The Sabres entered the night with a 2-0-1 record in their last three games. They outshot their opponents by a combined count of 49-17 during the first periods of those contests.
The Avalanche were the early aggressors Wednesday. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, playing for the first time since Dec. 3 due to an illness, had already made multiple saves in tight by the time Rantanen opened the scoring on a wrap-around attempt 5:25 into the contest.
Nichushkin – who was the victim of two early stops by Luukkonen – scored to double the lead to end a long shift spent in the Buffalo zone. Miles Wood added the third goal 1:27 later, keeping the puck on a 2-on-1 rush and burying his wrist shot from the right faceoff circle.
“They came out buzzing and we came out super flat,” defenseman Erik Johnson said. “When you’re down three nothing against a team like that, it’s going to be tough.”
The Sabres did string together a run of their own beginning with Benson’s goal, which ignited a series of 18 consecutive shots that lasted deep into the second period. They were unsuccessful on two power plays during that stretch, and the Avalanche pulled away in the third period on goals from Sam Malinski and Nichushkin.
“(We) simplified,” forward Alex Tuch said. “Just started working for one another, working as a five-man unit. Forwards were covering defensemen, defensemen were up in the play, being aggressive. It made our forecheck easier, made their transition a lot harder.
“We were able to do that for some time but then it fell apart again in the third and we were back on our heels, and we just ran out of gas, honestly. But we got to start better.”
Here’s more from the loss in Colorado.
