NHL Game Recap: Bruins Earn 1st Road Victory Of The Season, Defeating Avalanche 5-3

The Bruins played the Avalanche in Colorado on Wednesday, October 16th, at Ball Arena. They secured their first road win of the season with a 5-3 final. This is the fourth game straight since the beginning of the season where the Avalanche takes an unfortunate loss. Cole Koepke, Charlie Coyle, David Pastrnak, Hampus Lindholm, and Johnny Beecher all scored to help Boston defeat Colorado. Ross Colton, Cale Makar, and Mikko Rantanen scored three goals for the Avalanche. The Bruins’ next stop is Utah on Saturday, October 19th, and the Avalanche will be hosting the Anaheim Ducks on Friday, October 18th.

Boston Bruins Lineup:

Marchand – Coyle – Frederic

Zacha – Lindholm – Pastrnak

Tufte – Poitras – Jones

Beecher – Kastelic – Koepke

Lohrei – McAvoy

Lindholm – Carlo

Zadorov – Peeke

Korpisalo

Swayman

Colorado Avalanche Lineup:

Wood – MacKinnon – O’Connor

Kovalenko – Colton – Rantanen

Kiviranta – Mittelstadt – Ritchie

Ivan – Kelly – Stienburg

Kylington – Makar

Girard – Manson

De Haan – Malinski

Georgiev

Annunen

   Late into the opening frame, Cole Koepke opened the scoring to give Boston a 1-0 lead with his second goal of the season at 6:14. He deflected in a shot that came from the right wall by Andrew Peeke. Ross Colton tied the game 1-1 not long after Boston’s goal with a power-play goal at 4:53. Colton snapped it far-side beyond the blocker of Joonas Korpisalo after he received a pass from Mikko Rantanen inside the right circle. With 2:51 remaining on the clock, Charlie Coyle put the Bruins back in front 2-1 on the power play when he redirected a centering pass from Mason Lohrei at the right post.

   David Pastrnak extended the Bruins’ lead to 3-1 at 10:51 of the second period with a power-play goal. He deflected a centering pass into the net past Alexandar Georgiev after he drove the crease from the backside. Just 13 seconds after Pastrnak’s goal, Hampus Lindholm strikes with his first goal of the season to push it to 4-1 with a shot from the left half-wall through traffic. Securing his first of the season and cutting Boston’s lead to 4-2, Cale Makar fires a shot from the point past Joonas Korpisalo on the power play.

   Early into the final frame at 15:08, Mikko Rantanen made it 4-3 on the power play when he one-timed Cale Makar’s pass at the right face-off dot. Johnny Beecher struck the empty net with 2:01 left in regulation for the 5-3 victory after Nathan MacKinnon had lost the puck at center ice.

Cole Koepke on jumping right onto the Avalanche and getting off to a good start, and what about the Bruins brings out the best in him: “That was something we definitely emphasized about as a team. Their team’s got a lot of offensive power… we really wanted to make sure we got off to a good start, and then just try to keep it going for a full 60,” – “Maybe the style of play, and the way the coaching staff and the team has really welcomed me… then kind of helped me get up to speed, allowed me to play with confidence, and play to my strengths. I couldn’t be happier with how things have gone out. I just love every minute of it so far.”

Avalanche coach Jared Bednar on the 5-3 loss and previous unfortunate losses: “Always, no matter how good or bad it’s going, we’re not going to dwell on the previous game. Whether we were really good or whether we were really bad, you have to correct it and move on,” – “Build on it and move on. It’s the same thing now, the loss stings. It doesn’t feel any better or worse than it did after the last game. We got to find a way to get a win and try to build it from here.”

Notes:

– Hampus Lindholm recorded two points – a goal and an assist… Joonas Korpisalo made 22 saves for the Bruins.

– Both Cale Makar and Mikko Rantanen each recorded a goal and two assists… Nathan MacKinnon recorded two assists.

– Alexsandar Georgiev made a total of 20 saves for the Avalanche.

– For the first time since 1998-99, the Avalanche have lost four games straight to open a season.

– Matt Stienburg made his NHL debut for Colorado this game. He finished minus-1 with five penalty minutes in 4:36 of ice time.

– The Avalanche leads the NHL with a 50% success rate on the power play. Cale Makar’s seven assists are the most by a defenseman in the first four games to open a season in Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques history.

– After taking a hit from Elias Lindholm in the third period, Miles Wood left the game at 6:17 with an undisclosed injury. There currently are no updates.