At the Horn | Avalanche 5 - Sabres 1

Zach Benson scored the lone goal for the Buffalo Sabres in a 5-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche inside Ball Arena on Wednesday.

Valeri Nichushkin tallied a pair of goals for the Avalanche while Mikko Rantanen (1+2), Sam Malinski (1+1), and Nathan MacKinnon (0+2) each recorded multi-point nights. Ivan Prosvetov stopped 29 of 30 shots.

Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 25 saves in his return from an illness.

SCORING SUMMARY

Period 1, 5:25 – Mikko Rantanen from Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar (1-0, COL)

MacKinnon led the Avalanche on the rush, dropping a pass back to Rantanen, who caught Luukkonen out of position to score on the wrap-around.

Period 1, 10:28 – Valeri Nichushkin from Fredrik Olofsson and Mikko Rantanen (2-0, COL)

Buffalo was unable to clear the puck and Colorado capitalized as Rantanen took a shot from the point. Luukkonen made the initial save but chaos ensued in front of the net, allowing Nichushkin to find the scoresheet to extend the lead.

Period 1, 11:55 – Miles Wood from Sam Malinski (3-0, COL)

The Sabres lost control of the puck in the Avalanche zone, sending Wood and Logan O’Connor on a 2-on-1. Wood held onto the puck and wristed a shot from the right circle to put Colorado up 3-0.

Period 1, 18:38 – Zach Benson from Rasmus Dahlin and JJ Peterka (3-1, COL)

Peterka forced a turnover along the half-wall, feeding Dahlin for a shot from the high slot. Benson collected the rebound in front of the net and buried it to get the Sabres on the board.

Period 3, 2:40 – Sam Malinski from Jack Johnson and Jonathan Drouin (4-1, COL)

The Sabres outshot the Avalanche 15-5 in the second period, but neither team was able to find the back of the net.

Colorado opened the scoring in the third after Buffalo turned the puck over in the neutral zone, leading to offensive possession for the Avs. Johnson fed Malinski for a one-timer from the left circle for his first NHL goal.

Period 3, 13:11 (PP) – Valeri Nichushkin from Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen (5-1, COL)

After a delay of game penalty, MacKinnon found Nichushkin at the backdoor for a power-play goal.

HIGHLIGHTS

POSTGAME COMMENTS

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The road trip continues Friday in Vegas when the Sabres take on the Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena. 

Pregame coverage on MSG/MSG+ kicks off at 9:30 p.m. The puck drops at 10 on MSG and WGR 550.