Open Thread: Colorado Avalanche vs. Buffalo Sabres (5:00 p.m.)

The Colorado Avalanche continue their four-game road trip with a showdown with the Buffalo Sabres at Key Bank Center in Buffalo, NY, for the first time this season. During last year’s campaign, the Avalanche swept the season series.

The Avalanche suffered one of their worst defeats in recent history against the Winnipeg Jets. I’d bet the outcome didn’t sit well with the room and expect them to come out flying against a seemingly inferior opponent in the Sabres.

The Sabres are the enigma of the league, as is the usual story. They started the season by winning seven of their first ten contests. Then followed that up by losing eight straight. On the bright side, Buffalo defeated the Red Wings in a shootout in their last game, ending that two-game losing streak.

Projected Lineup:

Artturi Lehkonen — Nathan MacKinnon — Mikko Rantanen
Andrew Cogliano — J.T. Compher — Logan O’Connor
Alex Galchenyuk — Alex Newhook — Jean-Luc Foudy
Dryden Hunt — Jayson Megna — Anton Blidh

Devon Toews — Cale Makar
Jacob MacDonald — Josh Manson
Samuel Girard — Erik Johnson

Note: Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog is rumored to have returned to the ice in Colorado. The timeline of his return has been relatively unconfirmed, but this is a step in the right direction.

Let us know what you think of tonight's action in the comments!

Follow along with the Tweets here!