Worth the replay?

1. #1

   PanthersatSabres

   NHL· ESPN+Back and forth

   C

   37/100
   ▸ Why this grade

   Late tension20/30

   Swings15/25

   Comeback0/20

   Decided late4/15

   Back-and-forth10/10

   Drama 50 × pre-game weight 0.75 (pre-game Watchability 50, estimated) = 37

2. #2

   Golden KnightsatWild

   NHL· ESPN+

   D

   32/100
   ▸ Why this grade

   Late tension20/30

   Swings9/25

   Comeback0/20

   Decided late4/15

   Back-and-forth0/10

   Drama 33 × pre-game weight 0.97 (pre-game Watchability 94) = 32

3. #3

   SenatorsatDevils

   NHL· NHL NetOne-sided

   D

   11/100
   ▸ Why this grade

   Late tension5/30

   Swings9/25

   Comeback1/20

   Decided late0/15

   Back-and-forth0/10

   Drama 15 × pre-game weight 0.75 (pre-game Watchability 50, estimated) = 11

Ranked from each game's win probability as it was played (ESPN's for football and basketball; ours, from the goals, for hockey): how in doubt it was near the end, how far the winner came back from, how late it was decided, how big its momentum swings were and how often a team erased a deficit, with a bonus for overtime. That drama is then weighted by how good a matchup it was going in (its pre-game Watchability score), so a thriller between top teams ranks above an equally wild game between minor ones.