The Colorado Avalanche’s undefeated streak in regulation came to an end Saturday afternoon, as they fell 3–2 to the Boston Bruins at TD Garden.
Artturi Lehkonen supplied both Colorado goals, while Nathan MacKinnon tallied two assists. Goaltender Scott Wedgewood, however, couldn’t find his footing—allowing three goals on 19 shots in a bad outing that marked his first loss of the year.
Boston got goals from Victor Arvidsson, Michael Eyssimont, and Morgan Geekie, while Jeremy Swayman turned aside 29 shots
to lift the Bruins to a 4–6 record.
Early Momentum Slips Away
Colorado jumped out fast, controlling play for much of the opening period. Valeri Nichushkin missed an early golden chance when a loose puck skipped off his skate with the net wide open. Moments later, a deflected puck caught Charlie McAvoy on the bench, though the Bruins defenseman returned without issue.
Suddenly at 4:24, MacKinnon worked the puck behind the net and slid a perfect pass to Lehkonen in the slot, who blasted a one-timer past Swayman for a 1–0 lead.
The Bruins, held without a shot for nearly nine minutes, quickly flipped the script. Arvidsson’s clever fake wraparound at 13:58 fooled Wedgewood, tying the game. Just 39 seconds later, Eyssimont finished a 2-on-1 rush from Tanner Jeannot, firing a backhand past Wedgewood to make it 2–1 Boston.
A holding-the-stick penalty to Gabriel Landeskog late in the period put Colorado on the kill, setting the tone for a choppy stretch of play.
Missed Chances and Costly Mistakes
The Avs killed off Landeskog’s penalty to start the second, then survived another Bruins power play shortly after. Despite solid penalty killing, their puck management faltered—turnovers repeatedly left Wedgewood exposed.
He briefly steadied things, robbing Geekie with a blocker save midway through the frame, but Colorado’s offense couldn’t cash in on multiple power plays. Their 5-on-4 unit went 0-for-2 in the period, dropping them to 1-for-20 over their last several games.
Swayman denied Landeskog on a point-blank chance late in the frame, and as the clock wound down, Colorado appeared poised to escape the period down just one. But with five seconds left, after Josh Manson fell down behind the net, Wedgewood misplayed a soft Geekie shot that slid through, extending Boston’s lead to 3–1.
Late Push Not Enough
Colorado continued pressing in the third, generating quality looks but finding Swayman equal to every challenge. With Wedgewood pulled for the extra attacker, Lehkonen redirected MacKinnon’s drive from the point for his second of the night, cutting the deficit to 3–2 with 20 seconds remaining.
Despite a frantic final push, the Avalanche couldn’t find the equalizer and fell 3-2 in Boston.
Final Thoughts
It’s remarkable, though not entirely surprising, that it took this long for the Avalanche to suffer their first regulation defeat. The warning signs had been evident for some time, and this result felt less like an anomaly than an inevitability. What makes the loss particularly indefensible, however, is the decision to once again ride Wedgewood after Trent Miner’s admirable relief performance in the previous outing. One might reasonably assume that such a showing would merit a start, yet Miner appears destined for the same thankless role Justus Annunen occupied last season—summoned only to clean up after disaster has already struck.
Upcoming
The Avalanche (5-1-3) wrap up their road trip Sunday morning to begin an home-and-home against the red-hot New Jersey Devils (7-1). Puck drop is scheduled for 11 a.m. MT on Altitude, Altitude+, and NHL Network.
