Mikko Rantanen and Nathan MacKinnon each had a goal and an assist, while Darcy Kuemper stopped 29 shots, as the visiting Colorado Avalanche beat the Buffalo Sabres 5-3 on Saturday.

Nazem Kadri, J.T. Compher and Alex Newhook also had goals for the Avalanche, who swept the season series. Colorado won for the fourth time in its past five games.

Tage Thompson recorded his first career hat trick, Jeff Skinner had two assists and Dustin Tokarski had 31 saves for the Sabres, who lost for the fifth time in their past seven games (2-4-1).

Thompson gave Buffalo the early lead when he scored from the slot just 2:50 into the game. Just 45 seconds later, though, MacKinnon tied it with a wrister from the left circle. It was his 11th goal of the season.

Colorado struck again midway through the first period when Compher beat Jacob Bryson to a loose puck in the Sabres' zone, skated in on Tokarski and put a back-hander on the goaltender. It bounced off and over Tokarski to give the Avalanche a 2-1 lead at 11:18. It was his ninth goal of the season.

Thompson picked up his second goal of the game less than two minutes later when he got a pass from Skinner and beat Kuemper at 12:42 to tie the score 2-all.

Colorado answered once again when Valeri Nichushkin fed Kadri with a pass just outside the right circle and he beat Tokarski to the far side at 13:02. It was Kadri's 21st of the season.

It stayed 3-2 well into the second period when Thompson scored again. He got the puck in front of the Avalanche net with his back to the crease, spun and beat Kuemper at 12:54. It was his 19th goal of the season.

Colorado got the lead back in the third period when Rantanen brought the puck down the right side, floated a pass to Newhook at the left circle, whose shot beat Tokarski at 8:37 for his 11th goal of the season.

Tokarski came off for an extra skater with 1:23 left and Rantanen scored into the empty net at 19:08. It was his team-leading 26th goal of the season.

--Field Level Media