23:24
15 Justin Danforth R -1.29 0.00 0.00 -1.26 0.00 +0.01 -0.04 — 17:35

An expected-goals take on Dom Luszczyszyn's Game Score: goals and assists, the quality of a player's own shots, shot quality for and against while they were on the ice at 5v5, penalties, faceoffs and puck plays, all in goals; goalies by goals saved above expected. From the NHL play-by-play and shift charts.