BUFFALO, N.Y. — So much for statistical match-ups and playing the odds.
Facing a goalie it couldn’t defeat last season, the Avalanche put pucks past Carter Hutton with relative ease Thursday, pinning Hutton and the Buffalo Sabres with a 6-1 loss at KeyBank Center.
Hutton, while playing for the St. Louis Blues last year, was 3-0 with a .951 save percentage against Colorado. But he and Sabres found themselves trailing by three goals after the first and second periods Tuesday as the Avs finished 1-1 on their road trip and improved to 3-1 overall.
The Avs received goals from their top-three lines and both power-play units and took a 3-0 lead and made it 4-1 on their first shift after the Sabres finally scored late in the second period.