Buffalo SabresBUF 1–4 Final Ottawa SenatorsOTT

Thursday, April 2, 2026

Final 1st2nd3rd T SOG
Buffalo SabresBUF 010 1 22
Ottawa SenatorsOTT 013 4 24
Playoff odds, % Change
OTT +11.8
BUF +0.0
DET -4.7
CBJ -1.9
NYI -1.9
PHI -1.6
WSH -1.0

How the result moved each team's playoff odds, calculated Apr 2, 2026 6:44 PM EDT.

Highlights

Scoring

1st Period
No scoring
2nd Period
8:49 BUF Mattias Samuelsson (13) Bowen Byram (28), Peyton Krebs (26) · wrist xG 0.02 1–0 ▶
15:18 OTT Dylan Cozens (26) Brady Tkachuk (32), Ridly Greig (19) · tip-in xG 0.13 1–1 ▶
3rd Period
5:55 OTT Lars Eller (5) Artem Zub (23), Warren Foegele (4) · slap xG 0.13 1–2 ▶
17:42 OTT Ridly Greig (12)EN Jordan Spence (22) · wrist xG 0.92 1–3 ▶
18:42 OTT Shane Pinto (20)EN Unassisted · wrist xG 0.93 1–4 ▶

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

BUF 47%Deserve to win53% OTT
BUFOTT
2.19Expected goals4.19
1Goals (no shootout)4
1.50Expected goals, 5 on 52.00
46Shot attempts54
36Unblocked attempts38
22Shots on goal24

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
14:30 BUF xG swing xG swing · Out-chanced OTT 1.05–0.00
In xG over 10 minutes, 5:30 to 15:30 of the 1st; neither team scored
2nd Period
1:00 OTT No shift No shift · Kleven, 44:45 on the bench
No shift after 6:23 of the 1st; 3 shifts (1:48) before that
19:10 OTT No shift No shift · Eller, 14:02 on the bench
No shift from 6:56 of the 2nd to 3:03 of the 3rd; 9 shifts (5:26) before that
3rd Period
16:00 BUF No shift No shift · Greenway, 11:46 on the bench
No shift from 5:55 to 18:42 of the 3rd; 13 shifts (10:55) before that
16:00 BUF No shift No shift · Dunne, 11:46 on the bench
No shift from 5:55 to 18:42 of the 3rd; 10 shifts (6:33) before that
16:00 BUF No shift No shift · Malenstyn, 11:46 on the bench
No shift from 5:55 to 18:42 of the 3rd; 12 shifts (8:45) before that
17:21 BUF Pulled goalie Pulled goalie · Pulled Luukkonen, down 2–1
With 2:39 left; OTT scored at 17:42 of the 3rd (1–3)

Shot map

BUF shoots ←Bigger circle: higher xG; filled: goal→ OTT shoots
Nikolas Matinpalo: wrist, 60 ft, xG 0.01 (P1 0:10) Peyton Krebs: wrist, 15 ft, xG 0.06 (P1 0:50) Tim Stützle: wrist, 21 ft, xG 0.07 (P1 2:00) Cameron Crotty: wrist, 62 ft, xG 0.00 (P1 2:23) Shane Pinto: tip-in, 17 ft, xG 0.09 (P1 4:02) Drake Batherson: wrist, 35 ft, xG 0.03 (P1 5:25) Bowen Byram: slap, 35 ft, xG 0.06 (P1 6:21) Lars Eller: wrist, 146 ft, xG 0.00 (P1 6:39) Rasmus Dahlin: wrist, 17 ft, xG 0.08 (P1 8:44) Jack Quinn: wrist, 30 ft, xG 0.10 (P1 9:09) Alex Tuch: snap, 38 ft, xG 0.08 (P1 11:44) Alex Tuch: wrist, 35 ft, xG 0.07 (P1 11:58) Zach Benson: deflected, 10 ft, xG 0.12 (P1 12:08) Ryan McLeod: wrist, 41 ft, xG 0.07 (P1 12:26) Tage Thompson: snap, 26 ft, xG 0.16 (P1 13:28) Josh Doan: snap, 29 ft, xG 0.15 (P1 14:01) Alex Tuch: snap, 26 ft, xG 0.16 (P1 14:30) Fabian Zetterlund: wrist, 81 ft, xG 0.00 (P1 19:08) Claude Giroux: wrist, 8 ft, xG 0.19 (P2 1:12) Jordan Spence: wrist, 58 ft, xG 0.04 (P2 2:25) Fabian Zetterlund: slap, 39 ft, xG 0.07 (P2 2:56) Cameron Crotty: snap, 54 ft, xG 0.03 (P2 3:49) Josh Norris: backhand, 11 ft, xG 0.07 (P2 4:18) Josh Doan: wrist, 35 ft, xG 0.04 (P2 4:38) Josh Norris: wrist, 63 ft, xG 0.02 (P2 4:56) Peyton Krebs: wrist, 36 ft, xG 0.01 (P2 5:07) Mattias Samuelsson: wrist, 45 ft, xG 0.01 (P2 5:18) Tim Stützle: slap, 38 ft, xG 0.02 (P2 6:26) Logan Stanley: slap, 54 ft, xG 0.01 (P2 6:54) Shane Pinto: wrist, 58 ft, xG 0.02 (P2 7:14) Josh Doan: wrist, 27 ft, xG 0.11 (P2 7:45) Shane Pinto: wrist, 44 ft, xG 0.03 (P2 9:04) Zach Benson: deflected, 5 ft, xG 0.26 (P2 10:28) Dylan Cozens: wrist, 29 ft, xG 0.12 (P2 11:10) Dylan Cozens: snap, 36 ft, xG 0.07 (P2 12:17) Claude Giroux: wrist, 61 ft, xG 0.02 (P2 12:55) Claude Giroux: wrist, 39 ft, xG 0.05 (P2 13:06) Lassi Thomson: wrist, 69 ft, xG 0.01 (P2 13:14) Warren Foegele: snap, 33 ft, xG 0.10 (P2 13:35) Nick Cousins: tip-in, 4 ft, xG 0.29 (P2 15:06) Jordan Spence: snap, 32 ft, xG 0.14 (P2 15:54) Owen Power: wrist, 54 ft, xG 0.02 (P2 17:38) Logan Stanley: wrist, 66 ft, xG 0.01 (P2 19:16) Zach Metsa: wrist, 50 ft, xG 0.01 (P2 19:31) Rasmus Dahlin: wrist, 58 ft, xG 0.00 (P2 19:46) Bowen Byram: slap, 33 ft, xG 0.11 (P2 19:52) Jordan Spence: slap, 62 ft, xG 0.01 (P3 1:26) Jack Quinn: snap, 19 ft, xG 0.03 (P3 1:53) Jordan Spence: wrist, 49 ft, xG 0.03 (P3 2:42) Lassi Thomson: slap, 50 ft, xG 0.02 (P3 3:54) Dylan Cozens: backhand, 7 ft, xG 0.05 (P3 4:05) Tage Thompson: tip-in, 14 ft, xG 0.05 (P3 4:47) Jack Quinn: wrist, 36 ft, xG 0.06 (P3 5:14) Jack Quinn: slap, 41 ft, xG 0.05 (P3 5:30) Dylan Cozens: wrist, 22 ft, xG 0.04 (P3 5:47) Logan Stanley: wrist, 27 ft, xG 0.02 (P3 6:22) Dylan Cozens: wrist, 12 ft, xG 0.14 (P3 7:53) Mattias Samuelsson: wrist, 34 ft, xG 0.06 (P3 8:29) Claude Giroux: wrist, 13 ft, xG 0.20 (P3 8:37) Shane Pinto: slap, 42 ft, xG 0.04 (P3 9:00) Josh Norris: wrist, 30 ft, xG 0.02 (P3 11:37) Jack Quinn: wrist, 48 ft, xG 0.01 (P3 11:53) Lars Eller: wrist, 161 ft, xG 0.00 (P3 11:55) Fabian Zetterlund: wrist, 30 ft, xG 0.13 (P3 12:33) Jordan Spence: wrist, 46 ft, xG 0.01 (P3 13:10) Owen Power: wrist, 54 ft, xG 0.02 (P3 13:53) Rasmus Dahlin: slap, 60 ft, xG 0.03 (P3 14:58) Nikolas Matinpalo: wrist, 56 ft, xG 0.01 (P3 15:43) Mattias Samuelsson: wrist, 53 ft, xG 0.02 (P3 17:19) Mattias Samuelsson: GOAL, wrist, 51 ft, xG 0.02 (P2 8:49) Dylan Cozens: GOAL, tip-in, 7 ft, xG 0.13 (P2 15:18) Lars Eller: GOAL, slap, 26 ft, xG 0.13 (P3 5:55) Ridly Greig: GOAL, wrist, 7 ft, xG 0.92 (P3 17:42) Shane Pinto: GOAL, wrist, 27 ft, xG 0.93 (P3 18:42)
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

Buffalo Sabres

Skater GAP+/− AttxG HitBlkTOI
Forwards
71 Ryan McLeod 000 -1 20.07 0120:41
89 Alex Tuch 000 0 50.31 1118:57
91 Josh Doan 000 -2 30.30 1118:25
6 Zach Benson 000 -2 30.37 1017:35
72 Tage Thompson 000 0 20.21 0017:12
17 Jason Zucker 000 -2 00.00 2116:48
9 Josh Norris 000 -2 50.11 1016:10
22 Jack Quinn 000 -1 50.25 2015:13
19 Peyton Krebs 011 +1 30.07 4112:16
12 Jordan Greenway 000 -1 00.00 2211:39
29 Beck Malenstyn 000 -1 00.00 1009:33
44 Josh Dunne 000 -1 00.00 2107:17
Defense
24 Bowen Byram 011 -1 20.18 0322:58
26 Rasmus Dahlin 000 -2 40.11 0122:37
23 Mattias Samuelsson 101 0 40.12 3120:49
25 Owen Power 000 0 40.05 1219:34
73 Zach Metsa 000 -1 10.01 0116:04
8 Logan Stanley 000 -1 30.04 3013:30
Goalie SAGA SVSV% xGA GSAx
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen 22220 .909 2.34 +0.34

Ottawa Senators

Skater GAP+/− AttxG HitBlkTOI
Forwards
12 Shane Pinto 101 +1 51.10 1020:10
18 Tim Stützle 000 0 20.09 5019:57
22 Michael Amadio 000 +1 00.00 2018:53
71 Ridly Greig 112 +2 10.92 2117:08
24 Dylan Cozens 101 +1 70.55 4116:09
8 Brady Tkachuk 011 +1 00.00 3115:55
19 Drake Batherson 000 0 30.03 3015:18
20 Fabian Zetterlund 000 0 50.20 3114:12
28 Claude Giroux 000 0 50.45 2013:52
21 Nick Cousins 000 +1 30.29 0110:25
37 Warren Foegele 011 +1 10.10 1009:42
20 Lars Eller 101 +1 30.14 0008:18
Defense
10 Jordan Spence 011 +3 90.23 2330:48
33 Nikolas Matinpalo 000 -1 20.02 2024:29
2 Artem Zub 011 +2 20.00 0224:24
60 Lassi Thomson 000 +2 40.03 1020:55
5 Cameron Crotty 000 0 20.03 1013:37
43 Tyler Kleven 000 0 00.00 0001:48
Goalie SAGA SVSV% xGA GSAx
Linus Ullmark 22121 .955 2.19 +1.19

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.

Buffalo Sabres

Player Rating Points Shots On ice Pen FO Other GSAx TOI
4 Bowen Byram D +0.69 +0.70 +0.11 -0.28 0.00 0.00 +0.15 — 22:58
22 Jack Quinn R +0.54 0.00 +0.16 +0.40 0.00 0.00 -0.02 — 15:13
23 Mattias Samuelsson D +0.48 +0.75 +0.08 -0.38 0.00 0.00 +0.03 — 20:49
1 Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen G +0.34 0.00 — — 0.00 — — +0.34 58:42
25 Owen Power D +0.27 0.00 +0.03 +0.14 0.00 0.00 +0.10 — 19:34
6 Zach Benson L +0.27 0.00 +0.24 +0.01 0.00 +0.01 0.00 — 17:35
17 Jason Zucker L +0.20 0.00 0.00 +0.16 0.00 -0.01 +0.05 — 16:48
19 Peyton Krebs C +0.15 +0.55 +0.04 -0.49 0.00 -0.01 +0.05 — 12:16
26 Rasmus Dahlin D +0.09 0.00 +0.07 +0.01 0.00 0.00 +0.01 — 22:37
71 Ryan McLeod C +0.08 0.00 +0.04 +0.18 -0.15 -0.01 +0.01 — 20:41
89 Alex Tuch R +0.03 0.00 +0.20 -0.24 0.00 +0.02 +0.05 — 18:57
9 Josh Norris C -0.19 0.00 +0.07 -0.26 0.00 +0.02 -0.02 — 16:10
29 Beck Malenstyn L -0.19 0.00 0.00 -0.34 +0.15 0.00 0.00 — 9:33
72 Tage Thompson C -0.19 0.00 +0.14 -0.32 0.00 -0.01 0.00 — 17:12
44 Josh Dunne C -0.26 0.00 0.00 -0.32 0.00 +0.01 +0.05 — 7:17
91 Josh Doan R -0.26 0.00 +0.20 -0.51 0.00 0.00 +0.05 — 18:25
12 Jordan Greenway L -0.28 0.00 0.00 -0.37 0.00 -0.01 +0.10 — 11:39
64 Logan Stanley D -0.30 0.00 +0.02 -0.31 0.00 0.00 -0.02 — 13:30
73 Zach Metsa D -0.53 0.00 +0.01 -0.58 0.00 0.00 +0.05 — 16:04

Ottawa Senators

Player Rating Points Shots On ice Pen FO Other GSAx TOI
12 Shane Pinto C +1.82 +0.75 +0.72 +0.36 0.00 +0.01 -0.02 — 20:10
71 Ridly Greig C +1.67 +1.30 +0.60 -0.27 0.00 -0.01 +0.05 — 17:08
10 Jordan Spence D +1.39 +0.70 +0.15 +0.57 -0.15 0.00 +0.13 — 30:48
24 Dylan Cozens C +1.19 +0.75 +0.36 +0.06 0.00 -0.01 +0.03 — 16:09
35 Linus Ullmark G +1.19 0.00 — — 0.00 — — +1.19 60:00
60 Lassi Thomson D +1.18 0.00 +0.02 +1.16 0.00 0.00 0.00 — 20:55
89 Lars Eller C +1.12 +0.75 +0.09 +0.29 0.00 -0.01 0.00 — 8:18
37 Warren Foegele L +0.92 +0.55 +0.06 +0.32 0.00 0.00 -0.02 — 9:42
7 Brady Tkachuk L +0.83 +0.70 0.00 +0.07 0.00 +0.01 +0.05 — 15:55
21 Nick Cousins C +0.83 0.00 +0.19 +0.59 0.00 0.00 +0.05 — 10:25
28 Claude Giroux R +0.75 0.00 +0.30 +0.46 0.00 -0.03 +0.02 — 13:52
2 Artem Zub D +0.65 +0.70 0.00 -0.11 0.00 0.00 +0.06 — 24:24
22 Michael Amadio R +0.37 0.00 0.00 +0.38 0.00 -0.01 0.00 — 18:53
18 Tim Stützle C +0.37 0.00 +0.06 +0.14 +0.15 +0.03 -0.02 — 19:57
20 Fabian Zetterlund L +0.13 0.00 +0.13 -0.05 0.00 0.00 +0.05 — 14:12
5 Cameron Crotty D -0.04 0.00 +0.02 -0.06 0.00 0.00 0.00 — 13:37
33 Nikolas Matinpalo D -0.10 0.00 +0.01 -0.10 0.00 0.00 -0.02 — 24:29
43 Tyler Kleven D -0.13 0.00 0.00 -0.13 0.00 0.00 0.00 — 1:48
19 Drake Batherson R -0.18 0.00 +0.02 -0.21 0.00 +0.01 0.00 — 15:18

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.