BOSTON — Brad Marchand scored 4:03 into overtime and the Boston Bruins extended their points streak to seven games with a 2-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday.
Patrice Bergeron left the puck at the top of the right circle for Marchand, who skated into the slot and fired it past goalie Semyon Varlamov to extend his franchise record with 14 career overtime goals.
John Moore also scored and Jaroslav Halak made 35 saves for the Bruins, who improved to 4-0-3 in their last seven.
Nathan MacKinnon scored his 29th goal for Colorado, tying Gabriel Landeskog for the team lead. Varlamov had 33 saves as the Avs lost their seventh in a row (0-3-3) but earned a point with a third straight overtime loss.
MacKinnon gained control of the puck in the corner before charging the net and beating Halak high on the glove side with 32.1 seconds left in the first.
Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)
Boston tied it on Moore’s goal nearly four minutes into the second. The veteran defenceman’s wrist shot from atop the left circle found its way past a screened Varlamov for his third goal of the season.
MacKinnon’s perfectly-timed exit from the penalty box during a Bruins power play midway through the period resulted in a breakaway, but he hesitated and jammed the puck against Halak’s blocker.
Moore nearly scored another when he dumped the puck into the Avs’ zone, only to have it take a wild bounce off the glass and zip past an unsuspecting Varlamov with 24.1 seconds left in the second. Moore stared in disbelief as the referees waved it off, saying the puck went out of play after hitting the curved glass next to Boston’s bench.
NOTES: Colorado had won four straight against the Bruins and was 12-2-1 in its previous 15 games in Boston. . Boston RW David Pastrnak’s seven-game points streak (four goals, seven assists) was snapped. . Avalanche D Ian Cole (upper body) was sidelined a second straight game after his hit on Washington’s Evgeny Kuznetsov on Thursday evoked a bloody fight with Capitals RW Tom Wilson. . Bruins D Matt Grzelcyk (lower body) was out for a second straight game, but will skate Monday and could return Tuesday against Chicago. . Colorado D Mark Barberio (head) missed his sixth game in a row and C Vladislav Kamenev (shoulder) his 25th. . Boston D Steven Kampfer re-joined Providence of the AHL on a conditional loan before the game.
UP NEXT
Avalanche: Host Maple Leafs on Tuesday night.
Bruins: Host Blackhawks on Tuesday night.
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Gethin Coolbaugh, The Associated Press