BOSTON – On Saturday, the Boston Bruins secured a 3-1 victory over the Colorado Avalanche, with David Pastrnak playing a pivotal role by scoring a goal and providing two assists. This win came on the heels of Colorado’s recent trade involving star winger Mikko Rantanen.

Pastrnak was instrumental in the third period, assisting Morgan Geekie on both of his goals, and later adding an empty-net goal in the closing seconds—marking his 24th goal for the season. This victory was also notable as it marked Boston’s 10th win out of their last 12 appearances at home.

For the Avalanche, Artturi Lehkonen contributed their sole goal, managing to score in what turned out to be their third straight loss. The team faced a significant shift in their lineup after trading Rantanen in a three-team deal on Friday, which sent him to Carolina in exchange for forwards Martin Necas and Jack Drury, along with draft picks for the upcoming years.

Geekie tied the match early in the third period, scoring just 25 seconds in with a powerful one-timer past goaltender Scott Wedgewood. He then notched his second goal at 5:44, benefitting from another clever assist from Pastrnak. Earlier in the game, Colorado had taken the lead when Lehkonen successfully shot a wrist shot from the right circle past Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman early in the second period.

In their previous encounter, Boston had outplayed Colorado with a score of 5-3 in October.

The matchup had a couple of key points. For the Avalanche, both Necas and Drury, who had been playing against the New York Islanders, made their way to Boston and participated in the game. On the Bruins’ side, Swayman returned to the ice after being sidelined due to an upper-body injury which kept him from playing in the team’s previous 2-0 win over Ottawa.

A notable moment in the game occurred after a somewhat lackluster first couple of periods. The Bruins surged into the Colorado zone on a 3-on-2 rush, where Pastrnak delivered a perfect setup for Geekie to score, tying the game.

In terms of individual performance, Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon entered the game leading the NHL with an impressive 75 points (comprising 19 goals and 56 assists) but was unable to score during this match.

Looking ahead, the Avalanche will face a quick turnaround as they prepare to play the New York Rangers on Sunday, while the Bruins are set to take on Buffalo on Tuesday.