Alexandar Georgiev, the Colorado Avalanche's starting goalie, got pulled from the game Tuesday night after he allowed four goals on eight shots in KeyBank Center.
The Avalanche were down by four goals less than 12 minutes into their game against the Buffalo Sabres.
Buffalo Sabres left wing Beck Malenstyn (29) watches his goal go in past Colorado Avalanche goaltender Alexandar Georgiev (40) in the first period of their NHL hockey game at KeyBank Center on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024.
A comeback was improbable, yet the Avalanche found a way.
Nathan MacKinnon scored twice as Colorado rallied to tie it in the third period, then Arturri Lehkonen added the game-wining goal as the Avalanche completed the comeback to defeat the Sabres, 5-4.
The Sabres had blown a four-goal lead only once in franchise history, a 10-4 loss to the Calgary Flames on March 12, 1988, during which they led 4-0.
The latest collapse extended Buffalo's losing streak to four games, even though it led 4-0 at the end of the first period and 4-1 at the end of the second period. The Sabres (11-12-2) scored four goals in a span of 8:27, capped by Beck Malenstyn's backhand shot that caused Avalanche coach Jared Bednar to replace Georgiev with Scott Wedgewood, who went on to stop each of the 22 shots that he faced.
Tage Thompson scored two goals, the second of which occurred only 11 seconds before JJ Peterka made it 3-0 with 13:10 remaining in the first period.
The Avalanche's comeback began 2:24 into the second period with the first of MacKinnon's two goals. Colorado then scored two goals in a span of 3:11 in the third period before MacKinnon tied it, 4-4, and Lehkonen gave the Avalanche (14-12) a lead they did not relinquish. Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen allowed five goals on 41 shots in the loss.
First period
• Connor Clifton hit the crossbar from the right point and Thompson got to the puck in the crease to make it 1-0 with 16:38 remaining. The Avalanche lost the coach's challenge for goalie interference, putting the Sabres on the power play.
• Thompson made it 2-0 with a backhand shot during a drive to the net only 6:39 into the game.
• Peterka finished a cross-slot pass from Zach Benson to beat Georgiev for a 3-0 lead with 13:10 left in the first period. Peterka snapped an eight-game scoring drought.
• Malenstyn got behind the Avalanche's defense by receiving a pass from Nicolas Aube-Kubel, then scored on Georgiev with a backhand shot to make it 4-0.
• The Sabres didn't have a shot on goal during either power play in the first period, though their penalty kill had a scoring chance with Alex Tuch's shorthanded breakaway.
Second period
• Artturi Lehkonen's shot from the slot was stopped by Luukkonen, then the Sabres goalie made a spectacular save on Casey Mittelstadt. Luukkonen slid to his right and extended his blocker to get to Mittelstadt's shot only 1:20 into the period.
• MacKinnon cut the Sabres' lead to 4-1 with a high snap shot while Luukkonen was waiting to see if the Avalanche center was going to pass to Mikko Rantanen at Luukkonen's right post.
• Avalanche defenseman Devon Toews stripped Peterka of the puck as the Sabres winger was skating in for a breakaway with 11:33 left in the second period.
• Aube-Kubel drove to the net to redirect a pass from Malenstyn but Avalanche goalie Scott Wedgewood made the save with less than a minute remaining in the second period.
• The Avalanche controlled play for much of the second period. They had more shots on goal (15-12) and more than twice as many shot attempts (27-13) but Buffalo lead 4-1 at the intermission.
Third period
• Makar stickhandled around Owen Power but missed the net with a backhand shot less while the Avalanche were shorthanded than a minute into the third period.
• Kiviranta cut the Sabres' lead to 4-2 by finishing a rebound only 1:19 into the third period, then O'Connor scored on another rebound that Luukkonen could not control.
• Sabres coach Lindy Ruff called a timeout when O'Connor made it 4-3 with 15:30 left in regulation.
• MacKinnon tied it 4-4 by tipping Mikko Rantanen's shot to beat Luukkonen with 12:21 remaining.
