WHERE/WHEN
October 14, 2015 Game 3
Pepsi Center Denver, CO
HIGHLIGHTS
The Colorado Avalanche came into their third game of the season at home versus the stumbling Boston Bruins looking to make a statement and allay the confidence gained from the third period of their second game against the Dallas Stars into a more consistent effort against a team that should be inferior this season. What happened instead was a stark reminder the Avalanche have a long ways to go before they regain their spot among the elite teams in the league as they were annihilated in every phase of the game in a 6-2 loss.
Boston’s domination of the Avalanche was thorough throughout as they jumped out to a 2-0 after the first period and outshooting the Avalanche 9-5, a total nowhere near representative of how badly the Avs played. Instead of coming into the second period determined to get themselves back in it, the Avalanche allowed the Bruins to dig the hole deeper as they pushed the lead to 5-0 by the 15:32 mark.
The shutout finally ended for Bruins started Jonas Gustavsson when Gabriel Landeskog was credited with a goal that was accidentally scored by Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara, giving Landeskog his fourth of the season and Colorado a power play goal in each of the team’s first three games. The Avalanche would continue to cling to hopes of a comeback as John Mitchell scored his third goal in as many games to make the game 5-2 with just under nine minutes remaining in the game. An empty net goal by David Krejci of the Bruins brought the game to its final tally of 6-2.
3 STARS
1. Jimmy Hayes (BOS) – 1 goal, 3 assists, 5 shots on goal
2. Ryan Spooner (BOS) – 1 goal, 1 assist, 1 shot on goal
3. Tyler Randell (BOS) – 1 goal, 1 shot on goal (NHL debut)
PLAY OF THE GAME
No doubt the play of the game also served as the turning point tonight as Boston’s first goal came after an extended shift by Matt Duchene‘s line in the Boston zone. Despite several good scoring chances and a dominant shift, a poor line change when Boston regained possession allowed the Bruins to work the puck to Kevin Miller, who blew a shot past Avs goaltender Semyon Varlamov and took the air out of the Avalanche sails for the majority of the game.
TURNING POINT
See above.
BY THE NUMBERS
QUOTE OF THE GAME
“It’s unacceptable. We can’t play like this. If we want to make the playoffs, this is not the type of performance we need. We need more consistency from our guys.” – Head Coach Patrick Roy
The entire postgame interview with Roy, courtesy of the Avalanche official site:
LASTING IMPACT
The Avalanche, already in last place in the outrageously competitive Central Division, hold their spot and are currently the only team in the division with a losing record at 1-2-0. They have two points on the season and have 79 games remaining.
WHAT’S NEXT
The Avalanche take their season to the road for the first time this season as they head to Southern California to take on the Anaheim Ducks on Friday, October 14.
