Buffalo Sabres at New York Rangers
NHL game between the Buffalo Sabres and the New York Rangers on Jan 08, 2026. Final score: Buffalo Sabres 5, New York Rangers 2.
| Status | Final |
|---|---|
| Date | Jan 08, 2026 |
| Venue | Madison Square Garden |
| Buffalo Sabres score | 5 |
| New York Rangers score | 2 |
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 | Mattias Samuelsson | D | 1 | 1 | 1 | 23:56 | 0.08 | 1.64 |
| 2nd | Jason Zucker | L | 1 | 1 | 3 | 15:00 | 1.35 | 1.44 |
| 3rd | Ryan McLeod | C | 1 | 1 | 2 | 17:30 | 0.88 | 1.34 |
Scoring Summary
| Time | Team | Goal | Assists | Strength | Score (Buffalo Sabres–New York Rangers) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st 04:07 | BUF | Josh Doan | Mattias Samuelsson, Jason Zucker | 5v5 | 1–0 |
| 2nd 06:58 | BUF | Alex Tuch | Bowen Byram, Josh Norris | 5v5 | 2–0 |
| 2nd 09:34 | NYR | Mika Zibanejad | Artemi Panarin | 5v5 | 2–1 |
| 2nd 12:34 | BUF | Jason Zucker | Rasmus Dahlin, Tage Thompson | 4v5 | 3–1 |
| 3rd 00:51 | NYR | Vincent Trocheck | J.T. Miller, Artemi Panarin | 5v5 | 3–2 |
| 3rd 14:38 | BUF | Mattias Samuelsson | Ryan McLeod | 5v4 | 4–2 |
| 3rd 18:30 | BUF | Ryan McLeod | — | 6v5 | 5–2 |
Team Comparison
| Buffalo Sabres | New York Rangers | |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 5 | 2 |
| Shots on goal | 21 | 32 |
| Expected goals (xG) | 4.37 | 2.79 |
| High-danger shots | 13 | 14 |
| Corsi % | 42.1% | 57.9% |
| Power play | 1/2 | 0/2 |
| Faceoff % | 39.2% | 60.8% |
| Hits | 16 | 32 |
| Blocks | 20 | 12 |
| Giveaways | 17 | 13 |
| Takeaways | 9 | 5 |
Buffalo Sabres Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mattias Samuelsson | D | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 23:56 | 0.08 | 1.64 |
| Jason Zucker | L | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 15:00 | 1.35 | 1.44 |
| Ryan McLeod | C | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 17:30 | 0.88 | 1.34 |
| Alex Tuch | R | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 17:30 | 0.13 | 0.80 |
| Josh Doan | R | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 16:09 | 0.28 | 0.80 |
| Tage Thompson | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 16:39 | 0.31 | 0.79 |
| Rasmus Dahlin | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 23:41 | 0.07 | 0.74 |
| Josh Norris | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 13:27 | 0.15 | 0.74 |
| Bowen Byram | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 23:45 | 0.01 | 0.74 |
| Beck Malenstyn | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12:01 | 0.00 | 0.10 |
| Zach Metsa | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 12:39 | 0.01 | 0.10 |
| Jordan Greenway | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13:49 | 0.06 | 0.10 |
| Zach Benson | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 16:04 | 0.05 | 0.10 |
| Noah Ostlund | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12:59 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Owen Power | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22:15 | 0.01 | 0.00 |
| Jacob Bryson | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10:55 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Peyton Krebs | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11:29 | 0.10 | -0.05 |
| Jack Quinn | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 14:12 | 0.49 | -0.20 |
New York Rangers Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Artemi Panarin | L | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 20:53 | 0.22 | 1.28 |
| Mika Zibanejad | C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 19:33 | 0.36 | 0.90 |
| Vincent Trocheck | C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 19:47 | 0.23 | 0.75 |
| J.T. Miller | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 20:24 | 0.40 | 0.74 |
| Matt Rempe | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9:43 | 0.08 | 0.30 |
| Braden Schneider | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 21:19 | 0.10 | 0.30 |
| Anton Blidh | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7:35 | 0.00 | 0.20 |
| Will Cuylle | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 16:34 | 0.24 | 0.20 |
| Carson Soucy | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14:30 | 0.00 | 0.20 |
| Will Borgen | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18:08 | 0.01 | 0.10 |
| Gabe Perreault | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 15:11 | 0.24 | 0.10 |
| Taylor Raddysh | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 16:30 | 0.06 | 0.05 |
| Vladislav Gavrikov | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 24:37 | 0.13 | 0.05 |
| Jonny Brodzinski | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 14:12 | 0.04 | 0.00 |
| Alexis Lafrenière | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14:38 | 0.07 | -0.05 |
| Sam Carrick | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10:08 | 0.23 | -0.05 |
| Scott Morrow | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16:51 | 0.01 | -0.05 |
| Matthew Robertson | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 18:21 | 0.02 | -0.10 |
Goaltending
| Goalie | Team | SV | SA | SV% | GSAx | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colten Ellis | Buffalo Sabres | 30 | 32 | 93.8% | 1.13 | W |
| Jonathan Quick | New York Rangers | 16 | 20 | 80.0% | -0.80 | L |
Analysis
The Buffalo Sabres defeated the New York Rangers 5–2 on Jan 08, 2026.
New York Rangers generated 2.79 expected goals to Buffalo Sabres's 4.37 — the run of play matched the result, with Buffalo Sabres earning the better chances as well as the goals.
Mattias Samuelsson led all skaters with a Game Score of 1.64 on 1 goal, 1 assist, 1 shots on goal.
Colten Ellis stopped 30 of 32, worth 1.13 goals saved above expected.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the Buffalo Sabres vs New York Rangers game?
The Buffalo Sabres beat the New York Rangers 5–2 on Jan 08, 2026.
What was the final score?
The final score was Buffalo Sabres 5, New York Rangers 2.
Who was the best player in this game?
By Game Score — a single-number summary of everything a skater did — Mattias Samuelsson led all skaters at 1.64, on 1G, 1A and 1 shots on goal.
Which team deserved to win by expected goals?
New York Rangers generated 2.79 expected goals and Buffalo Sabres generated 4.37, so Buffalo Sabres created the better chances. That matches the result.
What were the shot totals?
Buffalo Sabres put 21 shots on goal and New York Rangers put 32. High-danger chances went 13 to 14.
How did the goaltenders play?
Colten Ellis stopped 30 of 32 (1.13 goals saved above expected); Jonathan Quick stopped 16 of 20 (-0.8 goals saved above expected).