from Greg Wyshynski of ESPN,

While the Buffalo Sabres were playing the New Jersey Devils, their digital avatars were mimicking each move in virtual reality.

Strap on the VR goggles. Touch a button, and you're watching the game through the eyes of a skater heading in for a shot. Touch it again, and your point of view switches to that of the goaltender attempting to make the save.

Thanks to the NHL's puck-and-player-tracking technology, it's in real time and it's immersive. It's also delightfully goofy, depending on how the user chooses to view the game. For this one, the Sabres and Devils had the blocky design of characters from Roblox, the globally popular virtual universe.

That's by design. The tracking technology -- called NHL Edge -- has multitudes of practical applications, from player assessment to coaching strategy.

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