Matt Ellis
#37 · Left wing · Buffalo Sabres
Born Aug 31, 1981 in Welland, Ontario, CAN · 6'0", 208 lb · Shoots left
Compare with a similar player
The forwards closest to him in points in 2010-11. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.
Brandon Mashinter
SJS ·
0 P in 13 GP
Aaron Voros
ANA ·
0 P in 12 GP
Guillaume Desbiens
VAN ·
0 P in 12 GP
Josh Green
ANA ·
0 P in 12 GP
Stephen Gionta
NJD ·
0 P in 12 GP
Career
Regular season games only. Pick a season to see its game log below. Cap hit is what he counted against the salary cap that season, where it is known.
Points by season. The darker bar is the season shown below.
| Season | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | Shots | Hits | P/GP | Cap hit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-07 | DET | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 6 | 22 | 8 | 0.00 | |
| 2007-08 | DET | 35 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 12 | 28 | 15 | 0.17 | |
| 2007-08 | LAK | 19 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 14 | 38 | 13 | 0.11 | |
| 2008-09 | BUF | 45 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 4 | 12 | 73 | 21 | 0.27 | |
| 2009-10 | BUF | 72 | 3 | 10 | 13 | -1 | 12 | 112 | 34 | 0.18 | |
| 2010-11 | BUF | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -4 | 0 | 20 | 8 | 0.00 | |
| 2011-12 | BUF | 60 | 3 | 5 | 8 | -3 | 25 | 85 | 34 | 0.13 | |
| 2012-13 | BUF | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0.00 | |
| 2013-14 | BUF | 50 | 4 | 2 | 6 | -6 | 4 | 70 | 37 | 0.12 | $550K |
| 2014-15 | BUF | 39 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -12 | 4 | 29 | 10 | 0.05 | $550K |
| 9 seasons | Career | 356 | 21 | 28 | 49 | -20 | 89 | 485 | 180 | 0.14 |
Playoffs
Playoff games only. Pick a season to see that year's bracket.
| Season | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | Shots | Hits | P/GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-10 | BUF | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 0.33 |
| 2010-11 | BUF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 |
| 2 seasons | Playoffs | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 0.25 |
2010-11 season totals
| GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | Shots | Hits | P/GP | Shooting % | Avg TOI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -4 | 0 | 20 | 8 | 0.00 | 0.0 | 10:03 |
Contract
Contracts he has signed
| Signed | Signed by | Kind | Seasons | Years | In all | Cap hit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-14 to 2014-15 | $550K |
Every contract on record for him, newest first, with the team that signed him to it and the day it was signed. The one covering 2010-11 is marked. An extension is signed while the contract before it is still running, often a year ahead. A row with no team or date is a contract known only by its cap hit, most often one signed since October 2024.
2010-11 analytics
Rating
The goals he added to his team's goal difference, compared with a spare-part player given the same ice time. Each part is measured against the league, so zero is an average skater. A full season is about two-thirds the player and one-third chance. He has played fewer than 20 games, too few to be ranked. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones.
On the ice
What happened at five-on-five while he was on the ice. What these numbers mean
These are left plain: he has not been on the ice enough to be ranked. That takes at least 200 shot attempts with him out there, about six or seven games, and a quarter of what the busiest skater has. Over a game or two these numbers are mostly chance.
Who he played with
| Forward line | GP | Time | CF% | xGF% | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Gaustad · Matt Ellis · Patrick Kaleta | 4 | 33:22 | 56.8 | 60.8 | 0-0 |
| Rob Niedermayer · Cody McCormick · Matt Ellis | 5 | 25:46 | 48.8 | 45.9 | 0-0 |
| Cody McCormick · Matt Ellis · Patrick Kaleta | 1 | 9:45 | 68.4 | 41.2 | 0-1 |
| Rob Niedermayer · Matt Ellis · Mark Mancari | 3 | 9:23 | 36.4 | 34.5 | 0-1 |
The lines he spent the most time in at five-on-five, with the team's share of the shot attempts and expected goals, and the goals for and against, while they were out. The two shares are coloured as above, against the league's lines that played a fair amount together. Hover over one for its percentile.
Chances and finishing
Expected goals adds up how likely each of his shots was to go in, judged by where it came from, what kind of shot it was and whether it was a rebound. All situations, leaving out shots at an empty net. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones.
Each bar shows the share of forwards he is ahead of, among the 406 who played 300 minutes or more this season.
His goals and his expected goals as the season went on. When the goals line pulls away above, he is scoring more than his chances were worth; below, less.
Where he shot from
Every attempt he took this season, in all situations, attacking the net on the right. There is a dot for each attempt, bigger for a better chance. "Show as heat map" shades the ice by where the attempts came from. Click a goal for its details.
Game log
| Date | Opponent | Result | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | Shots | Hits | TOI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 9, 2011 | @ CBJ | W 5-4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 12:32 |
| Apr 8, 2011 | vs PHI | W 4-3 (OT) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 10:04 |
| Apr 5, 2011 | vs TBL | W 4-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 08:45 |
| Apr 3, 2011 | @ CAR | W 2-1 (OT) | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 08:49 |
| Apr 2, 2011 | @ WSH | L 4-5 (OT) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 07:41 |
| Mar 30, 2011 | vs NYR | W 1-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 09:43 |
| Jan 25, 2011 | @ OTT | W 3-2 (OT) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 11:40 |
| Jan 23, 2011 | @ NYI | W 5-3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 13:55 |
| Nov 17, 2010 | @ WSH | L 2-4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 09:02 |
| Nov 15, 2010 | vs VAN | W 4-3 (OT) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 07:14 |
| Nov 13, 2010 | vs WSH | W 3-2 (OT) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 10:07 |
| Nov 11, 2010 | @ NYR | L 2-3 (OT) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 08:14 |
| Nov 10, 2010 | @ NJD | W 5-4 (SO) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 13:53 |
| Nov 6, 2010 | @ TOR | W 3-2 (SO) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 08:58 |