DENVER — Former Cornell men's hockey defenseman
Sam Malinski '23 had quite a memorable Wednesday night inside Ball Arena as he recorded his first NHL goal and posted his first multi-point game as the Colorado Avalanche defeated the Buffalo Sabres, 5-1.
In addition to his first goal and multi-point night, Malinski was named the First Star of the game and spoke before 18,034 inside the venue.
"It's very special," Malinski said in the locker room following the contest. "It's a moment you dream of your entire life since you're a little kid. I was fortunate enough to have family at the game too. It's a special moment to be able to share with them and some family back home."
Malinski's goal gave the Avalanche a 4-1 lead 2:40 into the third period. The right-shot defenseman received a pass from Jack Johnson and one-timed a shot over the glove of Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen before ringing off the right post and in. With his marker, Malinski became the 21st former Cornell player to have scored an NHL goal.
"He's involved in our offensive attack, whether it's the rush or O-zone play, I think he's making great decisions with the puck — possession decisions are leading to scoring chances," Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar added. "I feel like his skating is really helping him on our breakouts. He's been a consistent defender, and played a great 200-foot game right now. I really liked his game again tonight."
Earlier in the game, Malinski recorded an assist on Miles Wood's first-period tally, which gave Colorado a 3-0 lead just under 12 minutes into the contest. Malinski swiped the puck off the stick of former Avalanche defenseman, Erik Johnson, on a offensive zone entry by the Sabres, which led the Wood wristing a shot from the right faceoff circle over the Luukkonen's right shoulder on a 2-on-1 odd-man chance.
Along with his two-point night, Malinski also posted a season-high plus-3 rating during his 16:25 of ice time across 21 shifts. His ice time and shift total were his second-highest totals on the season, trailing 18:09 of ice time in his second career game against Los Angeles on Dec. 3, and 22 shifts taken against Anaheim on Dec. 5.
Through his first seven NHL games, Malinski has registered four points, all of which have come over his last four games.
Colorado returns to action on Saturday when the Avalanche head to Winnipeg to square off against the Jets at 7 p.m. ET (6 p.m. CT). Game action can be viewed live on ESPN+. Malinski will face former Big Red teammate Morgan Barron, who has seven points (five goals, two assists) over 28 games this season. It would be the second time in a 10-day stretch that Barron and Malinski will face each other as the Jets posted a 4-2 victory over the Avalanche in Denver on Dec. 7.
