Avalanche at Boston

Bruins fans are treated tonight with a talent trio of NHL superstardom, as the Colorado Avalanche are in town to play the Boston Bruins. Defenseman Cale Makar, center Nathan MacKinnon and winger Mikko Rantanen.

The Avs also have Alexandar Georgiev in net after getting the night completely off for Tuesday’s 7-4 beatdown of the Senators in Ottawa.

The Bruins are getting bodies back, as Linus Ullmark was back in uniform to back up Jeremy Swayman, Rangy defensemen Brandon Carlo and Derek Forbort have been cleared for action, but neither is playing tonight. Same for center Matt Poitras.

A-I image by Daryl Vautour

FIRST PERIOD

The coaches matched top lines to start, and the Bruins quickly put three shots on Georgiev, the third one counting as David Pastrnak curled out to the slot and fire stick side in the opening minute, 1-0 Boston. Charlie Coyle with the assist.

Ensuing action, Josh Manson hit Danton Heinen hard against the sideboards at the Bruins bench, then Brad Marchand paid it forward to another Colorado forward on the same side of the ice.

Jakub Lauko made it 2-0 with his first of the season at 4:58, tucking the puck into the open cage that Georgiev had inadvertently vacated on a read that went sideways. That was Boston’s sixth shot. Assists to Morgan Geekie and Hampus Lindholm.

Oskar Steen off for tripping at 5:29, Colorado to the powerplay … two seconds after the penalty expired, Miles Wood jammed his second attempt into the far corner to cut the lead to 2-1.

Makar, MacKinnon and Rantanen combined for a scary chance that Jeremy Swayman denied.

Wood stole the puck and zipped in off wing, but Swayman snared his offering.

The Bruins continue to apply pressure with their forecheck and cycle game. The Avs have been giving puck carriers space to run the play behind the net and out the other side, and the Bruins are going a good job with both forwards and D’s to run wraparounds that they tweak and pass at up to three targets. Right now, the Bruins forwards are looking quicker than the Colorado defensemen not named Makar.

Pavel Zacha made a nice physical play to puck-protect against stalwart Devon Toews. Parker Wotherspoon got the puck at the right point, and Jake DeBrusk tipped his shot past Georgiev. Only the Avalanche challenged for offsides …

The arena cam at TD Garden is showing the two officials looking at a laptop replay over by the penalty box. The decision is in: goal, 3-1 Bruins at 14:52 of the first period, Colorado gets a bench minor for delay of game, Bruins to the powerplay …

Georgiev with a dandy on James van Riemsdyk, who was looking to convert Marchand’s goalmouth feed on the powerplay.

Big hit on Jesper Boqvist in the Boston zone. Heinen responded momentarily, but as play continued the Avalanche were setting up a scoring chance so the Bruins had to abort the confrontation. The Bruins got a couple of their own chances before time on the first period expired.

Shots after one: 14-12 Boston.

SECOND PERIOD

Avalanche are playing a solid second period so far, hemming in the Bruins and forcing icings, which allow no player changes in today’s game. It wasn’t until after the Bruins broke that half-Nelson that Manson got a shot off the rush with a screen that Swayman got just enough of so it trickled wide of the far post.

Manson took Heinen’s lunch money twice on the same shift, but DeBrusk made a great backcheck on Wood, legally catching the speedy Avs winger and stripping him of the puck in the Boston zone.

Monster shift for Rantanen, who put Hampus Lindholm of to the side of the Boston net. Colorado has three close calls, but the Bruins did a solid job getting sticks and bodies in the way. Swayman made one big save.

At the other end, the Bruins ran a nice cycle out to McAvoy, but, as Doc Emrick used to say, it wouldn’t go.

Wood challenged Wotherspoon when the Bruins defenseman pushed back on a Colorado forward in the Boston crease. Nothing came of it, but Wotherspoon didn’t back down.

Zacha had a big chance when van Riemsdyk found him alone from the left halfwall, but Zacha’s backhand scoop missed the net. Great keep-in at the left point by Lindholm, and the Bruins pressed for more.

Toews shot from the center point got through, but Swayman stopped it. Not the next one, though, as MacKinnon found a rebound sitting in the blue behind the Boston goalie and knocked it into the net to make it 3-2 (Boston) with 3:40 left in the second period.

DeBrusk made a clever play to backhand a pass to the slot, but no Bruins was there and Rantanen intercepted.

Manson off for interfering with Zacha with 1:45 left in the period. Big break for the Bruins, who have been on the ropes most of the period.

Powerplay: Coyle stopped from the slot. Tough sequence for Coyle, who tripped Fredrik Olofsson with 40.1 seconds left in the period. The Avalanche will get the powerplay lasting 1:04 when 4v4 expires 16 seconds into the third period.

Score 3-2 Bruins, shots after two: 29-22 Colorado (Avs outshot the Bruins 17-8 in the middle period).

THIRD PERIOD

Bruins open with a strong PK effort, as the Avalanche never get possession in the Boston end.

The Bruins’ zone entries have been excellent all night, the way the forwards are working with the defensemen to support the play and sustain possessions. A lot of their work has not born the fruit of shots on goal, but the hockey is there.

Wood has another big shift, chasing to negate icing and setting off a series of chaotic plays that lead to Colorado scoring chances. He put DeBrusk on his butt at the sideboards to create a second wave of chances. He’s had a helluva game.

Boqvist carried on a hurried 2-on-1 with Steen but forced-fed the pass and the play went kaput.

Wood set up Jack Johnson bearing down the middle, but Swayman kicks the leg out, making a big noise as the puck thuds against the pad.

Bruins, meanwhile, getting zone time if not clean shots with 5:45 remaining in regulation.

Manson untimely high-sticking PIM with 4:35 left in regulation. Bruins to the powerplay up by one.

Bruins have the puck in the Colorado zone, but Toews deflects Marchand’s pass over the glass. 47 seconds left on the man advantage.

Pastrnak finished a brilliant exchange with DeBrusk that began with Lindholm’s entry and tie-up on the right halfwall. Bruins up 4-2 with 2:36, and time to keep an eye on Georgiev. The PPG came with 2 seconds left on Manson’s minor.

There goes Georgiev to the visitors’ bench with 1:47. Pastrnak take a shot and misses the empty net and protests the icing call. He thought he had center.

We’re headed downstairs for postgame as the clock hits 1:00.