Need to Know: Bruins at Avalanche

DENVER - The Bruins will commence their three-game road trip on Wednesday night with a showdown against the red-hot Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena. The Avs have won seven straight overall and 16 consecutive games on home ice.
"They have won I think whatever it is, [16] in a row at home, playing well and has played well for years," said Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy. "We've had good games against them, just come up a little bit short in crunch time. In that regard, we'd better be ready to go.
"Some good road games recently, we had a long stretch at home. Played well in Washington, played well in Tampa, Detroit, so we hope that that continues, our ability to win both in Boston and on the road."
Here's everything else you need to know ahead of the 10 p.m. puck drop on TNT and 98.5 The Sports Hub:

Blidh Back In

After missing the last two games with an upper-body injury, Anton Blidh will return to the lineup and take the place of the injured Nick Foligno as Boston's fourth-line left wing. With Foligno sidelined, Cassidy said that Taylor Hall will remain in the net-front spot on the B's No. 1 power-play unit.
Matt Grzelcyk (upper-body) took part in the pregame skate in Denver, but will miss his second consecutive contest. Urho Vaakanainen will remain alongside Charlie McAvoy on Boston's top defense pairing.
"Grizz is gonna need another couple days anyway so Vaak will stay in. Hopefully Grizz is ready for Arizona," said Cassidy."

Carlo Back Home

Whenever Brandon Carlo plays in Denver, he never knows who he might see when he looks up into the Ball Arena crowd. The blue liner grew up just an hour south in Colorado Springs and anytime the Bruins are in town, Carlo has a large contingent of friends and family - sometimes upwards of 60 people - in the stands to cheer him on.
"It's very special. We only get to come here once a year…each time it holds value for a lot of my family and friends to be able to come and support me here in my hometown," said Carlo, who last played in Colorado in Oct. 2019 - a 4-2 loss for the Black & Gold.
"I'm from an hour south but everybody makes the trek up and it's great to see a lot of my friends and family in the stands. I'll be lining up for a draw, I'll look up into the stands for a second and recognize somebody I haven't seen in a couple years…I enjoy it a lot."
Carlo was able to return to his offseason home in Denver on Tuesday night and spend some time with his parents, as well as his fiancé and baby daughter, who made the trip from Boston.
"Nice to be at home for a night, get a couple hours there and great to give my parents a hug," said Carlo.

Opposing View

The high-powered Avalanche are tied with Tampa Bay for the second-most points in the NHL with 61 and have a 12-0-1 record in January, matching a franchise record for most wins in one month. Colorado (29-8-3) leads the Central Division, carrying a four-point lead over Nashville into Wednesday night's contest.
The Avs have three players in the top 17 of the league's scoring race: Nazdem Kadri (fourth: 16-36-52), Mikko Rantanen (seventh: 22-27-49), and Nathan MacKinnon (17th: 9-34-43). Gabriel Landeskog also brings some punch up front with a 15-24-39 line in 32 games.
UMass alum Cale Makar has a line of 16-23-39 in 36 games, ranking fourth among NHL defensemen in scoring. Fellow blue liner Devon Toews had 32 points (8 goals, 24 assists) in 29 games.
Darcy Kuemper carries the load between the pipes with a 19-5-1 record to go along with a 2.63 goals against average and .913 save percentage.

Wednesday's Projected Lineup

FORWARDS
Brad Marchand - Patrice Bergeron - Craig Smith
Taylor Hall - Erik Haula - David Pastrnak
Jake DeBrusk - Charlie Coyle - Oskar Steen
Anton Blidh - Tomas Nosek - Curtis Lazar
DEFENSEMEN
Urho Vaakanainen - Charlie McAvoy
Mike Reilly - Brandon Carlo
Derek Forbort - Connor Clifton
GOALIES
Linus Ullmark
Tuukka Rask