Buffalo Sabres at Columbus Blue Jackets
NHL game between the Buffalo Sabres and the Columbus Blue Jackets on Jan 03, 2026. Final score: Buffalo Sabres 1, Columbus Blue Jackets 5.
| Status | Final |
|---|---|
| Date | Jan 03, 2026 |
| Venue | Nationwide Arena |
| Buffalo Sabres score | 1 |
| Columbus Blue Jackets score | 5 |
Shot charts, expected goals (xG), Game Score and advanced box scores for this game are available on Hockey Alchemy.
Three Stars by Game Score
Ranked by Game Score, which rolls goals, assists, shot quality, play-driving and penalties into one number — so the best player is chosen by the box score, not by a vote.
| Player | Pos | G | A | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Damon Severson | D | 0 | 2 | 3 | 16:55 | 0.15 | 1.85 |
| 2nd | Dmitri Voronkov | L | 1 | 0 | 3 | 9:11 | 0.32 | 1.37 |
| 3rd | Mathieu Olivier | R | 1 | 0 | 1 | 15:08 | 0.10 | 1.17 |
Scoring Summary
| Time | Team | Goal | Assists | Strength | Score (Buffalo Sabres–Columbus Blue Jackets) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st 03:00 | CBJ | Denton Mateychuk | Boone Jenner, Zach Werenski | 5v5 | 0–1 |
| 1st 11:26 | BUF | Josh Doan | Josh Norris, Owen Power | 5v5 | 1–1 |
| 1st 14:04 | CBJ | Brendan Gaunce | — | 4v5 | 1–2 |
| 1st 17:12 | CBJ | Dmitri Voronkov | Ivan Provorov, Damon Severson | 5v5 | 1–3 |
| 2nd 08:04 | CBJ | Mathieu Olivier | Zachary Aston-Reese, Damon Severson | 5v5 | 1–4 |
| 3rd 11:46 | CBJ | Cole Sillinger | Denton Mateychuk, Zach Werenski | 4v5 | 1–5 |
Team Comparison
| Buffalo Sabres | Columbus Blue Jackets | |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 1 | 5 |
| Shots on goal | 33 | 34 |
| Expected goals (xG) | 5.07 | 3.48 |
| High-danger shots | 16 | 13 |
| Corsi % | 55.1% | 44.9% |
| Power play | 0/5 | 0/1 |
| Faceoff % | 52.5% | 47.5% |
| Hits | 15 | 23 |
| Blocks | 15 | 13 |
| Giveaways | 20 | 14 |
| Takeaways | 2 | 5 |
Buffalo Sabres Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Josh Norris | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 17:38 | 0.43 | 0.90 |
| Rasmus Dahlin | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 25:30 | 0.14 | 0.83 |
| Mattias Samuelsson | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 20:59 | 0.33 | 0.81 |
| Josh Doan | R | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 21:30 | 0.73 | 0.79 |
| Zach Benson | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 16:39 | 0.50 | 0.66 |
| Tage Thompson | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 22:42 | 0.52 | 0.27 |
| Alex Tuch | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 19:49 | 0.73 | 0.22 |
| Ryan McLeod | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 16:59 | 0.26 | 0.18 |
| Owen Power | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 21:41 | 0.12 | 0.13 |
| Peyton Krebs | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14:28 | 0.01 | -0.06 |
| Josh Dunne | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8:15 | 0.25 | -0.23 |
| Noah Ostlund | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 12:36 | 0.10 | -0.35 |
| Jordan Greenway | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8:36 | 0.00 | -0.38 |
| Beck Malenstyn | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7:53 | 0.04 | -0.41 |
| Jack Quinn | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 15:53 | 0.36 | -0.46 |
| Zach Metsa | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9:46 | 0.00 | -0.48 |
| Jacob Bryson | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9:59 | 0.02 | -0.84 |
| Bowen Byram | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 24:33 | 0.40 | -0.98 |
Columbus Blue Jackets Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Damon Severson | D | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 16:55 | 0.15 | 1.85 |
| Dmitri Voronkov | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 9:11 | 0.32 | 1.37 |
| Mathieu Olivier | R | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 15:08 | 0.10 | 1.17 |
| Zach Werenski | D | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 23:12 | 0.36 | 1.10 |
| Zachary Aston-Reese | L | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 12:48 | 0.00 | 0.98 |
| Brendan Gaunce | C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 16:14 | 0.24 | 0.97 |
| Boone Jenner | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 17:44 | 0.07 | 0.97 |
| Denton Mateychuk | D | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 24:15 | 0.01 | 0.93 |
| Cole Sillinger | C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 12:12 | 0.34 | 0.86 |
| Ivan Provorov | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 25:32 | 0.17 | 0.60 |
| Charlie Coyle | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 14:49 | 0.65 | 0.56 |
| Jake Christiansen | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11:22 | 0.01 | 0.54 |
| Mason Marchment | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 15:45 | 0.20 | 0.46 |
| Danton Heinen | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8:51 | 0.00 | 0.24 |
| Adam Fantilli | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 16:40 | 0.28 | 0.18 |
| Kirill Marchenko | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 16:28 | 0.25 | 0.11 |
| Kent Johnson | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10:51 | 0.12 | -0.30 |
| Dante Fabbro | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18:03 | 0.01 | -0.32 |
Goaltending
| Goalie | Team | SV | SA | SV% | GSAx | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen | Buffalo Sabres | 30 | 34 | 88.2% | -0.70 | L |
| Jet Greaves | Columbus Blue Jackets | 32 | 33 | 97.0% | 3.42 | W |
Analysis
The Columbus Blue Jackets defeated the Buffalo Sabres 5–1 on Jan 03, 2026, a decisive 4-goal win.
Columbus Blue Jackets generated 3.48 expected goals to Buffalo Sabres's 5.07 — Buffalo Sabres owned the better of the chances but Columbus Blue Jackets took the game, the kind of split that usually means finishing or goaltending decided it.
Damon Severson led all skaters with a Game Score of 1.85 on 2 assists, 3 shots on goal.
Jet Greaves stopped 32 of 33, worth 3.42 goals saved above expected.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the Buffalo Sabres vs Columbus Blue Jackets game?
The Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Buffalo Sabres 5–1 on Jan 03, 2026.
What was the final score?
The final score was Columbus Blue Jackets 5, Buffalo Sabres 1.
Who was the best player in this game?
By Game Score — a single-number summary of everything a skater did — Damon Severson led all skaters at 1.85, on 0G, 2A and 3 shots on goal.
Which team deserved to win by expected goals?
Columbus Blue Jackets generated 3.48 expected goals and Buffalo Sabres generated 5.07, so Buffalo Sabres created the better chances. The scoreboard went the other way, which points to finishing or goaltending.
What were the shot totals?
Buffalo Sabres put 33 shots on goal and Columbus Blue Jackets put 34. High-danger chances went 16 to 13.
How did the goaltenders play?
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 30 of 34 (-0.7 goals saved above expected); Jet Greaves stopped 32 of 33 (3.42 goals saved above expected).