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Devon Toews scored 48 seconds into overtime, and the Colorado Avalanche rallied to beat the Buffalo Sabres 6-5 in Denver on Thursday night.
It was the second time this season Colorado overcame a big deficit to beat the Sabres. The Avalanche trailed 4-0 after one period in Buffalo on Dec. 3 and won 5-4, and Colorado was down 3-0 after one period and trailed 5-3 in the third on Thursday night.
Jonathan Drouin sent the game into overtime when he scored with 7.7 seconds left. Toews ended it when he got a breakaway and beat Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to extend the Avalanche's winning streak to six games.
Toews also had two assists, Cale Makar scored two goals, Mikko Rantanen and Drouin each had a goal and an assist, Ross Colton provided a goal and Nathan MacKinnon had three assists for Colorado. The Avalanche prevailed despite losing goaltender Scott Wedgewood to injury.
Wedgewood was hurt 1:27 into the third period when Zach Benson was battling with Colorado's Parker Kelly near the net and fell into Wedgewood's right leg. The goalie went down inside his net, play continued and Benson scored moments later to give Buffalo a 4-2 lead.
Wedgewood was helped off the ice after making 14 on 18 shots. He was replaced by Mackenzie Blackwood, who turned away two of the three shots he faced.
Jason Zucker recorded his third career hat trick and also added an assist, Benson and Bowen Byram also scored, Tage Thompson had three assists and Luukkonen made 23 saves for Buffalo.
Zucker scored twice and Byram had a goal to give the Sabres a 3-0 lead midway through the second period.
Makar's goal at 14:58 of the second made it 3-1, and Colton cut it to 3-2 just 1:05 into the third, but Benson scored 22 seconds later to restore the two-goal margin.
Rantanen's goal at 4:17 on a power play and made it 4-3 before Zucker netted his third goal at 16:09 to complete his first hat trick of the season.
Makar scored again at 17:34 with Blackwood off for an extra skater to make it 5-4. Blackwood came off again and Drouin tied it with a slap shot at 19:52.
More must-reads:
- Blue Jackets' extension talks with young star will have major impact on salary
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Blue Jackets' extension talks with young star will have major impact on salary
There’s no question that the Columbus Blue Jackets have one of the cleanest cap tables in the league, especially for how competitive they’re expected to be in the 2025-26 season. Still, as their younger players continue to age, the Blue Jackets are getting closer to potentially having to make difficult decisions, and their extension negotiations with Adam Fantilli will have a major impact on their salary hierarchy moving forward. Despite having a somewhat disappointing rookie season, albeit limited by injuries, the third overall pick of the 2024 NHL Draft responded well last season, scoring 31 goals and 54 points in 82 games while averaging 17:29 of ice time per game. Fantilli still needs to improve in the faceoff dot and on the defensive side of the puck, but being a 30-goal scorer at 20 years old is nothing to scoff at. In a recent interview with James Murphy of RG Media, Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell spoke about the upcoming negotiations with Fantilli, saying, "We’re going to talk here in the next couple of weeks. Pat Brisson is his agent, and we’re going to do some face-to-face meetings. When these kinds of players are up and these kinds of deals need to be made, I think you need to be in front of each other. I think you make a lot more progress than just over the phone. So that’s always been my theory, and Pat’s the same way. I’ve done a lot of deals over the years with Pat, so we’ll be fine and sit down face-to-face and get this done. As we get closer to training camp, I think we’ll be much further ahead, and we have some dates already planned that we’ll meet, so let’s go from there.” There technically shouldn’t be any rush on Columbus’s end, given that Fantilli is a few years away from even becoming arbitration-eligible. Still, for the sake of cost certainty and having one of its core pieces locked up long-term, the Blue Jackets are eyeing a long-term extension with Fantilli in the coming weeks. Waddell also spoke about a separate extension this offseason. On the eve of free agency this summer, Columbus re-signed defenseman Ivan Provorov to a seven-year, $59.5M contract, which represented only a $1.75M yearly increase on his previous deal. Despite reports at the time indicating that Provorov might seek a larger deal on the open market, Waddell explained in the interview that there was no real concern he’d leave the organization. Murphy quoted Waddell, saying, “Well, the good thing is I was in dialogue regularly with Mark Andler, his agent, and there’s a lot of outside noise, but Mark kept telling me, and Provorov too, that his first choice was to stay here in Columbus.” Waddell explained that although Provorov’s cap hit may seem high, he believes it will look more favorable as the salary cap increases. Additionally, Provorov’s preparation for each season is expected to enhance his longevity throughout the duration of the contract. Lastly, Waddell touched on his excitement over the depth the Blue Jackets brought in this summer, particularly on offense. The team specifically targeted Charlie Coyle as a right-handed center and believes his leadership skills will prove a boon to the younger players on the roster. Meanwhile, the team’s general manager also remarked about the skill level of Miles Wood on the offensive side of the puck and Isac Lundeström’s skill on the defensive side of the puck. All three additions are expected to maintain important roles for the Blue Jackets this season and help the team return to the postseason for the first time since the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs.
Former NFL QB shares harsh truth about Browns' Shedeur Sanders
Some previously accused Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski of sabotaging the development of rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders as Stefanski kept Sanders buried on the depth chart throughout the summer. A day after it was learned that Cleveland had agreed to trade Kenny Pickett to the Las Vegas Raiders for a 2026 fifth-round draft pick, Stefanski confirmed that Sanders will enter the Week 1 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 7 as the Browns' QB3 behind starter Joe Flacco and fellow first-year pro Dillon Gabriel. During a recent chat with Jason Reid of Andscape, former NFL quarterback Akili Smith explained that the tape shows Sanders is behind as it pertains to playing the sport's most important position at the highest level. "If you take some time and break down the tape, and you understand what concepts they’re running, you see that Dillon Gabriel is ahead of Shedeur," Smith said. "No one who looks at the tape of those two and understands what they’re looking at could see it any other way. Gabriel is ahead of him, and a big thing is pocket presence. Shedeur took a sack in [the last preseason] game…it was ridiculous. You had all these people [on social media] blaming the line. He’s dropping back [too far]. He had to step up in the pocket or throw the ball away. It’s one or the other." Sanders took five sacks and completed just 3-of-6 passes for 14 yards in Cleveland's preseason finale versus the Los Angeles Rams on Aug. 23. Meanwhile, Gabriel connected on 12-of-19 passes for 129 yards and a touchdown in that contest. Smith is among those who believe Gabriel’s tape from August "is just better" than what Sanders produced. Sanders took an FBS-high 94 sacks over his final two college seasons before he fell to the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. In the eyes of some, his play against the Rams showed that it will take time for him to unlearn certain bad habits he picked up over the years. "Anyone who’s got such a long way to go has to keep his nose clean, not turn on the organization and keep working," Smith added. "He has to put everything he has into continuing to get better each day. And that way, even if it doesn’t happen in Cleveland, you’re still giving yourself a chance. You’d show other teams that you want this. You’d show how much it means to you. Then maybe it happens somewhere else." The Browns trading Pickett indicates they're dedicated to continuing their development of Sanders through at least the 2025 season. That said, the potential return of Deshaun Watson is looming over Sanders' status as Flacco prepares to start against Cincinnati.
Jelena Ostapenko responds to racism allegations after post-match confrontation with Taylor Townsend
Commanders just sent loud message to draft pick fighting for relevancy
Adam Peters has already disposed of one draft pick under his leadership. The Washington Commanders won't hesitate to send more to the fringes if they aren't meeting the required standard. Peters is a ruthless roster builder. The general manager doesn't adopt any sentiment to his decision-making process, and always puts the team's best interests at the forefront. Anyone needing further proof of just how far he will go should examine his approach to wide receiver Terry McLaurin's contract standoff. There were some hidden signs when Peters trimmed down his roster from 90 to the required 53. A loud message was sent in no uncertain terms to one draft pick who is still fighting for relevancy entering Year 2 of his professional career. Commanders need more from Ben Sinnott, or they'll seek it from Colson Yankoff Flashing for Ben Sinnott won't be enough this time around. The 2024 second-round selection didn't make much of an impact as a rookie. Washington had the luxury of bringing him along gradually thanks to the presence of Pro Bowler Zach Ertz and John Bates, who is emerging as one of the league's most dominant blockers at the position. Ertz and Bates are both back. More is expected of Sinnott, but another anonymous preseason did nothing to diminish concerns about just how much he is ready for. Actions speak louder than words. Most fans thought the Commanders might only take three tight ends onto the squad this year, especially with the surplus of wide receivers. Peters had something else in mind, keeping Colson Yankoff on the team and moving forward with only five wideouts. Yankoff deserves his spot. He rose from obscurity as an undrafted free agent last year, and the progress has been notable this offseason. The UCLA product also flashed a lot more than Sinnott when opportunities came his way. That hasn't given him the No. 3 tight end spot just yet, but the highly-touted prospect would be wise to raise performance levels to cement his status. The Commanders still think Sinnott has something to offer. He demonstrates impressive qualities as a blocker and boasts enough athleticism to make his presence felt in the passing game. But there will come a time when potential is not enough. Sinnott must deliver on his pre-draft promise. It doesn't matter that he was a second-rounder and Yankoff didn't hear his name called. If the unheralded player outperforms the one with loftier expectations, that's all part of the business. The time to step up has arrived for Sinnott. And the added urgency is there for all to see. More Commanders news and analysis
Cowboys land three-time Pro Bowler in Micah Parsons trade
It may be no consolation to Dallas Cowboys fans, but their team did land an outstanding defensive player as part of the stunning blockbuster that sent Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers on Thursday. The Cowboys have traded Parsons to the Packers in exchange for a pair of first-round draft picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark. While Clark is nowhere near the same caliber player as Parsons, he has been one of the top players at his position in the NFL for several years now. Clark spent nine seasons with the Packers after they drafted him in the first round out of UCLA in 2016. He became a full-time starter in 2017 and has started every game in which he has played since. Clark started all 17 games for Green Bay the past three seasons and has missed just one game in the last four years. He had a career-high 7.5 sacks and nine tackles for loss in 2023, which is when he made his third and most recent Pro Bowl. The 6-foot-3, 314-pound tackle also made the Pro Bowl in 2019 and 2021. Almost all Cowboys fans would have preferred for their team to work out a long-term extension with Parsons. The tension between the two sides simply escalated to the point where a divorce became the most viable option. If the Cowboys felt they had no choice but to trade Parsons, they at least seem to have maximized the return. The future first-round picks will give them flexibility to build through trades and/or the draft. It should also soften the blow — even if only slightly — that they landed a 29-year-old player who has played like an elite defensive tackle throughout much of his career.
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