Currently: - Game info: 1:00 pm EDT Mon Oct 12, 2009
- TV: ALT, NESN
The Boston Bruins hope their latest victory will provide some momentum and help end their opening stretch of home games on a positive note.
That still might not be easy against the Colorado Avalanche.
The Bruins look for a second straight victory while trying to beat the Avalanche at home for the first time in more than a decade Monday afternoon.
After going an Eastern Conference-best 29-6-6 at home last season, Boston (2-2-0) has been rather inconsistent during its opening five-game homestand. The Bruins beat Carolina 7-2 on Oct. 3, but were outscored 10-2 in losses to Washington and Anaheim at TD Garden.
While being showered with boos by the home crowd most of the night, Boston rallied from a three-goal, third-period deficit to beat the New York Islanders 4-3 in a shootout Saturday night.
Marc Savard(notes) scored in regulation and the shootout, while defenseman Matt Hunwick(notes) added his second goal with an assist for Boston, which regained the support of the home crowd.
“Hopefully we can get (the crowd) back Monday with another (win),” Savard told the Bruins’ official Web site.
The Bruins end their home stretch with this contest before heading to Dallas and Phoenix. While Boston should have confidence after its most recent victory, it’s 0-3-1 with one tie at home against the Avalanche since a 4-1 win on March 30, 1998.
Colorado (2-1-1), however, will try to avoid a third straight loss after falling 4-3 at Chicago on Saturday in a shootout that lasted nine rounds.
“We’re not satisfied with our game (Saturday),” Boston coach Claude Julien said. “A lot of it is about confidence. The confidence we gained from the third period will hopefully carry over to the next game.”
Savard has two goals with three assists this season and eight with five assists in 18 games versus the Avalanche. He had a goal and an assist in a 5-4 win at Colorado on Oct. 9, 2008.
After sitting out Saturday’s game, Tim Thomas(notes) is likely to be back in net for Boston.
Coming off a career-high 36-win season where he had a 2.10 goals-against average and won the Vezina Trophy, Thomas is 1-2-0 with 4.01 GAA this season. He is 1-1-0 with a 2.51 GAA against the Avalanche.
Wojtek Wolski(notes) scored his team-leading fourth goal Saturday for the Colorado, which is 0-1-1 on a seven-game road trip - its longest since moving to Denver from Quebec in 1995.
Wolski, who scored 14 goals in 78 games last season, had one in Colorado’s loss to Boston last October.
Craig Anderson(notes), who made 20 saves and did his best to keep his team alive in the shootout against the Blackhawks, is expected to make his fifth consecutive start for Colorado.
A backup with Chicago and Florida the past six seasons, Anderson is 2-1-1 with a 1.97 GAA this season.
“The pressure starts to build. I’ll take it game by game,” said Anderson, who’s 2-3-0 with a 2.89 GAA against Boston. “My job is to give the team a chance to win.”
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