xJawn NHL expected goals

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STL 4 – 0 DAL

St. Louis Blues at Dallas Stars

Final · Oct 2, 2026
2026-27 · regular season
The call
DAL 56.2% ✗
expected 2.84–3.22 · STL won 4–0
actual xG
2.76–2.84
xG share, predicted → actual
STL 47% → 49%53% → 51% DAL
Today's puzzle Remember Some Guys — name the skater from the shape of his career. Three clues, one guess a day. Play →
On the ice
Adjusts with rink filters

Strength and score are read from STL's side, the same minutes at both ends: PP = STL power play · PK = DAL power play · Leading = STL ahead · ST = each club's own power play.

STL attacks◀ all strengths
DAL attacksall strengths ▶
× goal• on net ◦ missed· blocked hover any attempt for the shooter, its xG and everything the model saw
How to read this map

One rink, both teams: STL attacks the left net, DAL the right. Every attempt is a Gaussian bump of height = its model xG. The controls switch the surface (xG heatmap ↔ vs league) and the markers; vs league compares this game against a typical NHL team-game under the same filter (2026-27 regular season, 283 games), so a 5v5 view is measured against league 5v5.

A strength or score filter is read from STL's side and mirrored for DAL: “STL PP” shows STL's power-play attempts on the left and DAL's shorthanded attempts on the right — the same minutes of the game at both ends. Empty-net attempts are excluded unless you include them. The Player control narrows the map and the rows beneath it to the attempts by either club while one player was on the ice (for a goalie, while he was in net); his own attempts wear a blue ring. vs league switches off while a player is picked — the league baseline is a whole team-game, which one player's slice is not. Hover any attempt for the shooter, the result, its xG, and the inputs behind it: clock, strength, score, shot type, distance, angle, handedness, rush/rebound, what happened just before, and the goalie or the blocker.

What each side produced

all strengths · this game
STL DAL
bars share a scale within each row · the longer bar is the row's leader
Goalson the map
2 0
Expected goals
2.76 2.84
xG%share of xG
49% 51%
High-dangerattempts ≥ 0.20 xG
3 1
Shots on goal
22 25
Attempts
48 59
xG by period · whole game 1st1.7–0.72nd0.3–1.43rd0.8–0.7

The Blues beat the Stars 4–0 on the road in a game the chances called about even, STL 2.8 to DAL 2.8 in expected goals. The Stars power play made 1.4 xG on 16 attempts.

Counts come from the shot table behind the map: empty-net attempts and the shootout are excluded, so the goals here can trail the official final by an empty-netter or the shootout's deciding goal. Same numbers as the post-game cards.

As the game went

all situations · this game
cumulative STL − DAL xG · bands = power plays · lines = goals
1ST2ND3RD+0.5−0.5+1−1+1.5−1.5+2−2STL AHEAD ▲DAL AHEAD ▼
How to read this

One line: cumulative STL minus DAL expected goals. Above zero STL is ahead on chances, below zero DAL is. Shaded bands are power plays in the side's colour; vertical lines are goals.

Goals

this game
xG = the chance, before it went in
TeamScorerPeriodTimexG
STLMason McTavish 1st1:34 0.47
STLDalibor Dvorsky 2nd13:05 0.14
STLJimmy Snuggerud 3rd17:37 EN 0.51
STLPius Suter 3rd17:52 EN 0.43
Who

Skaters

all · whole game · this game
on-ice xG for and against, his own attempts, the net
strength
period
sort
How to read this

Every skater: on-ice xG against to the left of zero, for to the right, his own attempts as the solid bar, a hash at the net. The slim track under the name is ice time. The chart opens sorted by net, best first; pick another key to re-order it, and click the same key again to flip it. A name opens the player's page. Pick a period and every bar re-lays for that period alone on the same scale as the whole game, so the three periods add up to it; a skater who did not play in it fades to the bottom.

STL
against for own net ice time
0.50.5111.51.50Mason McTavishF14:36+1.05Jimmy SnuggerudF18:59+1.03Dylan HollowayF19:21+0.68Adam JiricekD16:35+0.64Connor McMichaelF13:03+0.34Pavel BuchnevichF17:11+0.23Robert ThomasF22:59+0.04Theo LindsteinD15:13+0.03Dalibor DvorskyF13:03-0.08Ross JohnstonF9:59-0.13Cam FowlerD22:38-0.18Alexey ToropchenkoF5:08-0.18Philip BrobergD23:08-0.19Jonatan BerggrenF13:45-0.36Jake NeighboursF13:03-0.39Brandon CarloD15:27-0.47Pius SuterF14:25-0.63Colton ParaykoD20:27-0.67
0.50.5110Pavel BuchnevichF9:08+0.89Jimmy SnuggerudF12:10+0.80Philip BrobergD14:16+0.65Mason McTavishF9:01+0.59Robert ThomasF13:01+0.56Adam JiricekD13:01+0.44Dylan HollowayF12:17+0.44Brandon CarloD12:01+0.31Connor McMichaelF8:04+0.11Theo LindsteinD12:57+0.07Pius SuterF8:44-0.02Cam FowlerD13:28-0.05Colton ParaykoD13:57-0.08Alexey ToropchenkoF4:47-0.10Ross JohnstonF9:49-0.13Jonatan BerggrenF12:13-0.26Dalibor DvorskyF10:10-0.34Jake NeighboursF9:31-0.56
0.250.250.50.50Cam FowlerD5:00+0.43Dylan HollowayF4:51+0.43Mason McTavishF4:48+0.43Jimmy SnuggerudF4:46+0.43Robert ThomasF4:37+0.43Connor McMichaelF2:58+0.27Pavel BuchnevichF2:39+0.27Dalibor DvorskyF2:33+0.27Adam JiricekD2:33+0.27Jake NeighboursF1:33+0.27Jonatan BerggrenF0:52+0.00Philip BrobergD0:51+0.00Ross JohnstonF0:10+0.00Colton ParaykoD0:04+0.00Theo LindsteinD0:04+0.00Pius SuterF0:01+0.00
0.250.250.50.50.750.75110Connor McMichaelF1:24+0.01Theo LindsteinD1:07-0.08Alexey ToropchenkoF0:21-0.08Jake NeighboursF0:51-0.10Dylan HollowayF0:32-0.18Cam FowlerD3:53-0.56Pius SuterF4:55-0.60Colton ParaykoD3:45-0.63Philip BrobergD5:09-0.77Brandon CarloD3:26-0.78Pavel BuchnevichF5:13-0.93Robert ThomasF4:04-0.95
DAL
against for own net ice time
0.50.5111.51.5220Mikko RantanenF22:10+1.15Wyatt JohnstonF21:49+0.88Roope HintzF16:57+0.63Jamie BennF10:03+0.55Jason RobertsonF19:39+0.48Sam SteelF11:19+0.40Miro HeiskanenD26:45+0.27Justin HryckowianF17:12+0.16Arttu HyryF13:07+0.16Tyler SeguinF14:55+0.10Tyler MyersD13:13+0.10Nils LundkvistD15:22-0.22Thomas HarleyD20:59-0.22Lian BichselD16:02-0.50Joel KivirantaF10:18-0.58Radek FaksaF11:07-0.65Esa LindellD18:43-0.68Oskar BäckF12:03-0.70
0.50.5110Sam SteelF9:18+0.43Jamie BennF8:15+0.42Arttu HyryF10:14+0.38Tyler MyersD11:43+0.29Justin HryckowianF12:06+0.22Nils LundkvistD12:35-0.16Wyatt JohnstonF12:11-0.18Mikko RantanenF12:17-0.26Esa LindellD12:12-0.27Thomas HarleyD14:47-0.28Lian BichselD13:37-0.31Tyler SeguinF10:21-0.36Roope HintzF8:30-0.43Radek FaksaF8:04-0.44Oskar BäckF8:44-0.48Joel KivirantaF8:16-0.51Miro HeiskanenD14:29-0.61Jason RobertsonF11:02-0.79
0.50.5111.51.50Mikko RantanenF8:01+1.41Miro HeiskanenD5:40+1.28Roope HintzF5:03+1.28Jason RobertsonF6:52+1.27Wyatt JohnstonF6:11+1.27Tyler SeguinF2:19+0.41Jamie BennF1:48+0.14Thomas HarleyD3:41+0.13Justin HryckowianF3:05+0.13Esa LindellD0:40-0.00
0.250.250.50.50Sam SteelF1:13-0.06Thomas HarleyD2:11-0.07Joel KivirantaF1:42-0.07Nils LundkvistD1:25-0.07Lian BichselD1:25-0.20Tyler MyersD1:15-0.20Justin HryckowianF1:05-0.20Arttu HyryF1:19-0.21Wyatt JohnstonF1:50-0.21Roope HintzF1:47-0.21Oskar BäckF3:19-0.22Radek FaksaF3:03-0.22Esa LindellD4:51-0.43Miro HeiskanenD4:15-0.43

Lines & pairs

all · whole game · this game
most-used units · when they played · on-ice xG lines are by strength · 5v5 shown
strength
period
sort
How to read this

The units that actually played together most at the chosen strength — forward lines and defence pairs at 5v5, the whole group on the ice on the power play or the kill — each with when it was on the ice at that strength across the game clock (period and power-play bands behind the strip) and on-ice xG against / for while the whole unit was out, at that strength only. Sorted by time together; pick another key to re-order, and a name opens the player's page. Pick a period and the strip veils the rest of the game while the bars re-lay for that period alone, on the whole game's scale.

STL
on ice power play penalty kill xGA xGF
DAL
on ice power play penalty kill xGA xGF

Matchups

5v5 · this game
every skater against every skater, goalies first · hover a cell
order
STL won the chances DAL won them full colour = a margin of 0.75 xG or more taller = more time together (full height at 12:00) on together, dead even never on together G = goalie: his row or column is each skater against the whole other team
OettingerRantanenJohnstonHryckowianFaksaBäckKivirantaSeguinHintzRobertsonBennSteelHyryHeiskanenHarleyMyersBichselLindellLundkvistGL1L2L3L4D1D2D3GL1L2L3L4D1D2D3HoferThomasHollowaySnuggerudBerggrenNeighboursDvorskyBuchnevichMcMichaelMcTavishJohnstonToropchenkoSuterFowlerCarloParaykoLindsteinBrobergJiricek
How to read this

Rows are STL's skaters, columns DAL's, grouped the way they played: forward lines (L1 = the line that played together most), then defence pairs. Each cell covers the five-on-five time those two players shared the ice. Its colour is the club that out-chanced the other in that time — expected goals for minus against — and the stronger the colour, the bigger the margin. Each cell is also raised: the taller the block, the longer the two shared the ice, up to full height at 12:00 of five-on-five time. A grey cell means they met and it came out even; an open, flat one means they never met at five-on-five.

The first row and column are the goalies. A goalie is in net for every five-on-five second, so a skater's cell against the other side's goalie is all of that skater's five-on-five time against that team — the rest of his row or column added up — and the corner where the two goalies meet is the game's five-on-five. Those cells cover far more time than any pair, so they reach full colour sooner and stand at full height, a wall along each edge of the grid. A goalie change adds a second goalie row or column, each covering his own time.

Linemates share the ice, so a line against a line reads as a block. The margin is a total, not a rate: a long matchup has room to build a big gap and a thirty-second one does not — which is what the height is there to show: a tall, strong cell is the game's story; a short, strong one is a moment. Hover (or tap) any cell for the exact time together, the xG each way, attempts and goals. One game — a strong cell is what happened, not what would happen again.

The model

The prediction, scored

🔒 pregame · this game

Before puck drop the engine made DAL a 56.2% favorite, expecting a 2.84–3.22 game — STL won 4–0, so the call missed. Every number in this section was issued before the game and is never re-graded.

pred. xGactual xG pred. 5v5actual 5v5 pred. STactual PP
STL 2.842.76 2.132.00 0.610.70
DAL 3.222.84 2.161.33 0.821.43

Predicted 5v5 / special-teams portions come from the predicted map's strength splits (one shared scale per team pins the all-strengths total to its expected goals), so they don't sum exactly — the remainder is 4v4, 3v3, and other mixed states. The actual columns are the card's own counts (empty-net attempts excluded); the actual PP column is power-play xG only, the same bucket the predicted map's special-teams view draws.

The pregame score grid

🔒 pregame · this game

The likeliest finals the engine saw before the game, with what actually happened marked — ■ STL · ■ DAL.

Likeliest finals (STL–DAL)probability
3–3 7.0% tied after regulation — OT/SO decides
2–2 6.9% tied after regulation — OT/SO decides
2–4 4.4%
4–4 4.0% tied after regulation — OT/SO decides
1–3 3.9%
4–0 0.7% what happened
5.9%4.0%016.7%12.9%123.5%20.6%222.1%22.0%315.7%17.8%49.0%11.6%54.3%6.4%61.8%3.0%70.9%1.8%8+

Scoreline odds are the engine's own grid: each team's goals as a Poisson count, with the fitted adjustment for how often games end tied after regulation (ρ = 0.35), so these odds and the headline win probability come from the same numbers. The OT/SO layer is a separate fitted model and is already inside the headline win probability.

The pregame read

🔒 pregame · this game

The engine made DAL a 56.2% favorite — DAL controls 53.1% of the predicted xG. Of STL's 2.84 expected goals, 2.13 should come at 5v5 and 0.61 on the power play; DAL projects 2.16 at 5v5 and 0.82 on the power play. The logistic challenger put the home side at 56.5%, Elo at 61.7%.

Where the engine expected the goals

🔒 pregame · this game

The predicted surface, issued before puck drop — not this game's shots (those are the card's map above). STL attacks the left net, DAL the right; each end multiplies where the attacking team generates xG this season by where its opponent concedes it, scaled so each end totals the engine's expected goals. Actual shots lays the game's unblocked attempts on top: × goals, • on net, ◦ missed.

Context

Tale of the tape

season to date

How each team fares on its own, season to date: per-game xG rates with league rank (of 32). Rank 1 is best on every row — orange ranks sit in the top third of the league, gray in the bottom third.

STLDAL
2.86 (22nd) Offense
xG for / game
2.91 (19th)
2.80 (14th) Defense
xG against / game
2.57 (4th)
0.63 (28th) Power play
PP xG / game
0.81 (13th)
0.64 (8th) Penalty kill
PP xG conceded / game
0.60 (5th)

Season-to-date form as of the site's latest build, shown for context — the ratings the engine actually used were its own as-of-game-day state. Replay this matchup in the lab →