Early look The full preview opens on Sunday 17 January, three days before puck drop, with the expected goalies, the latest team news and game-day prices. Until then this page shows the matchup as it stands.
Early look · NHL 2026-27

Boston Bruins at Colorado Avalanche: game preview

Puck drop20 Jan · 9:00 PM ET
VenueBall Arena
All-time meetings48 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Twenty-one points apart last season

Boston finished last season 8th in the league on 100 points. Colorado finished 1st on 121.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 49

Across 48 completed games, Colorado lead the head-to-head 29-18-1.

All-time record29-18-1Colorado's record in the series
Meetings played48This is number 49
2025-26 series—
Last 54-1Boston
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
25 Oct 2025COL 2 – BOS 3——BOS
18 Oct 2025BOS 1 – COL 4——COL
25 Jan 2025COL 1 – BOS 3——BOS
16 Oct 2024BOS 5 – COL 3——BOS
18 Jan 2024COL 2 – BOS 5——BOS
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateBostonColorado
18 Oct 20253-3-0 · 6 pts17th5-0-1 · 11 pts1st
25 Oct 20254-6-0 · 8 pts27th5-1-3 · 13 pts5th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 18 Oct 2025, Boston were 17th in the league and Colorado 1st. By 25 Oct 2025 it was 27th and 5th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Colorado out-attempted Boston 172 to 80

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

Boston Bruins

80 att · 33 on goal · 4 G · 12.1%
Crease8 att · 2 G
Slot22 att · 2 G
Wing30 att · 0 G
Point18 att · 0 G
Neutral zone2 att · 0 G

Colorado Avalanche

172 att · 71 on goal · 6 G · 8.5%
Crease14 att · 1 G
Slot71 att · 2 G
Wing47 att · 1 G
Point37 att · 1 G
Neutral zone3 att · 1 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Colorado have created the better chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

BostonColorado
2.87xG for per game3.16
3.13xG against per game2.55
47.8%xG share55.4%
−2.5FinishingGoals minus expected goals+7.7
+1.5GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+0.1

This season: 4 games for Boston, 2 for Colorado. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →


Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

Boston

Small sample
Power play · 2026-270.0%
Power play · 2025-2623.4% · 9th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2772.7%
Penalty kill · 2025-2677.0% · 24th
Faceoffs · 2026-2750.4% · 117/232
Drawn · 2026-2710 (2.50/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2711 (2.75/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Colorado

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2744.4%
Power play · 2025-2617.1% · 27th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-27100.0%
Penalty kill · 2025-2684.6% · 1st
Faceoffs · 2026-2746.8% · 58/124
Drawn · 2026-279 (4.50/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-276 (3.00/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Skaters to watch

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
47Mark Kastelic41230.75
10JJ Peterka42020.50
44James Hagens42020.50
88Martin Necas22242.00
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
27Hampus Lindholm41120.50
91Nikita Zadorov40220.50
6Mason Lohrei40220.50
42Josh Manson21231.50
8Cale Makar21231.50
7Devon Toews20221.00
Defencemen stats

Goaltending

Who has stopped this matchup

Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Expected starter after their game on 18 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 18 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Boston crease

BOS · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 17 Jan

Jeremy Swayman.9143 GP · 2-1-0 · GSAx +1.4
Michael DiPietro.8971 GP · 0-1-0 · GSAx −0.7

No appearances against Colorado in the last meetings.

Colorado crease

COL · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 17 Jan

Mackenzie Blackwood.9122 GP · 2-0-0 · GSAx +0.1

No appearances against Boston in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.3 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

25 Oct 20255 · COL 2–3 BOS
18 Oct 20255 · BOS 1–4 COL
25 Jan 20254 · COL 1–3 BOS
16 Oct 20248 · BOS 5–3 COL
18 Jan 20247 · COL 2–5 BOS

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Boston2.252.753.323.05
Colorado7.002.503.682.48

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest6.3Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings5.8Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

5 on the injury lists

Boston · injuries

Charlie McAvoySuspensionOutReturn13 Oct

Colorado · injuries

Georgii MerkulovUndisclosedIRReturn16 Oct
Logan O'ConnorLower BodyIRReturn7 Oct
Trent MinerUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct
Zachary L'HeureuxLower BodyIRReturn7 Oct
5 Oct · BOS

Reinstated C Matthew Poitras from injured reserve.

4 Oct · BOS

Placed RW Michael Eyssimont on waivers.

27 Sep · BOS

Placed D Henri Jokiharju on waivers. Placed C Matthew Poitras on injured reserve.

27 Sep · COL

Placed LD Keaton Middleton, LD Wyatt Aamodt, RW/LW Fabian Lysell, C Vinnie Hinostroza, LW Adam Beckman and LW Tristen Nielsen on waivers.

27 Sep · COL

Placed D Keaton Middleton, D Wyatt Aamodt, LW Fabian Lysell, C Vinnie Hinostroza, LW Adam Beckman and G Mads Sogaard Nielsen on waivers.

25 Sep · COL

Reassigned Ds Domenick Fensore, Saige Weinstein and Christian Wolanin to Colorado (AHL).

Injury report
#56Yuri IvanovRound 2 · Spartak Jr.G
#88Nils BartholdssonRound 3 · Rogle Jr.RW
#104Matvei KotkovRound 4 · Yaroslavl Jr.RW
#122Oscar OlssonRound 4 · Orebro Jr.LW
Full draft
#43Egor ShilovRound 2 · VictoriavilleC
#74Beckett HamiltonRound 3 · Red DeerC
#126Tobias TvrznikRound 4 · WenatcheeG
#128Axel ElofssonRound 4 · Orebro Jr.D
Full draft

Updated after every final