Avalanche train keeps rolling

The Colorado Avalanche train kept rolling on Wednesday night in front of a national audience, beating the Buffalo Sabres 3-2.

Colorado started slow with coach Jared Bednar saying as much to Brian Boucher of NBC during the first period. “We look a little sluggish right now” he told Boucher. “We’re just not moving the way we normally move. We gotta get our legs underneath us, make sure our puck decisions are real good.”

Slowly that happened and the reward came 14:24 into the first period on a power-play. Tyson Jost’s hard work out of the corner set up Nathan MacKinnon who left Curtis Lazar looking silly before picking his pass to JT Compher. JT positioned himself well in front of the net before setting up Gabriel Landeskog at the back post for the simplest of finishes.

Buffalo tied it up two minutes later through Zemgus Girgensons. A well worked play up the ice saw Kyle Okposo center the puck and Girgensons got in front of Vladislav Kamenev to poke home past Pavel Francouz to send it to the first period intermission all square.

Colorado were back in the lead 7:15 into the second with another power-play goal, this time from Martin Kaut. The rookie picked up the puck in his own zone and proceeded up ice before chipping it into the Sabres zone. He then raced past the defense and won that chip in before laying it off to Valeri Nichushkin. Three moves later the puck was blocked into the path of Kaut, now in front of the net, who rifled it past Carter Hutton for his first ever NHL goal.

Credit to the Sabres they never gave up and 14:56 into the second period they were on level terms again. Jake McCabe’s wrist-shot from the blue-line was redirected by Curtis Lazar in front of the net leaving Francouz no chance.

Colorado upped the pressure and 11:54 into the third period got the game winning goal when JT Compher converted from a Joonas Donskoi pass in front of the net. The hard work was once again done by Tyson Jost, who after averaging over 20 minutes of ice time on Saturday against the L.A. Kings got 17:42 tonight. He won the battle behind the net before getting Donskoi the puck who set up Compher.

Jost, who hasn’t scored since the Eisenhower administration (to borrow an old Marc Moser expression), also had a goal ruled out as it was deflected in off a high stick.

Bring Joe Thornton Back To The Bruins

The win puts the Avalanche back in second place in the Central Division, three points behind the St Louis Blues with two games less played.

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