Avalanche at Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres had only one three-game winning streak in 2017-18 but they can match that in the season's first week when they wrap up a four-game homestand against the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night. The Sabres were booed off the ice after they were shut out in the opener but rebounded with wins over the New York Rangers and Vegas Golden Knights.
"I know it's only three games in," Buffalo captain Jack Eichel said. "It's a good start. We have a lot of work to do, but we're going to continue to put the work in practice. I like the direction in which our group's going." Goaltender Carter Hutton has turned in consecutive solid performances, stopping 78 of 81 shots for the Sabres, who had a league-low 11 home wins last season. The Avalanche opened the season in impressive fashion, posting a pair of three-goal victories at home, but they stumbled to a 5-2 setback in their first road test at Columbus. "We want to make sure that we come on the road with the same game that we played for the first two at home," Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog said. "The start wasn't the same."
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Altitude (Colorado), MSG-Buffalo
ABOUT THE AVALANCHE (2-1-0): Former No. 1 overall pick Nathan MacKinnon set career highs with 39 goals, 58 assists and 97 points last season and he has continued the stellar play by tallying in each of Colorado's first three games. After sitting out Tuesday's loss, Semyon Varlamov will be back in net against an opponent that he has dominated (6-2-1, 2.46 goals-against average) in nine career starts, although he allowed three goals in a 4-2 loss last season. Defenseman Patrik Nemeth is expected back in the lineup after sitting out the past two games.
ABOUT THE SABRES (2-1-0): Eichel scored twice in Monday's 4-2 win over Vegas, a Stanley Cup finalist last season, and has consecutive two-point games for Buffalo. "I think he's done a really good job of setting the tone, setting the pace," teammate Kyle Okposo said of Eichel. "He's the best player on our team. If he's the hardest worker every single day, our team's going to follow him." Coach Phil Housley lavished praised on the trio of Zemgus Girgensons, Evan Rodrigues and Jason Pominville, calling the players the team's most "consistent" line.
OVERTIME
1. MacKinnon has three goals and eight points in eight games versus Buffalo.
2. Eichel has two goals and six points in five games against Colorado.
3. Avalanche C Carl Soderberg has four points in three games, including the 200th of his career on Tuesday.