However, this Avalanche squad has occasionally erupted out of the gate in the early stages of a period, only to allow opponents back into contests. The Hockey News asked Nečas how he navigates the tension between these blistering starts and the occasional lapse in intensity later in games.

DENVER – The Buffalo Sabres overcame a slow start and hung with the NHL’s best team for 57 minutes, but they ultimately lost 6-3 to the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday at Ball Arena. Buffalo has lost four straight games in regulation and remains winless away from KeyBank Center.

Colorado Avalanche's Gabriel Landeskog has scored big goals before, but this one felt special. He found the back of the net at Ball Arena over the weekend for h

Brindley, who has evolved from training camp surprise to NHL regular to fill-in second-line forward in a hurry, had a goal and an assist Thursday night to help the Colorado Avalanche machine roll on in a 6-3 win against the Buffalo Sabres at Ball Arena.