(WGR 550) – After playing three really good games in-a-row, the Buffalo Sabres showed up in Colorado on Wednesday and only played for 20 minutes in a 5-1 loss to the Avalanche.
Buffalo spent most of the first period giving the puck away, and ended up facing a 3-0 deficit by the 11:55 mark of the opening frame.
In the first 18 minutes of action, Colorado was outshooting the Sabres, 15-0. Buffalo did manage to score on their second shot of the period at 18:38, and then had the next 19 shots of the game.
The difference between the first period and the second was Colorado scored goals when the Sabres spent the whole opening 20 minutes turning the puck over.
It only took 5:25 for Buffalo to get behind, as Kyle Okposo turned the puck over in the offensive zone. The goal never should’ve happened, because Nate MacKinnon entered the Buffalo zone, gave the puck to Mikko Rantanen, and immediately picked Connor Clifton, knocking him to the ice and giving him no chance to get to Rantanen.
On Colorado’s second goal, I actually lost count of how many turnovers they had in the sequence leading to the tally.
On the third Avalanche goal, defenseman Erik Johnson had another offensive zone turnover, giving Miles Wood a 2-on-1, which he scored coming through the right circle.
Buffalo’s only goal came when Rasmus Dahlin picked up the Sabres' first shot of the game, and Zach Benson scored on the rebound.
Right after that, the Sabres went on the power play. Avalanche goalie Ivan Prosvetov stopped Alex Tuch on a redirected shot, and then Tage Thompson set up Tuch on his backhand, but he couldn’t handle the pass with a wide-open net staring him in the face. Tuch also hit the post.
Colorado went back to dominating the game in the third period, tacking on two more goals.
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After being outshot 15-0, the Sabres outshot the Avalanche, 30-14, but only scored once. That against a goalie Colorado claimed off waivers from the Arizona Coyotes.
This game is very simple: For 18 minutes, this team wasn’t remotely ready to play. You will lose to the Avalanche 100 times out of 100 if you come out and play 18 minutes like they did.
You turn the puck over to that team, it’ll be in your net. It’s that simple.
