Nathan MacKinnon scored twice as the visiting Colorado Avalanche rattled off five unanswered goals for a come-from-behind 5-4 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night.
MacKinnon added an assist for Colorado, which also got goals from Joel Kiviranta, Logan O’Connor and Artturi Lehkonen to overcome a 4-0 deficit. Lehkonen provided what ended up being the game-winning score at 15:38 of the third to cap a four-goal period by the Avalanche.
Colorado goaltender Alexandar Georgiev faced eight shots and allowed four goals before Scott Wedgewood took over between the pipes and saved all 22 shots he saw.
Tage Thompson got Buffalo’s goal-scoring frenzy started at 3:22 of the first period with a marker off a rebound that the Avalanche unsuccessfully challenged.
The Sabres were unable to capitalize on the subsequent power play, but Thompson struck again just over a minute after the man advantage expired to make it 2-0. He took a give-and-go pass from Jason Zucker and slid the puck through the legs of Georgiev at 6:39.
JJ Peterka followed up Thompson’s early outburst with a goal of his own after taking a no-look pass from Zach Benson. Peterka sent a one-timer home just 11 seconds after Thompson’s second goal.
Buffalo’s offensive onslaught continued just under five minutes later, as Beck Malenstyn took a perfect no-look pass from Nicolas Aube-Kubel, outwaited Georgiev and sent the puck through the goalie’s five-hole.
Colorado then decided to make a goaltending change, as Georgiev was shown the gate in favor of Wedgewood.
MacKinnon finally snuck one past Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen at 2:24 of the second period, picking up a giveaway and carrying it into the slot before firing the puck just under the crossbar.
The Avalanche cut their deficit to 4-2 1:19 into the third period when Kiviranta jumped on a rebound and tallied his fifth goal of the season.
O’Connor got his stick on a loose rebound and brought the Sabres’ lead down to one, 4-3, with 15:30 left in the third period, then MacKinnon tipped in Mikko Rantanen’s point shot with 12:21 remaining to make it 4-4.
–Field Level Media