Bruins Fall 4-1 in Colorado, ‘Take the Positives and get Ready for Tomorrow’

DENVER –– Jeremy Swayman stood in front of his stall at Ball Arena and did not waste time on the negatives.

The goaltender – who made 34 saves in the Boston Bruins’ 4-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday – was already focused on the future.

“Everyone in here does their job to the best of their abilities. That’s why I believe in this team so much. Because we have such quality human beings, great hockey players,” Swayman said. “I know this is going to turn, and it’s because of the positivity we keep in this locker room, the belief we keep in this locker room, to a man.”

The Bruins, after all, were in the game through two periods of play.

Johnny Beecher got the B’s going early in the opening stanza. Charlie McAvoy carried the puck down to the right circle and faked a slapshot, instead dishing it over to Beecher for a back-door, knock-in tally. Beecher’s first goal of the year – in his first game of the season – made it 1-0 at 3:11. The 24-year-old forward skated on the fourth line with Sean Kuraly and Mark Kastelic.

“Obviously, getting the first one out of the way always feels good. Felt more and more comfortable as the game went on,” Beecher said. “I am happy with the adjustments that were made and the fact that I was [able] to feel more comfortable out there.”​

The Avalanche earned the lead by the end of the 20 minutes. Nathan MacKinnon potted a back-handed shot at 7:08 before Josh Manson ripped one from the point for the 2-1 advantage at 10:22.

Swayman, who got his second consecutive start of the road trip, stood tall for the Bruins in the middle frame, making 16 saves. The goaltender was a key piece of Boston’s penalty kill, which went 3-for-3 in the second against a Colorado power play that included the likes of MacKinnon, Martin Necas and Cale Makar. The PK finished the night 5-for-5.

“That’s why he played tonight again. He was outstanding,” head coach Marco Sturm said of Swayman. “Our kill was outstanding. I thought our D overall did their job. And our grinders. I think four games in a row now, they’ve been our best players.”​

MacKinnon unleashed a one-timer from the right side at 4:14 of the third period for his second goal of the night and the 3-1 scoreline. The ensuing empty-net goal from Necas at 17:23 brought the game to its final 4-1 standing.

“We did a lot of good things, don’t forget. We did a lot of good things, especially in our zone. I really liked our D-zone, I liked our kill, goalie was great,” Sturm said. “These guys work. We just need the rest to dial in.”

Hampus Lindholm was a positive on the backend. The defenseman returned to the lineup after missing three games with a lower-body injury. He skated on the second pair with Andrew Peeke and had three blocks through 20:44 of ice time.

“I felt good. It is nice to be out there with the guys. It’s nice to be out there playing,” Lindholm said. “Tough game tonight, but lots of stuff to build on for myself, and then I feel like as a team here, get back on the horse.”

The Bruins close out their three-game road trip on Sunday with a 7 p.m. ET matchup against the Utah Mammoth at Delta Center.​

“It’s the best thing about this league – can’t dwell too long because you have another game, another opponent, another city right around the corner,” Swayman said. “That’s our job tonight, to turn the page, take the positives and get ready for tomorrow.”