Tage Thompson scored his first goal of the season, but the Buffalo Sabres fell 3-1 to the Colorado Avalanche on Monday to open a three-game homestand at KeyBank Center.
Nathan MacKinnon scored a pair of goals for the Avalanche, while Cale Makar (1+1) and Martin Necas (0+2) each contributed multiple points. Scott Wedgewood made 28 saves.
Alex Lyon made his third straight start in goal for Buffalo and stopped 34 of 37 shots.
Following a slow start to their loss in Boston on Saturday, the Sabres entered Monday with an emphasis on starting strong. They tallied five of the game’s first six shots but fell behind when MacKinnon – on the Avalanche’s second shot – buried a backhand shot from the slot.
Thompson scored to tie the game before the end of the first period, but Colorado pulled away with goals from Makar and MacKinnon in the second.
MacKinnon’s second goal came during a 4-on-4 shift stemming from an embellishment call against Alex Tuch, who had been tripped by Avalanche defenseman Brent Burns. The embellishment call eliminated a Buffalo power play, trailing by one goal.
The Sabres went 0-for-3 on the power play, all of which came during the first period.
The Sabres were without defenseman Mattias Samuelsson, who missed the game due to an injury and is considered day to day. Samuelsson joined an injured list that currently includes Michael Kesselring on defense; Josh Norris, Jordan Greenway and Zach Benson at forward; and goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.
