Buffalo Sabres (5-7-4) @ Colorado Avalanche (11-1-5)

7 p.m. MT | Ball Arena | Watch: Altitude, KUSA-9, KTVD-20, Altitude+ | Listen: Altitude Sports Radio (92.5 FM)

In the second of a four-game homestand, the Avalanche hosts the Buffalo Sabres for Fourth Wing Night on Thursday. This is the second and final meeting between the teams this regular season, as the Avalanche defeated the Sabres 3-1 in Buffalo on October 13th.

Latest Result (COL): ANA 1, COL 4

Latest Result (BUF): BUF 2, UTA 5

Defeated the Ducks

Gabriel Landeskog’s first regular-season goal in 1,347 days was the game-winning tally in the Avalanche’s 4-1 win against the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday at Ball Arena. Artturi Lehkonen, Martin Necas and Parker Kelly each scored for Colorado while Scott Wedgewood posted a fantastic 35-save performance in net. Additionally, Nathan MacKinnon posted three assists and has now posted 12 points (4g/8a) in his last three games. Lehkonen opened the scoring 28 seconds into the game with his seventh goal of the season via a one-timer from the left slot set up by MacKinnon’s feed. Anaheim’s Leo Carlsson tied the game with a four-on-four goal from the doorstep at 18:16 of the opening frame. Landeskog gave the Avs a 2-1 lead at 11:37 of the middle frame when he cleaned up a rebound from the doorstep. At 7:02 of the third period, Necas doubled Colorado’s lead on the power play with his 10th goal of the season via a redirection from the right doorstep. Kelly gave the Avs a 4-1 lead at 17:39 of the third period with his fifth goal of the season via an empty-net tally.

Leading the Way

Nate the Great

MacKinnon leads the league in points (32) and goals (14) while being tied for first in assists (18). For the second-consecutive season, MacKinnon became the first player in the league to reach 30 points.

All Hail Cale

Cale Makar leads NHL defensemen in goals (6), assists (17) and points (23). Among all skaters, he’s fourth in assists and tied for seventh in points.

Marty Party

Necas is tied for 10th in the NHL in goals (10).

Series History

In 54 previous games against the Sabres, the Avalanche has a record of 28-12-4.

Defeat in Utah

The Sabres lost 5-2 to the Utah Mammoth at Delta Center on Wednesday. Buffalo’s Isak Rosen scored the game’s first two goals with tallies at 5:33 of the opening frame and 6:42 of the middle period. Nick DeSimone put the Mammoth on the board at 10:42 of the second period. Utah’s JJ Peterka tied the game at 52 seconds of the third period and Lawson Crouse gave the Mammoth a 3-2 lead at 3:22. Nick Schmaltz doubled Utah’s lead at 10:09 and Clayton Keller made it 5-2 with an empty-net tally at 19:33.

Starring Against the Sabres

MacKinnon has posted 31 points (13g/18a) in 19 games against the Sabres, including a pair of goals in the teams’ first meeting of the season.

In 11 contests against Buffalo, Makar has registered 11 points (3g/8a) including a goal and an assist when the teams met in October.

Necas has recorded 14 points (5g/9a) in 12 games against Buffalo, including two assists in the teams’ first meeting of the season.

Sabres’ Scorers

Alex Tuch leads the Sabres in points (14) while being tied for first in goals (6) and assists (8).

Tage Thompson is tied for the team lead in goals (6), second in points (12) and third fourth in assists (6).

Josh Doan is tied for third on the team in points (9), tied for third in goals (4) and tied for fifth in assists (5).

A Numbers Game

1,047

MacKinnon has posted 1,047 points (381g/666a) in his career and is two points from passing Peter Stastny for the second most in franchise history.

2.41

Colorado has allowed 2.41 goals per game, which are the second fewest in the NHL.

25:34

Makar’s 25:34 average time on ice is the fourth most in the NHL.

Quote That Left a Mark

“It was nice to move on. I think it was my second longest goal drought [of] my career, so it was nice to just be done with it. Had a decent amount of looks and some bounces that don’t go your way and that’s the way the game works. Sometimes you get easy ones and sometimes you’ve really got to work for them. There’s a lot of guys in this room and in this league that make it look easy to score in this league and it’s not. Nonetheless, big two points for us and it’s a good team over there, so that’s important.”

— Gabriel Landeskog on scoring his first regular-season goal since March 5, 2022