(WGR 550) – The Buffalo Sabres have beaten the Colorado Avalanche the last two times they played them. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was in net for both games for the Sabres, beating the Avalanche, 4-2, last season in Denver, and then shutting them out in Buffalo on Oct. 29 this season, 4-0.
The Sabres are in Colorado on Wednesday, and judging from practice on Tuesday, it looks like Luukkonen will, once again, be between the pipes.
Buffalo has played three very good games in-a-row, where they’ve averaged 40 shots on goal and went 2-0-1.
By getting five out of six points, the Sabres are tied with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Montreal Canadiens with 27 points in the Eastern Conference. They’re four points out of a playoff spot that’s currently held by the Washington Capitals.
In the last 10 games, Kyle Okposo is the Sabres' leading scorer with five goals and three assists for eight points. Jeff Skinner has four goals and four assists also for eight points.
Alex Tuch is likely returning after missing four games with a hamstring injury. He has eight goals and eight assists for 16 points in his last 16 games.
Connor Clifton has played a much improved game in his last three outings. Not only has he played quite a bit better defensively, but he has four points in those three games.
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Tage Thompson has points in three of the four games he’s played since returning from a broken hand.
Erik Johnson will make his return to Denver on Wednesday, where he played for 13 years before signing with the Sabres in free agent this past summer.
Colorado had lost five out of six games before beating the Calgary Flames in their last game, 6-5. Despite that, the Avalanche are still in first place in the Central Division, one point ahead of the Dallas Stars.
The Avalanche's points percentage of .643 is eighth in the NHL, while Buffalo is still 25th.
Nate MacKinnon is third in scoring in the NHL with 12 goals and 27 assists for 39 points. MacKinnon has points in 12-straight games.
Cale Makar is 10th in league scoring with eight goals and 28 assists for 36 points. That’s 13 more points than Rasmus Dahlin.
Goaltending has not been good for Colorado when Alexandar Georgiev is in net. He’s 14-7-1 this season with a 3.00 goals-against average and an .897 save percentage.
Wednesday starts a three-game road trip for Buffalo with stops in Colorado, Las Vegas on Friday and Arizona on Saturday.
Join Brian Koziol and myself for pregame coverage on WGR starting at 9 p.m. EST when you’ll hear from Don Granato, Johnson and Luukkonen.
