Buffalo Sabres Opponent Outlook: Colorado Avalanche
When the Colorado Avalanche and the Buffalo Sabres face each other in the 2015-2016 NHL season, there will be some familiar faces on both sides.
For the Sabres, they’ll get to visit with their old friends, Mikhail Grigorenko and Nikita Zadorov. On the Avs side, they’ll see familiar faces in Ryan O’Reilly and Jamie McGinn.
Other pieces of that trade included prospect J.T. Compher and a second-round draft pick in 2015. Following the trade, Grigorenko became a free agent on July 1 and re-signed with the Avalanche, where he’ll get to play under his former QMJHL coach, Patrick Roy. That’s undoubtedly a big draw for him and likely part of why he was so quickly willing to sign there.
So – how will these guys fare against their former teams? It’s only a matter of time before we find out.
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The Avalanche finished last season nine points out of a wild card playoff spot, with a record of 39-31-12.
Their 90 points were ahead of San Jose, Edmonton and Arizona in the Western Conference. Colorado had a minus-8 goal differential and were impressive at home, garnering points in 26 of 41 home games (23-15-3). They went 16-16-9 on the road and won 10 of 14 shootouts.
Last season, the Avalanche won both games in the season series against Buffalo. They outscored the Sabres 10-4 in the pair of games, winning 5-1 and 5-3, respectively.
One point, however, where the Sabres didn’t lie down: the shots on goal. Buffalo outshot Colorado by a margin of 67-45 in that pair of games; they just couldn’t put the puck in the net enough.
The most dangerous player for the Avalanche against the Sabres last season: Jarome Iginla, who had six assists against Buffalo. That means he was involved in six of 10 goals against the Sabres; certainly a key piece to watch in the upcoming season.
Alex Tanguay, John Mitchell and Matt Duchene all each recorded three points against the Sabres last season as well.
For the Sabres, both Johan Larsson and Rasmus Ristolainen put up a pair of points against the Avs last season, each recording a goal and an assist. Marcus Foligno also tallied an assist; the remaining Buffalo points came from players who are no longer with the team (Meszaros, Dalpe, Stewart, Benoit). Andrej Meszaros, oddly enough, has been invited to Avs training camp.
Aside from the Grigorenko/Zadorov deal, Colorado was pretty quiet on the trade front this offseason, sending a draft pick to the Bruins in exchange for the rights to Carl Soderberg.
Calvin Pickard, Joey Hishon, Mat Clark and Andrew Agozzino also re-signed with the Avalanche organization this summer.
Francois Beauchemin and Blake Comeau both join the Avalanche after having played last season in Anaheim and Pittsburgh, respectively.
O’Reilly and McGinn will get the first chance to face their old team on January 20, when the teams convene in Denver at 10 p.m. EST.
The return of Grigorenko and Zadorov to Buffalo will have to wait until Valentine’s Day, when the teams meet for a Sunday matinee (12:30 p.m.).
Next: Sabres' Second Forward Line
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