3 Stars: Bruins steal one from Avs for streak-ending win

What's ailing the Bruins cannot be fixed overnight, and surely won't be fixed with a win over the Avalanche on Saturday afternoon. But there's also no denying that it helps given both the quality opponent on the other bench and the Bruins' straight-up dire need to stop the bleeding at six straight defeats.

And this was a win that required the Bruins to dig deep, as the Avalanche dominated the puck from a shot attempt category, and downright hammered the Bruins' goal throughout the third period. Every time you thought the Bruins were in the clear, you had that subtle reminder that there was still an awful lot of time left on the clock. Especially with an offense featuring the likes of Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and Marty Necas among others.

But the Bruins rallied, and downright stole this one with a big-time performance in their defensive zone headlined by a season-high 33 blocks.

“We still have work to do," Bruins head coach Marco Sturm said following the win, which ended Boston's losing streak at six games. "I’m glad the bleeding is over, but I learned that we need everyone. We can’t just rely on the big boys or the bottom part of the roster. No, we need the whole group. Just like we did today.” 

Here's a look at the 985TheSportsHub.com 3 Stars of the game...

Even with three assists through nine games, it's certainly been tough sledding for the Bruins' Viktor Arvidsson out of the gate. Particularly when it comes to finding the back of the net. Perhaps nothing encompassed those struggles more than Arvidsson's shift early in the third period of Thursday's loss against the Ducks. Not only did the veteran Swede heel a beauty of a one-timer look, but he was immediately called for a trip en route to a Ducks power-play goal. WOOF.

But Arvidsson bounced back in a big way for the Bruins in this one, and got what turned out to be a run of three straight Boston goals rolling with his first of the season, scored late in the first period.

"I'm glad [Arvidsson] found the net," Sturm said. So hopefully, not just him, but the whole team can enjoy a glass of wine tonight and kind of relax a little bit."

In addition to the goal, Arvidsson finished this game with three shots, three hits, and three blocked shots in 14:48 of time on ice. And though there's no way for this one to show up on the scoresheet, Arvidsson also helped wind the Avs with their net empty with a dogged pursuit of the puck as it glided towards Colorado's end with just under two minutes remaining in regulation. Every rush matters.

Bruins forward Morgan Geekie played until the final horn of the second period. And that, as it turned out, was the difference between the Bruins winning and going to overtime in Saturday's contest.

"My dad would be proud of that one," Geekie remarked after the win. "That’s not going to happen every time, but when you get those opportunities to get behind the D like that, just trying to get it on net as fast as I can."

Geekie also came through six of the Black and Gold's 19 shots in this contest, and arguably should've and would've had a second goal had it not been for an absolutely fantastic spawling save from Colorado's Scott Wedgewood.

With the goal, Geekie is now up to a team-leading six goals through 10 games this season, pacing him for what would be a 49-goal campaign.

The Avs downright dominated the puck in this one, especially at five-on-five play, and especially in front of Jeremy Swayman's net. But the Boston netminder refused to break in this contest, and turned in perhaps his best performance of the season, with 31 saves on 33 shots faced.

In fact, the Avalanche out-attempted the Bruins by a downright ridiculous 68-28 mark at five-on-five, headlined by a 24-5 mark in the third period. On the high-danger front, Colorado out-chanced the Bruins 15-4, and were never truly out of it. But, again, Swayman was a brick wall against the high-flying Avs, and competed his ass off throughout the afternoon.