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Bruins come up short to Avs in road shootout loss

By Matt Dolloff
Jan 8, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Avalanche defenseman Sam Malinski (70) celebrates with goaltender Ivan Prosvetov (50) and the bench after his goal in the second period against the Boston Bruins at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

The Boston Bruins ended up just short against the Colorado Avalanche in a 4-3 shootout loss at Ball Arena Monday night. Brad Marchand scored twice in the defeat, while Avs forward Valeri Nichushkin scored in the final round of the shootout to grab the second point.

The Avalanche outshot the Bruins 14-5 in the first period, but it was actually the road team that grabbed the first goal. Marchand controlled the puck around the top of the faceoff circle during a power play, then circled around and back and unleashed a deadly wrist shot that blew by Avs goaltender Alexander Georgiev.

Marchand now has scored at least one point in 12 of his last 17 games, with nine goals and 17 points over that span (h/t Ty Anderson).

  • However, Colorado found the equalizer less than five minutes later. Star winger Mikko Rantanen got a great shot off from a tough position in front of the net, roofing the feed from All-Star Nathan MacKinnon to tie the game 1-1.

  • Early in the second period, the Avalanche really made the Bruins pay for an ugly defensive breakdown. And it came not from their top line but from second-line wing Logan O’Connor, who forechecked at the right place at the right time as Pavel Zacha and Kevin Shattenkirk got crossed up in their own end. O’Connor took it away then finished all alone for the unassisted goal to give the Avs a 2-1 lead.

  • About halfway through the second period, after killing off a penalty, the Bruins got the game back to square one. It took some elbow grease, as multiple B’s converged on the net. But Johnny Beecher got just enough of the puck on a rebound from a wraparound attempt by Danton Heinen, knocking home the tying puck to make it 2-2.

  • Mere seconds after Charlie McAvoy blocked a shot on a golden scoring opportunity, the Avalanche got their go-ahead goal anyway. It came off the stick of Sam Malinski, who beat Swayman with a simple wrist shot from the high slot area to put the Avs up 3-2 late in the second period. The goal represented the most stoppable of the night for Swayman.

  • Marchand’s second goal finished off an excellent shift with linemate Charlie Coyle. The pair cycled back and forth with each other around traffic, then Coyle finally fed it to Marchand at the doorstep far-side, where Marchand redirected the puck in to tie the game 3-3.

  • After Marchand’s tying goal, the Bruins killed off two more third-period penalties and survived a late flurry to help get themselves to overtime. At the end of the day, they’ll be relatively happy grabbing a point on the road against the 2022 Stanley Cup Champions.

    Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo, who assisted on the Beecher goal, had to exit Monday night’s game early with an upper-body injury.

    The Bruins fell to 24-8-7 with the OT loss, but still hold a three-point lead over the Florida Panthers atop the Atlantic Division.

    Up Next: The Bruins have a quick turnaround out west, as they now head to Tempe, Arizona to take on the Arizona Coyotes at Mullett Arena.

    Matt Dolloff is a writer and podcaster for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Check out all of Matt’s content.

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