Sabres vs Avalanche Game Overview
BUF vs COLRecords
Head-To-HeadLast 10
Win / Loss
8-2
Over / Under
4-6-0
| Date | Home | Result | ML | O/U | HSOG | ASOG | HPP | APP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 13, '25 | BUF |
3 - 1
|
COL -186 | u6.5 | 28 | 37 | 0-3 | 0-4 |
| Jan 02, '25 | COL |
6 - 5 (OT)
|
COL -200 | o6.5 | 29 | 21 | 1-3 | 2-3 |
| Dec 03, '24 | BUF |
5 - 4
|
COL -148 | o6.0 | 30 | 41 | 0-3 | 0-1 |
| Dec 13, '23 | COL |
5 - 1
|
COL -184 | u7.0 | 29 | 30 | 1-2 | 0-2 |
| Oct 29, '23 | BUF |
4 - 0
|
BUF +171 | u6.5 | 29 | 23 | 0-3 | 0-6 |
| Dec 15, '22 | COL |
4 - 2
|
BUF +154 | u6.5 | 41 | 21 | 0-2 | 1-2 |
| Dec 01, '22 | BUF |
6 - 4
|
COL -170 | o6.5 | 28 | 34 | 2-7 | 3-6 |
| Feb 19, '22 | BUF |
5 - 3
|
COL -409 | o6.0 | 32 | 36 | 0-1 | 0-2 |
| Jan 30, '22 | COL |
4 - 1
|
COL -576 | u6.5 | 36 | 31 | 1-4 | 0-4 |
| Feb 26, '20 | COL |
3 - 2
|
COL -199 | u6.0 | 34 | 33 | 2-3 | 0-2 |
BUF vs COL Preview
Last Meeting ( Oct 13, 2025 ) Colorado 3, Buffalo 1
Nathan MacKinnon has been on a two-week scoring binge, and the Colorado Avalanche would like him to keep it going when they meet the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night in Denver.
MacKinnon is riding a 10-game point streak and leads the NHL in scoring with 32 points (14 goals, 18 assists). His offense is even more important with the news that second-line winger Valeri Nichushkin will be out with a lower-body injury sustained in Tuesday night's 4-1 win over Anaheim.
"It's definitely a concern that he's not here (Wednesday) and left the game early (Tuesday) night," Colorado coach Jared Bednar said of Nichushkin (five goals, seven assists). "He's going to miss some time; I just don't know how much."
The Avalanche have won four games in a row and six of their last seven to move atop the NHL with 27 points.
Cale Makar has 23 points (six goals, 17 assists) to lead all NHL defensemen, Martin Necas has 20 points (10 goals, 10 assists), and Artturi Lehkonen has three goals over the last two games to push his season total to seven.
"I don't think our game is perfect by any means, but at this point in the season, I think we're doing a good job of making adjustments on the fly and trying to really hone in on the details of what makes us successful," captain Gabriel Landeskog said.
Thursday is setting up to be a potential trap game for Colorado, which has just one regulation loss, fewest in the league.
Buffalo, meanwhile, lost its fourth game in a row with a 5-2 setback to the Utah Mammoth on Wednesday, The Sabres remain the lone NHL team without a road win (0-4-2).
The Avalanche won the first meeting of the season, 3-1 in Buffalo, on Oct. 13.
The Sabres are without top-line center Jiri Kulich, who has not played since Nov. 1 due to blood clots.
Buffalo also is without wingers Jason Zucker (viral infection) and Zach Benson (lower body), although Benson could be activated from injured reserve during this current four-game road trip.
The Sabres rely on leading scorer Alex Tuch with 14 points (six goals, eight assists), followed by Tage Thompson's 12 points (six goals, six assists).
Defenseman Michael Kesselring is working his way back into rhythm after starting the season on IR with a lower-body injury. He has played seven games since returning and has yet to score.
"Scoring, I know it's going to happen," said Kesselring, who had 29 points (seven goals, 22 assists) with Utah last season. "It is a little frustrating. Especially (on a) new team, you want to get your first one out of the way.
"But that will come. There's other parts of my game that I'm more focused on right now. ... I've never, with the injury, been out that long. It's kind of tough to get back in a rhythm here, but it's been a few weeks now, so I expect myself to get going."
--Field Level Media
BUF vs COLInjury report
Buffalo's Injuries
| Player | POS | Status | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| J. Greenway | LW | Day To Day - Lower-body( Jan 29, '26) | Jan 29, '26 | |
| Greenway did not play in Thursday's (Jan. 29) game versus the Kings. | ||||
| U. Luukkonen | G | Out - Lower Body( Jan 28, '26) | Jan 28, '26 | |
| The Sabres said on Thursday (Jan. 29) that Luukkonen is expected to miss about a week, according to head coach Lindy Ruff, per Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550. | ||||
| J. Norris | C | Day To Day - Ribs( Jan 27, '26) | Jan 27, '26 | |
| The Sabres said on Wednesday (Jan. 28) that Norris is day-to-day by head coach Lindy Ruff, Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald reports Monday, but won't play this week, per Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550. | ||||
| J. Danforth | RW | Out - Lower Body( Jan 25, '26) | Jan 25, '26 | |
| The Buffalo Sabres said on Monday (Jan. 26) that Danforth is trending toward a post-Olympic return to action, per Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald. | ||||
| J. Bryson | D | Out - Upper-body( Jan 22, '26) | Jan 22, '26 | |
| The Sabres placed D Jacob Bryson on injured reserve on Friday (Jan. 23). | ||||
| J. Dunne | C | Out - Middle-body( Jan 14, '26) | Jan 14, '26 | |
| The Buffalo Sabres placed F Josh Dunne on injured reserve on Thursday (Jan. 15) | ||||
| C. Timmins | D | Out - Leg( Dec 19, '25) | Dec 19, '25 | |
| The Buffalo Sabres placed D Conor Timmins on Injured Reserve on Saturday (Dec. 20). | ||||
| J. Kulich | C | Out - Ear( Nov 09, '25) | Nov 09, '25 | |
| The Sabres said on Monday (Nov. 10) that Kulich is slated to miss significant time due to a blood clot issue. | ||||
Colorado's Injuries
| Player | POS | Status | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D. Toews | D | Day To Day - Upper-Body( Jan 29, '26) | Jan 29, '26 | |
| Toews did not play in Thursday's (Jan. 29) game in Montreal. | ||||
| G. Landeskog | LW | Out - Upper-Body( Jan 20, '26) | Jan 20, '26 | |
| The Avalanche said on Wednesday (Jan. 21) that Landeskog still has a long way before he can return to game-action. | ||||
| L. O'Connor | RW | Out - Hip( Dec 11, '25) | Dec 11, '25 | |
| The Avalanche said on Friday (Dec. 12) that O'Connor is still at least a week or two from returning to the lineup, though it could be longer, according to Corey Masisak of The Denver Post. | ||||
GoaltendersLast 5
W/L
1-3-1-0
GAA
3.00
Save %
.899
| Date | Score | W/L | GA | SA | SV% | SO | ML | O/U | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C.Ellis | Nov 12, 2025 | UTAH 5 - BUF 2 | L | 4 | 36 | .889 | - | L +172 | o6.5 |
| A.Lyon | Nov 8, 2025 | CAR 6 - BUF 3 | L | 4 | 33 | .879 | - | L +205 | o6.5 |
| U.Luukkonen | Nov 6, 2025 | BUF 0 - STL 3 | L | 2 | 16 | .875 | - | L -137 | u6.5 |
| A.Lyon | Nov 4, 2025 | BUF 1 - UTAH 2 (OT) | - | 2 | 35 | .943 | - | L +116 | u6.5 |
| U.Luukkonen | Nov 1, 2025 | BUF 4 - WAS 3 (SO) | W | 3 | 34 | .912 | - | W -122 | o6.5 |
W/L
4-0-1-0
GAA
2.20
Save %
.919
| Date | Score | W/L | GA | SA | SV% | SO | ML | O/U | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S.Wedgewood | Nov 11, 2025 | COL 4 - ANA 1 | W | 1 | 36 | .972 | - | W -260 | u6.5 |
| M.Blackwood | Nov 9, 2025 | VAN 4 - COL 5 (OT) | W | 4 | 33 | .879 | - | W -210 | o6.5 |
| S.Wedgewood | Nov 8, 2025 | EDM 1 - COL 9 | W | 1 | 24 | .958 | - | W -125 | o6.5 |
| S.Wedgewood | Nov 4, 2025 | COL 3 - TB 2 | W | 2 | 24 | .917 | - | W -152 | u6.5 |
| M.Blackwood | Nov 1, 2025 | SJ 3 - COL 2 (OT) | - | 3 | 23 | .870 | - | L -265 | u6.5 |
BUF vs COLStats
Offense vs Defense
Goals
| OFFENSE |
Stat | DEFENSE |
|---|---|---|
| 2.69 | Total | 2.53 |
| 0.69 | 1st Period | 0.88 |
| 1.00 | 2nd Period | 0.88 |
| 0.94 | 3rd Period | 0.47 |
| 0.00 | OT | 0.18 |
Shots
| OFFENSE |
Stat | DEFENSE |
|---|---|---|
| 28.31 | Total | 26.18 |
| 8.75 | 1st Period | 9.59 |
| 10.75 | 2nd Period | 7.59 |
| 8.56 | 3rd Period | 8.53 |
| 0.25 | OT | 0.47 |
Shot Pct vs. Save Pct
| SHOOTING |
Stat | SAVE PCT. |
|---|---|---|
| 0.09 | Total | 0.90 |
| 0.08 | 1st Period | 0.91 |
| 0.09 | 2nd Period | 0.88 |
| 0.11 | 3rd Period | 0.94 |
| 0.00 | OT | 0.62 |
Power Play vs Penalty Kill
| POWERPLAY |
Stat | PENALTY KILL |
|---|---|---|
| 8 - 48 | G/Att vs. GA/Att | 6 - 54 |
| 16.67 | PP % vs. PK % | 88.89 |
Goaltenders
| Buffalo Goaltenders |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | S | SV | SV% | WL | ||
| Colten Ellis | 67 | 61 | 0.910 | 1-1-0 | ||
| Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen | 73 | 64 | 0.877 | 1-1-1 | ||
| Alex Lyon | 362 | 330 | 0.912 | 3-5-3 | ||