BUFFALO, N.Y. — Nathan MacKinnon and J.T. Compher scored two goals apiece to lead the Colorado Avalanche to a 6-4 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night.
MacKinnon added three assists and J.T. Compher had two helpers for the Avalanche, who won for the fifth time in seven games. Artturi Lehkonen and Mikko Rantanen also scored for Colorado, and Alexandar Georgiev made 24 saves.
Tage Thompson scored his 15th goal of the season and Alex Tuch, JJ Peterka and Dylan Cozens also scored for the Sabres, who have lost three of four. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 28 shots.
Buffalo led 2-1 after the first period but Colorado went ahead for good when it scored twice during a 5-on-3 power play midway through the second period. MacKinnon made it 2-2 and Lehkonen scored 49 seconds later. MacKinnon added his second goal 2:04 after that to put the Avalanche ahead 4-2.
Cozens’ power-play goal cut the lead to 4-3 with 5:55 left in the second, but Compher’s second goal with 2:44 left in the period made it 5-3.
Tuch’s goal seven seconds into the third period cut the Avalanche's lead to 5-4. The goal was his 200th NHL point.
MacKinnon foiled a breakaway attempt by former Avalanche forward Tyson Jost with 1:20 left in the game. Rantanen scored into an empty net, his 14th, with 35 seconds remaining.
Compher scored the game's first goal, but Buffalo rallied with goals by Peterka and Thompson in the first period.
GAME 300 FOR DAHLIN
Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin played in his 300th game. Dahlin has the second-most points (186) through 300 games for a defenseman selected with the No. 1 pick in the draft. He trails only Denis Potvin, who had 289 points.
MACKINNON CLIMBS FRANCHISE LEADERBOARD
MacKinnon surpassed teammate Gabriel Landeskog for sixth on the franchise goal list with 250, and he passed Milan Hejduk for fifth on the franchise assist list with 431.
UP NEXT
Avalanche: At Boston on Saturday night, the third game of a four-game trip.
Sabres: Host San Jose on Sunday night.
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