Final - 2OT
Smyth, Budaj lift Avalanche over Sabres
Oct 26, 2008 - 6:53 AM By Derek Nagy PA SportsTicker Contributing WriterDENVER (Ticker) -- Ryan Smyth scored in the fifth round of the shootout and Peter Budaj made the goal stand as the Colorado Avalanche recorded a 2-1 triumph over the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday.
Defenseman Jordan Leopold tallied in regulation and Budaj made 29 saves as Colorado posted its fifth consecutive victory.
"They scored and got the lead, but our team persevered - especially in the third period," Budaj said. "We kept on coming, kept on coming and we got the bounce there in the third - and it was a big thing."
Daniel Paille netted his first goal of the campaign and Ryan Miller turned aside 28 shots for Buffalo (7-0-2), which has yet to lose in regulation this season.
"I thought our effort was real good tonight," Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff said. "We had a great second period, spent a lot of time in their zone. It was a hard-fought game both ways."
In the fifth round of the shootout, Smyth skated in on Miller and wristed a shot that caromed off the goaltender's right arm and trickled into the net.
Budaj preserved the victory by denying Clarke MacArthur on Buffalo's final attempt.
"I definitely think that we played a really strong defensive game. It was a big two points for us," Budaj said.
Buffalo opened the scoring at 9:18 of the second period.
Defenseman Toni Lydman shot the puck from just above the left faceoff circle and Paille redirected it on net. The puck just trickled between Budaj's pads to give Paille his first goal of the season and the Sabres a 1-0 lead.
The Avalanche leveled the contest when Leopold tallied with 6:24 remaining in the third. The blue-liner rifled a shot from the slot that deflected off a pair of defenders before sailing over Miller's left shoulder and into the net.
"I think it went off one of their skates," Leopold said. "It wasn't a shot. There was a little room in between them and I was looking for a tip shot from (Smyth). It ended up bouncing around and went in, so a good break for us."
"We went down to five D-men," Miller said. "We battled hard, and to work that hard and have kind of a chincey little play make a difference to get into overtime, it's pretty brutal."
In a clean and hard-hitting affair of two of the hottest teams in the NHL, the Sabres outshot the Avalanche, 30-29, and held the league's highest-scoring team under four goals for just the second time this season.
"Overall, to only allow one goal, this is a good team we just played," Lydman said. "I guess you take the point and have to move on."
It was the first meeting between the teams since March 7, 2007, and first in Denver since 2005.
- ------------------------------------------------
Buffalo
0 1 0 0 (2) --1
Colorado 0 0 1 0 (3) --2
------------------------------------------------
FIRST PERIOD -- Scoring: None. Penalties: C Mcleod, Col (roughing), 3:02; I
Laperriere, Col (roughing), 3:02; A Peters, Buf (roughing), 3:02.
SECOND PERIOD -- Scoring: 1, Buffalo, Daniel Paille 1 (Toni Lydman,
Oct 26 12:03 AM - NHL
BUFFALO 1
COLORADO 2
3RD PRD: COL - JORDAN LEOPOLD 2 (MILAN HEJDUK, RYAN SMYTH) 13:36
Oct 25 11:54 PM - NHL
FINAL IN SHOOTOUT 1ST 2ND 3RD OT TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
BUFFALO 0 1 0 0 (2) 1
COLORADO 0 0 1 0 (3) 2 FINAL IN SHOOTOUT
GOAL SCORING:
1ST PRD: NONE
2ND PRD: BUF - DANIEL PAILLE 1 (TONI LYDMAN, CLARKE MACARTHUR) 9:18
3RD PRD: COL - JORDAN LEOPOLD 2 (MILAN HEJDUK, RYAN SMYTH) 13:37
OT: NONE
SO: COL - MILAN HEJDUK (
Sabres 1, Avalanche 2 Final - 2OTOct 25 11:39 PM - NHL
END OF THE 3RD GOING INTO OT
1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
--- --- --- -----
BUFFALO 0 1 0 1
COLORADO 0 0 1 1 GOING INTO OT
GOAL SCORING:
1ST PRD: NONE
2ND PRD: BUF - DANIEL PAILLE 1 (TONI LYDMAN, CLARKE MACARTHUR) 9:18
3RD PRD: COL - JORDAN LEOPOLD 2 (MILAN HEJDUK, RYAN SMYTH) 13:37
SHOTS ON GOAL: 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
--- --- --- -----
Oct 25 11:23 PM - NHL
BUFFALO 1
COLORADO 1
3RD PRD: COL - JORDAN LEOPOLD 2 (MILAN HEJDUK, RYAN SMYTH) 13:37
Sabres 1, Avalanche 1 3rd - 6:23Oct 25 11:12 PM - NHL
END OF THE 2ND 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
--- --- --- -----
BUFFALO 0 1 1
COLORADO 0 0 0 END OF THE 2ND
GOAL SCORING:
1ST PRD: NONE
2ND PRD: BUF - DANIEL PAILLE 1 (TONI LYDMAN, CLARKE MACARTHUR) 9:18
SHOTS ON GOAL: 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
--- --- --- -----
BUF 7 16 23
COL 9 7 16
GOALIES: BUF -
Oct 25 10:33 PM - NHL
BUFFALO 1
COLORADO 0
2ND PRD: BUF - DANIEL PAILLE 1 (TONI LYDMAN, CLARKE MACARTHUR) 9:18
Sabres 1, Avalanche 0 2nd - 10:42Oct 25 10:15 PM - NHL
END OF THE 1ST 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
--- --- --- -----
BUFFALO 0 0
COLORADO 0 0 END OF THE 1ST
GOAL SCORING:
1ST PRD: NONE
SHOTS ON GOAL: 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
--- --- --- -----
BUF 7 7
COL 9 9
GOALIES: BUF - RYAN MILLER
COL - PETER BUDAJ
Oct 25 9:41 PM
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