3 key notes on the Colorado Avalanche’s home loss to the Boston Bruins

The Colorado Avalanche lost their fourth game in a row to open the season on Wednesday night. This time, it was a 5-3 loss at the hands of the Boston Bruins.

Overall, the game was arguably the Avs’ best effort of the season. Colorado made a game of it in the third period. Unfortunately, the effort was too little, too late as the Bruins held on for the win.

For the Avs, the 0-4 start continues to raise questions and concerns about the team. At the moment, it seems as though coach Jared Bednar has no answers to what has otherwise been a poor showing from such a talented team.

Still, there are some silver linings to consider when looking back at Wednesday night’s contest against the Boston Bruins. So, let’s take a deeper look.

3 key notes from the Colorado Avalanche's loss to the Boston Bruins

Georgiev had his best game of the season

Wednesday night’s showing was the best game Alexandar Georgiev has had this season. He stopped 20 of 24 shots, allowing four goals. In particular, two of those goals were power play markers.

Now, four goals on 24 shots is hardly Vezina Trophy material. Still, considering past performances this season, it was an improvement.

Specifically, I’d like to point out the two breakaways that Georgiev stopped in the second period. First, Georgiev stopped David Pastrnak and then Elias Lindholm. Both chances originated as turnovers in the offensive zone, allowing the Bruins forwards to go toe-to-toe against Georgiev.

In the end, Georgiev bailed out his teammates. That sort of situation is crucial in building confidence in the team moving forward.

The power play was on fire

The power play went 3-for-3 against the Bruins. Had it not been for the goals with the man advantage, the Avs would have been shut out.

While it’s great to see the Avs make other teams pay, it’s concerning that Colorado was unable to score 5-on-5. Moreover, the Avs gave up two power play goals of their own. So, it seems the penalty kill needs to do a better job of supporting the Avs in getting leads and winning games.

The Avs defense had a costly lapse

Pastrnak and Hampus Lindholm scored 13 seconds apart midway through the second period. Those costly defensive lapses must stop. After the brief debacle, the Bruins were up 4-1. That put the Avalanche in a hole that was too deep to dig to crawl out of.

Consequently, the Avs need to get their mental game in order if they are to remain in games and realistically have a chance to win.

Kudos for the comeback effort

Kudos to the Colorado Avalanche for sticking with it and trying to get back into the game. The big stars came through, pulling the game to within one early in the third period. Unfortunately, the Bruins played well and locked the game down late. They added an empty netter to seal the victory.

This last point is a significant bright spot as the game could have turned into a rout. Instead, the Avs fought back and made it close. Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, and Cale Makar carried the team, as they should have.

If the Avs can play a full 60 minutes like they did in the second and third periods against Boston, things could turn around for Colorado sooner rather than later.