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Ice Lab

Sat, Dec 21, 2019·KeyBank Center, Buffalo

Los Angeles Kings 2, Buffalo Sabres 3

Expected result

Based on shot quality alone, Buffalo Sabres win this game 66% of the time.

BUF winsLAK wins

By period

Goals and shots on goal in each period.

TeamP1P2P3Total
LAK01011017227
BUF06211111328

Goals, with shots on goal in grey.

Scoring

Every goal, with the change it made to the home team's win probability.

  1. P2 1:32LAKAdrian KempeAssists: Blake Lizotte, Austin Wagner · Wrist, 0.09 xG1–0
  2. P2 7:35BUFRasmus RistolainenAssists: Jimmy Vesey, Jeff Skinner · Wrist, 0.17 xG1–1
  3. P2 16:48BUFMarco ScandellaAssists: Sam Reinhart · Slap, 0.01 xG1–2
  4. P3 18:27BUFVictor OlofssonENGWGAssists: Sam Reinhart, Jack Eichel · Backhand, 0.59 xG1–3
  5. P3 19:22LAKDustin BrownAssists: Drew Doughty, Alex Iafallo · Slap, 0.29 xG2–3
Penalties (5)
  1. P1 15:52BUFBrandon Montour: Interference2 min
  2. P1 17:08LAKTyler Toffoli: Tripping2 min
  3. P2 18:33LAKJoakim Ryan: Holding2 min
  4. P3 5:37LAKJeff Carter: Tripping2 min
  5. P3 6:37BUFSam Reinhart: Interference2 min

Replay

Watch the game unfold on the ice: every shot, hit, turnover and faceoff appears as it happened, then fades. Drag the timeline to jump; goals are marked on it.

LAK00 SOG · 0.0 xG

20:00

P1

0.0 xG · 0 SOG0BUF
45% to win55% to win
← LAK attackBUF attack →
  1. P1 20:00Kopitar won the faceoff against Eichel
  • Goal
  • Shot
  • Miss
  • Block
  • Hit
  • Takeaway
  • Giveaway
  • Faceoff
  • Penalty

The numbers

Team totals, side by side.

LAKBUF
27Shots on goal28
2.3Expected goals3.2
56Shot attempts42
31Faceoffs won18
2Power plays3
6Penalty minutes4
14Hits19
5Blocked shots17
4Giveaways6
2Takeaways2

Line combinations that worked

Model-based

Each team's forward lines and defence pairs at 5-on-5 (two minutes or more together), best first by expected goals for minus against.

Los Angeles Kings

Forward lines

  1. bestToffoli – Prokhorkin – Amadio4:53

    xG 0.40–0.28 (59%)attempts 5–5goals 0–0

  2. Carter – Clifford – Wagner2:56

    xG 0.19–0.18 (51%)attempts 4–2goals 0–0

  3. Prokhorkin – Kempe – Lizotte3:28

    xG 0.03–0.03 (46%)attempts 2–1goals 0–0

  4. Toffoli – Kempe – Lizotte3:46

    xG 0.04–0.05 (44%)attempts 6–4goals 0–0

Defence pairs

  1. bestHutton – Roy13:59

    xG 0.57–0.01 (98%)attempts 16–3goals 1–0

  2. Clague – Walker14:41

    xG 0.58–0.84 (41%)attempts 14–10goals 0–1

  3. Doughty – Ryan17:45

    xG 0.32–0.65 (33%)attempts 14–12goals 0–1

Buffalo Sabres

Forward lines

  1. bestReinhart – Olofsson – Eichel15:23

    xG 0.41–0.21 (66%)attempts 9–11goals 0–0

  2. Johansson – Skinner – Vesey7:40

    xG 0.08–0.01 (85%)attempts 3–3goals 0–0

  3. Okposo – Girgensons – Lazar12:09

    xG 0.67–0.62 (52%)attempts 9–14goals 0–0

  4. Johansson – Skinner – Asplund4:58

    xG 0.06–0.43 (12%)attempts 2–6goals 0–1

Defence pairs

  1. bestMcCabe – Ristolainen13:48

    xG 0.71–0.31 (70%)attempts 11–8goals 1–0

  2. Montour – Dahlin2:01

    xG 0.25–0.11 (68%)attempts 1–2goals 0–0

  3. Montour – Jokiharju2:56

    xG 0.01–0.02 (48%)attempts 1–2goals 0–0

How the game flowed

Model-based

Chance quality for each side, minute by minute, with pressure underneath.

Expected goals flow

Running total of expected goals for each team. Steep climbs are spells of pressure; dots are goals. Shaded bands mark power plays (team colour), 4-on-4 or 3-on-3 (grey) and empty nets.

BUF 3.2 xGLAK 2.3 xG
0123P1P2P3EndxG

Tempo: attempts, hits and takeaways per minute

BUFLAK

Win probability

Model-based

How each goal and each minute changed the likely winner.

Win probability

BUF's chance of winning through the game. Above the middle line BUF is favoured, below it LAK. Dots are goals.

Excitement 32/100 · #753 of 1082 this seasonSwing 1.09 · 5 goals in reachComeback index 29% (winner's lowest chance)
LAK 100%5050%50BUF 100%P1P2P3EndBiggest swing +23 pts

Did the better team win?

Every shot replayed 10,000 times, scoring with its expected-goal probability.

Based on shot quality alone, Buffalo Sabres win this game 66% of the time.

BUF winsLAK wins

Simulated goal difference (BUF − LAK), 10,000 replays

-7
-6
-5
-4
-3
-2
-1
0
+1
+2
+3
+4
+5
+6
+7

The outlined bar is the actual result (excluding the shootout).