Postgame Wrap-Up: Top Line Sparks Avs Past Bruins

In the Colorado Avalanche's matchup against the Boston Bruins, it was likely going to take more than each team's top line producing for either club to pick up the win. But it didn't hurt the Avs' cause that their top trio led the way in the comeback victory.
Colorado's No. 1 unit had three goals and six points in a 6-3 win versus Boston on Wednesday at Pepsi Center after Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen each scored in the contest. In 18 games this season, the threesome has now combined for 31 goals and 75 points--the most among any three teammates in the NHL.

Having the last change on home ice, head coach Jared Bednar matched his top combo against the Bruins' top trio of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak throughout the night, and although Boston's top unit had success, it was limited. Pastrnak had a goal and an assist and Bergeron had a helper, but all of those points came during power-play opportunities.
The B's first line entered the game with 68 combined points, one behind the Avs' trio for the most in the league.
"We saw a lot of them tonight, obviously with Bergeron and Pastrnak and Marchand, I thought we did a pretty good job overall," MacKinnon said. "They had some looks. I think they had that power-play goal, but other than that I thought we did pretty good 5-on-5. It's a tough matchup, but we won our matchup and that was what our goal was tonight."

MacKinnon's group and the rest of the Avalanche bended but didn't break against the Bergeron-centered line, which had nearly a third of Boston's shots on goal with nine.
"Obviously we wanted MacK to play against Bergeron, and those guys did a really nice job," Bednar said postgame. "I liked them. That matchup was going pretty good. We spotted them a few times throughout the game on some faceoffs. I wasn't really hard matching anyone else except that line."
Landeskog was the first member of the Avs' combo to find twine, opening the game's scoring 10:16 into the first period. Boston tallied the next three markers to take a two-goal advantage early in the middle frame, but Colorado soon went on its own run.
Rantanen sparked five unanswered markers with his power-play tally midway in the second stanza after scoring off a feed from MacKinnon at the right circle.
"We had some momentum. Mikko's power-play goal was big to make it 3-2, so we're only down by one going into the third period," MacKinnon said. "That was exciting to get that goal."

Rantanen was again in the center of another Colorado score as he fed the puck over to MacKinnon on a 3-on-2 rush, and his linemate buried a wrist shot to give the Avalanche a 4-3 advantage with 10:58 remaining in the third period.
"He gave me so much room, it was a great play by him. I just got the shot off quick but it was all Mikko there," said MacKinnon of what ended up as the game-winning tally. It was the 31st of his career, which is now the fourth most in Avalanche history (since 1995-96).

Rantanen's three-point evening (one goal and two helpers) marked his eighth multi-point game of the season and the fifth time he has recorded three or more points in an outing this year. He also regained sole possession of the top spot in the NHL scoring race with 29 points, three more than the Edmonton Oilers' Connor McDavid.
"Again, saying the same thing after every game I feel like, but it's a pretty good line to play on," Rantanen said. "Obviously the guys are helping me a lot, but the whole team played an excellent game. Everybody was on and into the game. It was a great team effort."

While the Avalanche's top line jumpstarted the team's offense, it was the other members of the team that sealed the comeback win. Matt Calvert, Tyson Jost and Alex Kerfoot all found the back of the net in the third period, and goaltender Semyon Varlamov was perfect in the final 36:55--including stopping all nine pucks in the last frame.
Colorado's effort against Boston was what Bednar wanted to see from his club after it ended a five-game winless streak on Sunday at the Edmonton Oilers.
"I think it is big for us because we just went through a stretch where we couldn't win, and we went into Edmonton and had a really nice game," Bednar said. "I loved the way we played structurally, real good commitment to defend and get above pucks, and we tried to do that again tonight."
INFIRMARY UPDATE: There was positive news regarding J.T. Compher on Wednesday morning as the forward could possibly return to action on the club's three-game road trip in California and Arizona next week.
Compher has been out since on Oct. 13 versus Calgary with a head injury but took part in morning skate while wearing a non-contact jersey.
"He's been feeling better. He skated with the group today in a red (non-contact jersey)," Bednar said. "We're hoping to get him into a contact practice soon. He's not available obviously for tonight, probably not Friday, but hopefully after that he will come on the road trip and could possibly play for us."
Sven Andrighetto, who has missed the last six contests with a lower-body injury, took part in the team's pre-game skate in a regular practice jersey. Bednar said Tuesday that the Swiss forward is doubtful for Friday's contest against the Washington Capitals, but that could change now that he's been a full participant in a team skate.
BARBERIO'S RETURN: Defenseman Mark Barberio was back in the Avalanche's lineup after being a healthy scratch for the past four games. His last outings came on Oct. 27 when he scored a goal at the Minnesota Wild and Nov. 1 at the Calgary Flames.
"He was sitting for quite some time, but I liked the way he played earlier in the year," Bednar said Wednesday morning. "And then he comes in at Minny and plays a really solid game for us at both ends of the rink. I loved his game there. He wasn't quite good the next night, and he ends up sitting again.
"It's just the nature of where we are at. We have seven NHL D-men, and we have some guys that we lean on really heavily. We're going to need all seven of those guys as the year goes on."
Barberio was paired on defense with Nikita Zadorov to start the contest and played a season-high 17:44. He also had two shots on goal, two hits and two takeaways.
MORE NOTES:The Avalanche tied a season high with six goals scored for a league-leading fourth time this year. The Avs' 65 total goals and 3.61 goals per game also paces the NHL.
Colorado finished 3-for-3 on the power play, the fourth time in Avalanche history (since 1995-96) that the club has been perfect with the man advantage with three chances (they've never gone 4-for-4). The Avs scored three or more power-play goals for the first time since March 30, 2018 versus Chicago.
Alexander Kerfoot finished with a goal and an assist and has now recorded eight points (three goals, five assists) over his last six outings, tied for the team lead (Nathan MacKinnon) for points in November.
Colorado won a season-high 59 percent of its faceoffs.
Ian Cole finished with six blocked shots and leads the NHL with 57 on the season.