After opening their first road trip of the season with back-to-back wins, the Colorado Avalanche (4–0–1) return home for a one-off at Ball Arena on Saturday to face the Boston Bruins (3–2).
Bruins Coming in Cold
Meanwhile, Boston is coming off a 6–5 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights—a game defined by wild momentum swings, including a three-goal second period for Vegas, as both teams seemed allergic to playing defense. Bruins netminder Jeremy Swayman surrendered six goals and will get the night off against Colorado. Instead, Joonas Korpisalo will get the start; he owns a 5–3 career record against the Avalanche.
The Bruins opened the season with three straight wins, but their recent defensive lapses have been glaring—allowing 11 goals over their last two outings. Their structure has looked increasingly disjointed, particularly in transition, where turnovers and blown coverages have led to extended shifts in their own zone. If they hope to avoid a fourth consecutive defeat, they’ll have to tighten up defensively.
Avalanche On Fire
Scott Wedgewood has started every game in Mackenzie Blackwood’s absence and currently owns a career-best 1.58 goals-against average. As of publication, Trent Miner—who has served as the backup while Blackwood has been sidelined but has yet to appear in a game this season—has not been formally reassigned to the Colorado Eagles. This raises a few intriguing possibilities: Colorado could give Miner a start before sending him down, or they might lean on Wedgewood again despite it being his sixth straight appearance, which seems less than ideal. Of course, there’s also the chance Blackwood makes an earlier-than-expected return to the crease, which would give the Avalanche a timely boost in net. According to The Hockey News, Blackwood's conditioning stint with the Eagles, the Avs' AHL affiliate, ended on Friday.
On Thursday, Valeri Nichushkin scored twice for his first multi-goal game of the season, and Wedgewood stopped 22 of 23 shots to lead the Avalanche to a 4–1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Cale Makar found the back of the net in his 400th NHL game, becoming the first player to score in their 400th professional game since Jared Spurgeon accomplished the feat for the Minnesota Wild on December 22, 2016, in a 4–2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens.
Nathan MacKinnon was held off the scoresheet for the first time this season, but he’s remained the driving force behind Colorado’s attack alongside Martin Nečas. The MacKinnon–Nečas duo has been the most dynamic one-two punch in the league through the early stretch, combining for seven goals and 10 assists for 17 points over five games. The third Avalanche player maintaining a point-per-game pace is Makar, who has recorded two goals and five assists over the same five-game stretch. Martin Nečas is currently in a five-way tie for second in league scoring with nine points, while Nathan MacKinnon sits in a two-way tie for third with eight points.
Bruins Top Players
David Pastrňák leads the Bruins with six points, ranking tied for first in both goals (2) and assists (4).
Elias Lindholm is tied for the team lead in goals (2), ranks second in points (5), and is third in assists (3).
Pavel Zacha shares the team lead in assists (4), sits second in points (5), and is tied for seventh in goals (1).
If the Avalanche hope to navigate this game successfully, they must stay composed, particularly when moving the puck up ice. Recent contests have shown that in high-pressure moments, leaders like Pastrňák are unafraid to put everything on the line—illustrated by the massive hit he delivered on Tampa Bay Lightning star Nikita Kucherov late in Monday’s 4–3 loss. Hockey remains an inherently dangerous sport, and the last thing Colorado needs is another injury that sidelines one of its key stars.
Goaltender Stats
In Korpisalo’s most recent start against the Avalanche last season, he stopped 25 shots to back the Bruins to a 5–3 victory. Colorado’s goals came from Ross Colton, Makar, and Rantanen, who has since moved on from the team.
Wedgewood’s last outing against Boston, in January, saw him make 14 saves in a 3–1 loss—a game that also marked the Avalanche debuts of Nečas and Jack Drury following Rantanen’s trade to the Carolina Hurricanes.
Blackwood has not faced the Bruins since November 30, 2023, when he was with the San Jose Sharks. Despite turning aside 37 shots, he was tagged with a 3–0 loss.
Miner has only two NHL starts to his name, neither of which came against Boston.
The Game
Who will emerge victorious? We’ll find out at 7 p.m. local time when the Bruins face off against the Avalanche at Ball Arena. You can catch the game on Altitude or KTVD (My20).
