Buffalo Sabres at New York Rangers
NHL game between the Buffalo Sabres and the New York Rangers on Apr 08, 2026. Final score: Buffalo Sabres 5, New York Rangers 3.
| Status | Final |
|---|---|
| Date | Apr 08, 2026 |
| Venue | Madison Square Garden |
| Buffalo Sabres score | 5 |
| New York Rangers score | 3 |
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 | Rasmus Dahlin | D | 0 | 1 | 2 | 24:30 | 0.10 | 2.08 |
| 2nd | Jason Zucker | L | 1 | 1 | 4 | 18:14 | 0.82 | 2.07 |
| 3rd | Zach Benson | L | 2 | 0 | 3 | 12:59 | 1.26 | 1.98 |
Scoring Summary
| Time | Team | Goal | Assists | Strength | Score (Buffalo Sabres–New York Rangers) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st 04:40 | BUF | Ryan McLeod | Jason Zucker, Conor Timmins | 5v5 | 1–0 |
| 1st 08:58 | BUF | Zach Benson | Rasmus Dahlin, Bowen Byram | 5v5 | 2–0 |
| 1st 19:21 | NYR | Alexis Lafrenière | Adam Fox, J.T. Miller | 5v4 | 2–1 |
| 2nd 02:57 | NYR | Alexis Lafrenière | Drew Fortescue | 5v5 | 2–2 |
| 2nd 14:44 | NYR | Adam Fox | Vincent Trocheck, Mika Zibanejad | 5v4 | 2–3 |
| 3rd 05:51 | BUF | Alex Tuch | Peyton Krebs, Tage Thompson | 5v5 | 3–3 |
| 3rd 07:14 | BUF | Jason Zucker | Ryan McLeod | 5v5 | 4–3 |
| 3rd 18:45 | BUF | Zach Benson | Josh Doan, Josh Norris | 6v5 | 5–3 |
Team Comparison
| Buffalo Sabres | New York Rangers | |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 5 | 3 |
| Shots on goal | 27 | 20 |
| Expected goals (xG) | 3.64 | 2.35 |
| High-danger shots | 13 | 13 |
| Corsi % | 49.5% | 50.5% |
| Power play | 0/0 | 0/0 |
| Faceoff % | 44.2% | 55.8% |
| Hits | 19 | 26 |
| Blocks | 19 | 11 |
| Giveaways | 15 | 12 |
| Takeaways | 6 | 4 |
Buffalo Sabres Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rasmus Dahlin | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 24:30 | 0.10 | 2.08 |
| Jason Zucker | L | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 18:14 | 0.82 | 2.07 |
| Zach Benson | L | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 12:59 | 1.26 | 1.98 |
| Ryan McLeod | C | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 17:10 | 0.09 | 1.32 |
| Josh Norris | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 14:46 | 0.21 | 1.13 |
| Bowen Byram | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 22:07 | 0.04 | 1.10 |
| Josh Doan | R | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 13:08 | 0.14 | 0.95 |
| Alex Tuch | R | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 19:05 | 0.08 | 0.91 |
| Conor Timmins | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 16:26 | 0.01 | 0.89 |
| Tage Thompson | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 22:18 | 0.28 | 0.87 |
| Peyton Krebs | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 15:04 | 0.07 | 0.64 |
| Mattias Samuelsson | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20:39 | 0.02 | 0.52 |
| Beck Malenstyn | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10:15 | 0.12 | 0.46 |
| Jack Quinn | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 19:24 | 0.24 | 0.43 |
| Tyson Kozak | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10:50 | 0.00 | 0.26 |
| Tanner Pearson | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8:52 | 0.00 | 0.20 |
| Michael Kesselring | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10:37 | 0.03 | -0.13 |
| Owen Power | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 20:09 | 0.01 | -0.42 |
New York Rangers Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adam Fox | D | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 23:20 | 0.06 | 1.59 |
| Alexis Lafrenière | L | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 15:07 | 0.19 | 1.31 |
| J.T. Miller | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 20:51 | 0.29 | 0.71 |
| Tye Kartye | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 16:07 | 0.15 | 0.58 |
| Vincent Trocheck | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 18:48 | 0.00 | 0.45 |
| Noah Laba | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13:33 | 0.07 | 0.21 |
| Vladislav Gavrikov | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 24:41 | 0.14 | 0.20 |
| Adam Sykora | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11:16 | 0.11 | 0.18 |
| Conor Sheary | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12:28 | 0.00 | 0.02 |
| Jaroslav Chmelar | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11:15 | 0.00 | 0.02 |
| Gabe Perreault | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12:09 | 0.07 | -0.01 |
| Mika Zibanejad | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 18:44 | 0.26 | -0.08 |
| Will Cuylle | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 15:46 | 0.62 | -0.12 |
| Drew Fortescue | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 13:34 | 0.01 | -0.15 |
| Will Borgen | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15:24 | 0.00 | -0.33 |
| Matthew Robertson | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 15:52 | 0.01 | -0.43 |
| Braden Schneider | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 22:35 | 0.07 | -0.47 |
| Jonny Brodzinski | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 12:03 | 0.07 | -0.64 |
Goaltending
| Goalie | Team | SV | SA | SV% | GSAx | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen | Buffalo Sabres | 17 | 20 | 85.0% | -0.89 | W |
| Igor Shesterkin | New York Rangers | 22 | 26 | 84.6% | -1.12 | L |
Analysis
The Buffalo Sabres defeated the New York Rangers 5–3 on Apr 08, 2026.
New York Rangers generated 2.35 expected goals to Buffalo Sabres's 3.64 — the run of play matched the result, with Buffalo Sabres earning the better chances as well as the goals.
Rasmus Dahlin led all skaters with a Game Score of 2.08 on 1 assist, 2 shots on goal.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 17 of 20, worth -0.89 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 5–3 on Apr 08, 2026.
What was the final score?
The final score was Buffalo Sabres 5, New York Rangers 3.
Who was the best player in this game?
By Game Score — a single-number summary of everything a skater did — Rasmus Dahlin led all skaters at 2.08, on 0G, 1A and 2 shots on goal.
Which team deserved to win by expected goals?
New York Rangers generated 2.35 expected goals and Buffalo Sabres generated 3.64, so Buffalo Sabres created the better chances. That matches the result.
What were the shot totals?
Buffalo Sabres put 27 shots on goal and New York Rangers put 20. High-danger chances went 13 to 13.
How did the goaltenders play?
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 17 of 20 (-0.89 goals saved above expected); Igor Shesterkin stopped 22 of 26 (-1.12 goals saved above expected).