Montréal Canadiens at Buffalo Sabres
NHL game between the Montréal Canadiens and the Buffalo Sabres on Jan 16, 2026. Final score: Montréal Canadiens 3, Buffalo Sabres 5.
| Status | Final |
|---|---|
| Date | Jan 16, 2026 |
| Venue | KeyBank Center |
| Montréal Canadiens score | 3 |
| Buffalo Sabres 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 | Tage Thompson | C | 3 | 2 | 3 | 20:43 | 2.18 | 3.48 |
| 2nd | Josh Doan | R | 1 | 1 | 1 | 16:55 | 0.09 | 1.49 |
| 3rd | Cole Caufield | R | 1 | 1 | 5 | 19:17 | 0.47 | 1.34 |
Scoring Summary
| Time | Team | Goal | Assists | Strength | Score (Montréal Canadiens–Buffalo Sabres) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st 03:11 | MTL | Cole Caufield | Noah Dobson | 5v5 | 1–0 |
| 1st 04:05 | BUF | Tage Thompson | Noah Ostlund, Jason Zucker | 5v4 | 1–1 |
| 1st 10:30 | BUF | Josh Doan | Tage Thompson, Noah Ostlund | 5v4 | 1–2 |
| 1st 14:20 | MTL | Ivan Demidov | Lane Hutson, Nick Suzuki | 3v5 | 2–2 |
| 2nd 03:05 | MTL | Nick Suzuki | Lane Hutson, Cole Caufield | 4v5 | 3–2 |
| 2nd 08:55 | BUF | Alex Tuch | Tage Thompson, Rasmus Dahlin | 5v5 | 3–3 |
| 3rd 05:12 | BUF | Tage Thompson | Josh Doan | 5v5 | 3–4 |
| 3rd 18:20 | BUF | Tage Thompson | Zach Benson | 5v6 | 3–5 |
Team Comparison
| Montréal Canadiens | Buffalo Sabres | |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 3 | 5 |
| Shots on goal | 23 | 27 |
| Expected goals (xG) | 3.24 | 3.03 |
| High-danger shots | 9 | 9 |
| Corsi % | 43.0% | 57.0% |
| Power play | 2/3 | 2/4 |
| Faceoff % | 58.9% | 41.1% |
| Hits | 26 | 21 |
| Blocks | 18 | 6 |
| Giveaways | 13 | 14 |
| Takeaways | 4 | 6 |
Montréal Canadiens Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cole Caufield | R | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 19:17 | 0.47 | 1.34 |
| Nick Suzuki | C | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 22:17 | 1.06 | 1.34 |
| Lane Hutson | D | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 25:55 | 0.08 | 1.08 |
| Noah Dobson | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 21:39 | 0.01 | 0.84 |
| Ivan Demidov | R | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 16:10 | 0.19 | 0.70 |
| Sammy Blais | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7:29 | 0.30 | 0.30 |
| Arber Xhekaj | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10:29 | 0.00 | 0.30 |
| Zachary Bolduc | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12:04 | 0.10 | 0.25 |
| Alexandre Carrier | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21:00 | 0.03 | 0.20 |
| Joe Veleno | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11:12 | 0.00 | 0.20 |
| Juraj Slafkovský | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 18:14 | 0.10 | 0.10 |
| Josh Anderson | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13:27 | 0.17 | 0.05 |
| Alexandre Texier | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 13:45 | 0.51 | 0.05 |
| Phillip Danault | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14:58 | 0.00 | -0.05 |
| Oliver Kapanen | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 16:02 | 0.27 | -0.05 |
| Kaiden Guhle | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14:56 | 0.03 | -0.05 |
| Brendan Gallagher | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10:58 | 0.29 | -0.15 |
| Mike Matheson | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22:32 | 0.07 | -0.15 |
Buffalo Sabres Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tage Thompson | C | 3 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 20:43 | 2.18 | 3.48 |
| Josh Doan | R | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 16:55 | 0.09 | 1.49 |
| Noah Ostlund | C | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 17:21 | 0.17 | 1.28 |
| Alex Tuch | R | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 18:44 | 0.19 | 0.90 |
| Rasmus Dahlin | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 27:39 | 0.18 | 0.69 |
| Jason Zucker | L | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 14:27 | 0.00 | 0.59 |
| Zach Benson | L | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 16:06 | 0.15 | 0.54 |
| Beck Malenstyn | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8:45 | 0.24 | 0.20 |
| Owen Power | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 23:04 | 0.08 | 0.15 |
| Tyson Kozak | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9:22 | 0.02 | 0.15 |
| Jordan Greenway | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11:10 | 0.00 | 0.05 |
| Ryan McLeod | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 18:29 | 0.11 | 0.05 |
| Jack Quinn | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14:21 | 0.04 | 0.00 |
| Zach Metsa | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7:38 | 0.01 | 0.00 |
| Peyton Krebs | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10:55 | 0.12 | 0.00 |
| Mattias Samuelsson | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 25:24 | 0.16 | -0.05 |
| Jacob Bryson | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6:02 | 0.00 | -0.15 |
| Bowen Byram | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 25:05 | 0.01 | -0.30 |
Goaltending
| Goalie | Team | SV | SA | SV% | GSAx | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacob Fowler | Montréal Canadiens | 22 | 26 | 84.6% | -0.77 | L |
| Colten Ellis | Buffalo Sabres | 20 | 23 | 87.0% | 0.15 | W |
Analysis
The Buffalo Sabres defeated the Montréal Canadiens 5–3 on Jan 16, 2026.
Buffalo Sabres generated 3.03 expected goals to Montréal Canadiens's 3.24 — Montréal Canadiens owned the better of the chances but Buffalo Sabres took the game, the kind of split that usually means finishing or goaltending decided it; by expected goals it was close to a coin flip.
Tage Thompson led all skaters with a Game Score of 3.48 on 3 goals, 2 assists, 3 shots on goal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the Montréal Canadiens vs Buffalo Sabres game?
The Buffalo Sabres beat the Montréal Canadiens 5–3 on Jan 16, 2026.
What was the final score?
The final score was Buffalo Sabres 5, Montréal Canadiens 3.
Who was the best player in this game?
By Game Score — a single-number summary of everything a skater did — Tage Thompson led all skaters at 3.48, on 3G, 2A and 3 shots on goal.
Which team deserved to win by expected goals?
Buffalo Sabres generated 3.03 expected goals and Montréal Canadiens generated 3.24, so Montréal Canadiens created the better chances. The scoreboard went the other way, which points to finishing or goaltending.
What were the shot totals?
Montréal Canadiens put 23 shots on goal and Buffalo Sabres put 27. High-danger chances went 9 to 9.
How did the goaltenders play?
Jacob Fowler stopped 22 of 26 (-0.77 goals saved above expected); Colten Ellis stopped 20 of 23 (0.15 goals saved above expected).