Game preview: Boston Bruins visit the Colorado Avalanche

The Boston Bruins will pay a visit to the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena on Wednesday night. Both teams are coming off rough outings. So, the two clubs will be looking to get back on the plus side.

For the Colorado Avalanche, it’s been a tough start to the season. At 0-3, the Avs will be focused on getting things turned around. Their last game against the New York Islanders, while yielding some good things, had a disappointing outcome.

As for the Bruins, the club is coming off a tough loss against the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers. So, let’s take a look at some game notes ahead of the Boston Bruins-Colorado Avalanche tilt on Wednesday night.

Game notes ahead of the Boston Bruins and Colorado Avalanche matchup

Toews day-to-day

Following Monday night’s loss, Avs coach Jared Bednar addressed the media. Among the points discussed was an update on blueliner Devon Toews. Bednar indicated that Toews is still day-to-day and will most likely not suit up against the Bruins. Toews is reported to have a lower-body injury.

Drouin out indefinitely

When asked about forward Jonathan Drouin, Bednar clarified that Drouin would be out much longer than Toews. The “longer timeline” on Drouin will depend on his next evaluation. As such, the Avs will miss his scoring punch on the top line for an indefinite period at this point.

Georgiev expected to start against Boston

Bednar has been supportive of Alexandar Georgiev, calling his last start against the New York Islanders his best one of the season. It remains to be seen if and when Justus Annunen gets a start this year. However, it seems that sticking with Georgiev at this point has more to do with building Georgiev’s confidence than a practical matter.

Lineup changes

Several changes are expected for the Avs on Wednesday night. For starts, Ross Colton practiced with Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen on the top unit on Tuesday. That move placed Miles Wood with Casey Mittelstadt and Calum Ritchie on the second line.

The changes also include dropping Nikolai Kovalenko to the third line with Parker Kelly and Logan O’Connor. Lastly, the fourth line remains essentially the same with Ivan Ivan, Chris Wager, and Joel Kiviranta rounding out the forward group.

As for the blue line, Oliver Kylington looks to make his first appearance of the season alongside Cale Makar. The second pairing remains the same with Sam Girard and Josh Manson. However, the third pairing looks different with waiver pickup John Ludvig getting the nod along with rookie Sam Malinski.

The moves will hopefully give the Avs a better defensive setup, while also sparking more offense across the board.