Colorado AvalancheCOL 3–7 Final Montréal CanadiensMTL

Thursday, January 29, 2026

Final 1st2nd3rd T SOG
Colorado AvalancheCOL 111 3 29
Montréal CanadiensMTL 322 7 28

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

Highlights

Scoring

1st Period
0:56 MTL Noah Dobson (10) Lane Hutson (45), Juraj Slafkovský (23) · snap xG 0.04 0–1 ▶
4:09 COL Brock Nelson (28) Josh Manson (18), Samuel Girard (9) · snap xG 0.05 1–1 ▶
5:51 MTL Nick Suzuki (17)PP Ivan Demidov (33), Lane Hutson (46) · snap xG 0.32 1–2 ▶
7:33 MTL Nick Suzuki (18)SH Oliver Kapanen (12), Mike Matheson (22) · backhand xG 0.21 1–3 ▶
2nd Period
16:36 MTL Jake Evans (7) Kaiden Guhle (3), Zachary Bolduc (11) · snap xG 0.10 1–4 ▶
17:16 MTL Kirby Dach (6) Zachary Bolduc (12) · snap xG 0.10 1–5 ▶
18:06 COL Joel Kiviranta (2) Sam Malinski (22), Jack Drury (10) · snap xG 0.08 2–5 ▶
3rd Period
4:38 COL Ross Colton (6) Valeri Nichushkin (18) · snap xG 0.26 3–5 ▶
5:45 MTL Alexandre Carrier (6) Nick Suzuki (44), Kirby Dach (3) · snap xG 0.21 3–6 ▶
9:55 MTL Juraj Slafkovský (20) Oliver Kapanen (13), Ivan Demidov (34) · snap xG 0.34 3–7 ▶

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 47%Deserve to win53% MTL
COLMTL
3.06Expected goals3.21
3Goals (no shootout)7
2.80Expected goals, 5 on 52.52
62Shot attempts52
40Unblocked attempts43
29Shots 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).

1st Period
7:33 COL Goalie Goalie · Wedgewood −2.3 goals saved
3 goals on 0.71 xG, 5 shots on goal
3rd Period
4:43 COL Deserve to win Deserve to win · COL takes the lead, 60–40%
MTL had led since 5:51 of the 1st, by as much as 70%
8:10 MTL No shift No shift · Xhekaj, 11:49 on the bench
No shift from 18:06 of the 2nd to 9:55 of the 3rd; 9 shifts (8:55) before that
9:55 COL Goalie Goalie · Wedgewood −4.1 goals saved
7 goals on 2.87 xG, 25 shots on goal

Shot map

COL shoots ←Bigger circle: higher xG; filled: goal→ MTL shoots
Cale Makar: snap, 32 ft, xG 0.08 (P1 0:20) Martin Necas: snap, 43 ft, xG 0.01 (P1 0:26) Artturi Lehkonen: backhand, 38 ft, xG 0.02 (P1 3:19) Martin Necas: snap, 54 ft, xG 0.01 (P1 3:25) Nick Suzuki: deflected, 9 ft, xG 0.13 (P1 5:49) Phillip Danault: snap, 57 ft, xG 0.01 (P1 5:59) Kaiden Guhle: snap, 69 ft, xG 0.01 (P1 6:04) Josh Manson: snap, 44 ft, xG 0.04 (P1 8:45) Artturi Lehkonen: tip-in, 25 ft, xG 0.04 (P1 9:47) Artturi Lehkonen: snap, 21 ft, xG 0.11 (P1 9:56) Ivan Demidov: snap, 33 ft, xG 0.13 (P1 14:44) Kirby Dach: wrap-around, 4 ft, xG 0.06 (P1 17:38) Noah Dobson: snap, 58 ft, xG 0.03 (P1 17:44) Sam Malinski: snap, 48 ft, xG 0.01 (P1 19:00) Nathan MacKinnon: snap, 23 ft, xG 0.03 (P1 19:01) Noah Dobson: snap, 41 ft, xG 0.01 (P1 19:45) Josh Anderson: snap, 47 ft, xG 0.02 (P1 19:54) Mike Matheson: backhand, 69 ft, xG 0.00 (P2 0:07) Martin Necas: snap, 8 ft, xG 0.22 (P2 0:21) Cale Makar: snap, 42 ft, xG 0.06 (P2 1:11) Nathan MacKinnon: snap, 14 ft, xG 0.15 (P2 1:17) Cale Makar: slap, 56 ft, xG 0.05 (P2 2:05) Gavin Brindley: snap, 16 ft, xG 0.07 (P2 3:02) Noah Dobson: slap, 62 ft, xG 0.03 (P2 5:08) Zachary Bolduc: tip-in, 17 ft, xG 0.08 (P2 6:48) Zachary Bolduc: backhand, 23 ft, xG 0.08 (P2 6:50) Parker Kelly: snap, 10 ft, xG 0.21 (P2 7:20) Kirby Dach: tip-in, 7 ft, xG 0.11 (P2 8:08) Samuel Girard: snap, 29 ft, xG 0.16 (P2 8:46) Samuel Girard: snap, 9 ft, xG 0.17 (P2 9:38) Martin Necas: snap, 20 ft, xG 0.18 (P2 9:44) Noah Dobson: snap, 43 ft, xG 0.02 (P2 10:10) Juraj Slafkovský: snap, 45 ft, xG 0.03 (P2 10:26) Juraj Slafkovský: snap, 24 ft, xG 0.04 (P2 11:08) Mike Matheson: slap, 68 ft, xG 0.01 (P2 12:07) Nathan MacKinnon: snap, 49 ft, xG 0.01 (P2 12:50) Noah Dobson: backhand, 53 ft, xG 0.01 (P2 13:22) Martin Necas: snap, 36 ft, xG 0.07 (P2 13:47) Juraj Slafkovský: tip-in, 16 ft, xG 0.05 (P2 14:21) Juraj Slafkovský: snap, 26 ft, xG 0.16 (P2 17:29) Sam Malinski: slap, 41 ft, xG 0.08 (P2 18:04) Cale Makar: snap, 65 ft, xG 0.01 (P2 18:21) Sam Malinski: slap, 32 ft, xG 0.02 (P2 18:42) Nick Suzuki: snap, 28 ft, xG 0.15 (P2 19:47) Josh Manson: snap, 19 ft, xG 0.17 (P3 1:18) Sam Malinski: snap, 45 ft, xG 0.04 (P3 2:50) Zakhar Bardakov: snap, 30 ft, xG 0.01 (P3 3:41) Brent Burns: snap, 52 ft, xG 0.01 (P3 4:09) Sam Malinski: backhand, 40 ft, xG 0.02 (P3 4:43) Mike Matheson: wrist, 39 ft, xG 0.05 (P3 5:27) Josh Anderson: snap, 22 ft, xG 0.19 (P3 6:56) Kirby Dach: snap, 30 ft, xG 0.04 (P3 7:31) Zachary Bolduc: snap, 53 ft, xG 0.00 (P3 7:34) Zachary Bolduc: snap, 37 ft, xG 0.08 (P3 8:25) Nick Suzuki: slap, 49 ft, xG 0.01 (P3 9:01) Alexandre Texier: snap, 84 ft, xG 0.00 (P3 9:14) Samuel Girard: snap, 49 ft, xG 0.03 (P3 9:36) Zachary Bolduc: snap, 46 ft, xG 0.01 (P3 10:57) Josh Manson: snap, 59 ft, xG 0.02 (P3 11:16) Artturi Lehkonen: snap, 25 ft, xG 0.15 (P3 12:27) Artturi Lehkonen: tip-in, 6 ft, xG 0.13 (P3 12:52) Artturi Lehkonen: snap, 6 ft, xG 0.06 (P3 12:53) Ross Colton: snap, 39 ft, xG 0.02 (P3 13:07) Brendan Gallagher: snap, 40 ft, xG 0.01 (P3 13:35) Victor Olofsson: snap, 31 ft, xG 0.07 (P3 15:00) Cole Caufield: slap, 43 ft, xG 0.03 (P3 15:26) Artturi Lehkonen: tip-in, 17 ft, xG 0.04 (P3 15:51) Ivan Demidov: deflected, 10 ft, xG 0.14 (P3 16:08) Kaiden Guhle: snap, 51 ft, xG 0.01 (P3 17:29) Alexandre Carrier: snap, 53 ft, xG 0.01 (P3 17:37) Ivan Demidov: backhand, 18 ft, xG 0.04 (P3 18:19) Valeri Nichushkin: snap, 38 ft, xG 0.05 (P3 18:34) Oliver Kapanen: snap, 28 ft, xG 0.08 (P3 19:24) Noah Dobson: GOAL, snap, 35 ft, xG 0.04 (P1 0:56) Brock Nelson: GOAL, snap, 43 ft, xG 0.05 (P1 4:09) Nick Suzuki: GOAL, snap, 6 ft, xG 0.32 (P1 5:51) Nick Suzuki: GOAL, backhand, 10 ft, xG 0.21 (P1 7:33) Jake Evans: GOAL, snap, 9 ft, xG 0.10 (P2 16:36) Kirby Dach: GOAL, snap, 11 ft, xG 0.10 (P2 17:16) Joel Kiviranta: GOAL, snap, 21 ft, xG 0.08 (P2 18:06) Ross Colton: GOAL, snap, 5 ft, xG 0.26 (P3 4:38) Alexandre Carrier: GOAL, snap, 16 ft, xG 0.21 (P3 5:45) Juraj Slafkovský: GOAL, snap, 5 ft, xG 0.34 (P3 9:55)
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 000 -3 30.19 0021:09
88 Martin Necas 000 -3 80.50 0020:57
62 Artturi Lehkonen 000 -2 90.57 2117:55
11 Brock Nelson 101 -2 10.05 2017:10
95 Victor Olofsson 000 0 10.07 0015:21
43 Valeri Nichushkin 011 -1 10.05 2015:13
18 Jack Drury 011 +1 10.00 2014:20
17 Parker Kelly 000 0 20.21 8113:11
79 Ross Colton 101 -1 30.28 3112:37
54 Gavin Brindley 000 0 10.07 0011:37
22 Joel Kiviranta 101 +1 10.08 2011:14
93 Zakhar Bardakov 000 0 10.01 0010:17
Defense
8 Cale Makar 000 -2 50.21 0024:02
84 Brent Burns 000 -3 50.01 0221:30
70 Sam Malinski 011 +1 70.17 0021:00
42 Josh Manson 011 -1 60.24 1019:13
49 Samuel Girard 011 +1 40.36 1217:28
67 Keaton Middleton 000 -1 30.00 2112:58
Goalie SAGA SVSV% xGA GSAx
Scott Wedgewood 28721 .750 3.21 -3.79

Montréal Canadiens

Skater GAP+/− AttxG HitBlkTOI
Forwards
14 Nick Suzuki 213 +2 60.81 1217:42
20 Juraj Slafkovský 112 +1 70.62 1216:57
71 Jake Evans 101 +1 20.10 1216:12
76 Zachary Bolduc 022 +2 50.25 0215:12
93 Ivan Demidov 022 0 30.31 0115:05
24 Phillip Danault 000 -2 10.01 1014:50
77 Kirby Dach 112 +3 40.31 0114:36
85 Alexandre Texier 000 0 10.00 1114:33
91 Oliver Kapanen 022 +3 20.08 0114:24
7 Brendan Gallagher 000 -1 10.01 4213:25
13 Cole Caufield 000 +1 30.03 3012:49
17 Josh Anderson 000 -2 20.22 1012:36
Defense
21 Kaiden Guhle 011 0 40.02 1022:56
8 Mike Matheson 011 +2 30.06 1121:36
48 Lane Hutson 022 +2 00.00 0220:23
53 Noah Dobson 101 +2 60.15 2219:34
45 Alexandre Carrier 101 +1 20.23 1219:26
72 Arber Xhekaj 000 -1 00.00 4013:38
Goalie SAGA SVSV% xGA GSAx
Jakub Dobes 29326 .897 3.06 +0.06

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
70 Sam Malinski D +1.88 +0.70 +0.11 +1.22 -0.15 0.00 0.00 — 21:00
49 Samuel Girard D +1.28 +0.55 +0.23 +0.42 0.00 0.00 +0.08 — 17:28
94 Joel Kiviranta L +1.23 +0.75 +0.05 +0.45 0.00 -0.02 0.00 — 11:14
20 Ross Colton C +0.98 +0.75 +0.18 +0.01 0.00 -0.02 +0.05 — 12:37
18 Jack Drury C +0.82 +0.55 0.00 +0.24 0.00 +0.05 -0.02 — 14:20
42 Josh Manson D +0.81 +0.70 +0.15 -0.04 0.00 0.00 0.00 — 19:13
11 Brock Nelson C +0.67 +0.75 +0.03 -0.06 0.00 -0.01 -0.04 — 17:10
88 Martin Necas C +0.66 0.00 +0.32 +0.23 +0.15 0.00 -0.04 — 20:57
62 Artturi Lehkonen L +0.62 0.00 +0.37 +0.05 +0.15 0.00 +0.05 — 17:55
29 Nathan MacKinnon C +0.39 0.00 +0.12 +0.31 0.00 -0.02 -0.02 — 21:09
8 Cale Makar D +0.37 0.00 +0.14 +0.21 0.00 0.00 +0.02 — 24:02
13 Valeri Nichushkin R +0.31 +0.70 +0.04 -0.42 0.00 0.00 0.00 — 15:13
17 Parker Kelly C -0.09 0.00 +0.14 -0.26 0.00 -0.02 +0.05 — 13:11
95 Victor Olofsson L -0.12 0.00 +0.04 -0.16 0.00 0.00 0.00 — 15:21
54 Gavin Brindley C -0.14 0.00 +0.05 -0.16 0.00 -0.01 -0.02 — 11:37
93 Zakhar Bardakov C -0.22 0.00 +0.01 -0.20 0.00 0.00 -0.02 — 10:17
84 Brent Burns D -0.88 0.00 +0.01 -0.90 0.00 0.00 +0.02 — 21:30
67 Keaton Middleton D -1.02 0.00 0.00 -0.90 -0.15 0.00 +0.03 — 12:58
41 Scott Wedgewood G -3.79 0.00 — — 0.00 — — -3.79 60:00

Montréal Canadiens

Player Rating Points Shots On ice Pen FO Other GSAx TOI
77 Kirby Dach C +2.59 +1.30 +0.20 +0.89 +0.15 0.00 +0.05 — 14:36
14 Nick Suzuki C +2.47 +2.20 +0.53 -0.38 0.00 +0.02 +0.10 — 17:42
20 Juraj Slafkovský L +2.35 +1.30 +0.40 +0.61 0.00 0.00 +0.04 — 16:57
48 Lane Hutson D +2.18 +1.25 0.00 +0.79 0.00 0.00 +0.14 — 20:23
91 Oliver Kapanen C +2.14 +1.40 +0.05 +0.63 0.00 +0.01 +0.05 — 14:24
76 Zachary Bolduc R +2.10 +1.25 +0.16 +0.60 0.00 0.00 +0.08 — 15:12
93 Ivan Demidov R +1.69 +1.25 +0.20 +0.07 +0.15 0.00 +0.01 — 15:05
71 Jake Evans C +1.45 +0.75 +0.07 +0.52 0.00 +0.01 +0.10 — 16:12
45 Alexandre Carrier D +1.27 +0.75 +0.15 +0.27 0.00 0.00 +0.10 — 19:26
53 Noah Dobson D +1.24 +0.75 +0.10 +0.27 0.00 0.00 +0.12 — 19:34
8 Mike Matheson D +0.37 +0.55 +0.04 -0.23 0.00 0.00 +0.01 — 21:36
75 Jakub Dobes G +0.06 0.00 — — 0.00 — — +0.06 59:45
72 Arber Xhekaj D -0.18 0.00 0.00 -0.18 0.00 0.00 0.00 — 13:38
21 Kaiden Guhle D -0.24 +0.70 +0.01 -0.93 0.00 0.00 -0.02 — 22:56
11 Brendan Gallagher R -0.38 0.00 +0.01 -0.50 0.00 +0.01 +0.10 — 13:25
85 Alexandre Texier L -0.58 0.00 0.00 -0.60 0.00 0.00 +0.01 — 14:33
17 Josh Anderson R -0.63 0.00 +0.14 -0.62 -0.15 0.00 0.00 — 12:36
13 Cole Caufield R -0.69 0.00 +0.02 -0.56 -0.15 0.00 0.00 — 12:49
24 Phillip Danault C -0.70 0.00 +0.01 -0.70 0.00 0.00 0.00 — 14:50

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.