NHL: Colorado 4, Buffalo 3 (SO)

BUFFALO, N.Y., Jan. 9 (UPI) -- It took an 11-round shootout for Colorado to come out on top against the Buffalo Sabres 4-3 Saturday.

Matt Hendricks had the decisive score out of seven goals tallied in the shootout.

Rookie Matt Duchene scored two first-period goals for the Avalanche and Brandon Yip made a goal and an assist. Craig Anderson had 32 saves in the victory.

Drew Stafford, Thomas Vanek and Jochen Hecht scored for the Sabres, who rallied from a 3-1 deficit to tie the game. Patrick Lalime made 27 saves.

Colorado was holding a 3-1 in the third period when Buffalo struck for a pair of goals to tie it. Vanek knocked in his own rebound at 9:19 to make it 3-2. Hecht knotted it at 15:48 with a long wrist shot.

Vanek and Duchene traded goals in the fourth round of the shootout. Ryan O'Reilly and Hecht scored in the eighth round to keep it going. Hendricks brought the night to a close with a forehand fake and then a backhand shot that slipped past the sprawling Lalime.