Buffalo Sabres at Vegas Golden Knights
NHL game between the Buffalo Sabres and the Vegas Golden Knights on Mar 17, 2026. Final score: Buffalo Sabres 2, Vegas Golden Knights 0.
| Status | Final |
|---|---|
| Date | Mar 17, 2026 |
| Venue | T-Mobile Arena |
| Buffalo Sabres score | 2 |
| Vegas Golden Knights score | 0 |
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 | Josh Norris | C | 1 | 0 | 5 | 13:28 | 1.22 | 1.37 |
| 2nd | Josh Doan | R | 1 | 0 | 3 | 13:30 | 0.24 | 1.32 |
| 3rd | Peyton Krebs | C | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11:10 | 0.00 | 1.13 |
Scoring Summary
| Time | Team | Goal | Assists | Strength | Score (Buffalo Sabres–Vegas Golden Knights) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st 18:02 | BUF | Josh Doan | — | 5v5 | 1–0 |
| 3rd 19:02 | BUF | Josh Norris | Peyton Krebs, Mattias Samuelsson | 6v5 | 2–0 |
Team Comparison
| Buffalo Sabres | Vegas Golden Knights | |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 2 | 0 |
| Shots on goal | 25 | 28 |
| Expected goals (xG) | 2.72 | 3.11 |
| High-danger shots | 11 | 13 |
| Corsi % | 44.6% | 55.4% |
| Power play | 0/2 | 0/3 |
| Faceoff % | 49.1% | 50.9% |
| Hits | 19 | 28 |
| Blocks | 13 | 12 |
| Giveaways | 12 | 19 |
| Takeaways | 6 | 2 |
Buffalo Sabres Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Josh Norris | C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 13:28 | 1.22 | 1.37 |
| Josh Doan | R | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 13:30 | 0.24 | 1.32 |
| Peyton Krebs | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 11:10 | 0.00 | 1.13 |
| Mattias Samuelsson | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 22:20 | 0.05 | 0.76 |
| Tage Thompson | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19:21 | 0.34 | 0.48 |
| Zach Benson | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 17:17 | 0.40 | 0.41 |
| Zach Metsa | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 11:53 | 0.02 | 0.40 |
| Rasmus Dahlin | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 22:51 | 0.16 | 0.15 |
| Beck Malenstyn | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12:30 | 0.03 | 0.08 |
| Noah Ostlund | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15:46 | 0.06 | 0.07 |
| Logan Stanley | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 16:18 | 0.01 | 0.03 |
| Tyson Kozak | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11:10 | 0.07 | 0.02 |
| Jack Quinn | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 15:41 | 0.17 | -0.18 |
| Ryan McLeod | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16:58 | 0.00 | -0.29 |
| Bowen Byram | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 21:31 | 0.01 | -0.32 |
| Sam Carrick | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13:40 | 0.00 | -0.34 |
| Jason Zucker | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14:55 | 0.03 | -0.41 |
| Owen Power | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21:41 | 0.00 | -0.67 |
Vegas Golden Knights Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomas Hertl | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 17:39 | 0.51 | 0.86 |
| Jeremy Lauzon | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 15:40 | 0.05 | 0.57 |
| Kaedan Korczak | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13:03 | 0.00 | 0.49 |
| Pavel Dorofeyev | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 17:18 | 0.22 | 0.40 |
| Cole Smith | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10:03 | 0.10 | 0.28 |
| Colton Sissons | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 13:49 | 0.09 | 0.27 |
| Mitch Marner | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 22:23 | 0.19 | 0.22 |
| Keegan Kolesar | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10:40 | 0.05 | 0.13 |
| Brett Howden | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 13:56 | 0.06 | 0.09 |
| Rasmus Andersson | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21:15 | 0.22 | 0.09 |
| Braeden Bowman | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14:04 | 0.31 | 0.01 |
| Nic Dowd | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11:17 | 0.09 | -0.03 |
| Ivan Barbashev | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14:31 | 0.16 | -0.16 |
| Brayden McNabb | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 18:37 | 0.19 | -0.19 |
| Shea Theodore | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 20:37 | 0.17 | -0.22 |
| Mark Stone | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 19:10 | 0.33 | -0.25 |
| Noah Hanifin | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 20:23 | 0.02 | -0.30 |
| Jack Eichel | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 20:06 | 0.06 | -0.52 |
Goaltending
| Goalie | Team | SV | SA | SV% | GSAx | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen | Buffalo Sabres | 29 | 29 | 100.0% | 2.82 | W |
| Adin Hill | Vegas Golden Knights | 23 | 24 | 95.8% | 1.15 | L |
Analysis
The Buffalo Sabres defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 2–0 on Mar 17, 2026.
Vegas Golden Knights generated 3.11 expected goals to Buffalo Sabres's 2.72 — Vegas Golden Knights 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.
Josh Norris led all skaters with a Game Score of 1.37 on 1 goal, 5 shots on goal.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 29 of 29, worth 2.82 goals saved above expected.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the Buffalo Sabres vs Vegas Golden Knights game?
The Buffalo Sabres beat the Vegas Golden Knights 2–0 on Mar 17, 2026.
What was the final score?
The final score was Buffalo Sabres 2, Vegas Golden Knights 0.
Who was the best player in this game?
By Game Score — a single-number summary of everything a skater did — Josh Norris led all skaters at 1.37, on 1G, 0A and 5 shots on goal.
Which team deserved to win by expected goals?
Vegas Golden Knights generated 3.11 expected goals and Buffalo Sabres generated 2.72, so Vegas Golden Knights created the better chances. The scoreboard went the other way, which points to finishing or goaltending.
What were the shot totals?
Buffalo Sabres put 25 shots on goal and Vegas Golden Knights put 28. High-danger chances went 11 to 13.
How did the goaltenders play?
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 29 of 29 (2.82 goals saved above expected); Adin Hill stopped 23 of 24 (1.15 goals saved above expected).