Bruins Focus: Preview, Odds For Games Vs. Avalanche, Coyotes, Stars

The Boston Bruins look to get back to their winning ways with a three-game road trip that begins Wednesday.

Boston is coming off a 5-3 loss to the Anaheim Ducks at TD Garden on Monday night headlined by Tuukka Rask’s worst performance since his return to the team, but the B’s have a chance to right the ship.

It certainly will be no easy task beginning the trip with a game against the Colorado Avalanche, but the Bruins still do have some momentum swinging in their favor.

Let’s take a look at their schedule for the week ahead:
Wednesday, Jan. 26 at Colorado Avalanche, 10 p.m. ET
Friday, Jan. 28 at Arizona Coyotes, 9 p.m. ET
Sunday, Jan. 30 at Dallas Stars, 7:30 p.m. ET

What Bruins fans need to know
The Bruins are 7-3-0 in their last 10 games, including wins against the Washington Capitals and Tampa Bay Lightning, but they will be shorthanded for a little bit. Nick Foligno did not travel with Boston after suffering an upper-body injury in the loss to the Ducks. Trent Frederic remains out, but Anton Blidh and Matt Grzelcyk are feeling better and made the trip.

The red-hot Avalanche are in the midst of a seven-game winning streak. They are 9-0-1 in their last 10 games and sit atop the Central Division, four points ahead of the Nashville Predators.

The Coyotes, meanwhile, couldn’t be more opposite of Colorado, sitting at the bottom of the Central Division and losers of three straight. Arizona is in the middle of a rebuild, so this may be a prime opportunity for the Bruins to take advantage.

When it comes to the Stars, they’ve won their last four games after losing to the lowly Montreal Canadiens. Dallas catching fire has put it back into the playoff hunt at the midway point of the season.

Who Bruins should look out for
Darcy Kuemper, Pavel Francouz (Avalanche) — The Avs paid a steep price to bring in Kuemper from the Coyotes, and the goalie has been strong over the last two months with a .924 save percentage. Francouz, meanwhile, earned wins in six of his first seven starts and has a 2.03 goals-against average.

Jakob Chychrun (Coyotes) — Friday’s game will give the Bruins an up-close look at the defenseman, who they’ve been linked to in trade rumors. Chychrun has eight points in 30 games, and he certainly would help bolster the blue line. If nothing else, Boston could see in person what he could bring to the team.

Joe Pavelski (Stars) — The 37-year-old shows no signs of slowing down, leading the Stars in goals, assists and points, including a four-point night against the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night.

Odds
DraftKings Sportsbook has the Bruins as the +150 underdog against the Avalanche with the over/under goal total set at six. Brad Marchand is pegged at +170 to score, but if you’re feeling bold, David Pastrnak is +1100 to be the game’s first scorer Wednesday night.