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Avalanche score with seconds left in third, beat Sabres

Pittsburgh Penguins v Colorado Avalanche

DENVER, CO - MARCH 03: Jamie McGinn #11 of the Colorado Avalanche skates against the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Pepsi Center on March 3, 2012 in Denver, Colorado. The Penguins defeated the Avalanche 5-1. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

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The Colorado Avalance and Buffalo Sabres both need every point they can get to stay alive in their respective conferences. It therefore seems appropriate that this game went all the way to a shootout after a tying goal with mere seconds left in the third period.

Neither team ever gained more than a one-goal lead in Colorado’s 5-4 shootout victory. The Avalanche did outshoot their opponent 42-24, but the Sabres made the most of their opportunities. Buffalo’s Drew Stafford netted an unassisted shorthanded goal in the first period while Marcus Foligno found the back of the net twice. Defenseman Alexander Sulzer scored just his second career NHL goal in 80 games.

Calder Trophy contender Gabriel Landeskog answered for Colorado with his 20th goal and 26th assist of the season. However, it was Jamie McGinn that was the hero tonight. After netting the Avalanche’s first goal at 8:55 of the first period, McGinn extended the game by scoring the tying goal in the dying moments of the third period. You check out the highlights below.

Semyon Varlamov allowed four goals on 24 shots through the overtime period, but he has been excellent in the shootout this season. He turned aside all three of the Sabres’ attempts to improve to 8-0 in 2011-12 shootouts.

Buffalo can take some comfort in knowing that they ended up with one point, even though they were so close to walking away with two. They are now three points behind the eighth place Washington Capitals, but Buffalo has played in one extra game. The Sabres will now head to Florida for games against the Panthers on Saturday and the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday.

Colorado now has 80 points in 72 games, which keeps them in the pack as five teams’ battle for the seventh and eighth seeds in the Western Conference. The Avalanche won’t have any time to savor this victory as they need to head to New Jersey for Thursday’s game against the Devils.