Bruins Wrap: Boston’s Late-Game Struggles Continue In Loss To Avalanche

The Boston Bruins fell to the Colorado Avalanche, 4-3, in a shootout, at Ball Arena on Monday night.

With the loss, the Bruins dropped to 24-8-7 while the Avalance improved to 26-12-3.

Check out the full box score here.

ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
Boston struggled to match Colorado’s offensive intensity and pressure, but came through in the clutch at several points to keep the Avalanche from running away with ease.

John Beecher and Brad Marchand both pitched in game-tying goals to keep the Bruins within reach. And the Black and Gold had plenty of time to flip the script, and create offensive scoring chances,

Jeremy Swayman patrolled the net and was tremendous in preventing the Avalanche from re-taking the lead, holding Colorado scoreless for the final frame — navigating the pressure of the Avalanche working with six total power-play chances. Yet, the offense came up short of rewarding the 25-year-old in regulation, running a 3-3 tie to the final buzzer, sending the head-to-head battle into overtime.

Charlie McAvoy drew a two-minute holding penalty, giving Boston a timely 4-on-3 advantage over Colorado, which amounted to nothing, then sending the contest into a shootout.

There, Colorado’s Valeri Nichushkin netted his second-career shootout goal in Round 3, sending Boston back to the loss column.

STARS OF THE GAME
— Nichushkin scored the game-decider, now 2-for-3 in shootout opportunities in his career.

— Swayman was elite when it mattered most, finishing the night with 33 saves while also keeping Colorado off the scoreboard throughout the third period and overtime.

— Beecher uplifted the B’s in the second period, tipping in a rebound to knot the game up at a 2-2 tie.

WAGER WATCH
FanDuel Sportsbook set the odds of Beecher netting a goal at any point throughout the night at +900. Getting the job done in the second period to give Boston new life with a knotted 2-2 score, the 22-year-old cleared those odds. A $100 wager on Beecher would’ve netted a solid $1,000 total payout.

UP NEXT ON NESN
The Bruins are back in action on Tuesday night, facing off against the Arizona Coyotes. Puck drop from Mullett Arena is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET, and you can catch the game, along with an hour of pregame coverage, live on NESN.