colorado notes..

[IE]

Coach Sacco gave the day off to several veterans Sunday, after the team didn't arrive into their Boston hotel rooms until 3 a.m. following Saturday's game at Chicago. The Avs play against the Boston Bruins today at 11 a.m. MDT, the third of a seven-game road trip.

"I thought we played well in Chicago. We held them to 25 shots, and I think they were averaging around 41 a game, so we did a good job defensively," Sacco said. "(The Bruins) are one of the elite teams in the Eastern Conference, and they're going to come out probably like gangbusters because they got off to a slow start against the Islanders (Saturday). But they persevered and got the win, and it's going to be a great challenge for us."

Notebook

Avalanche: Right wing David Jones (bruised chest) skated a full practice Sunday and could be available for duty today, coach Joe Sacco said. . . . Sacco said Craig Anderson will start in goal. He has started every game this season for Colorado. Anderson's brother, Jon, was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in 1999 and played four years as an infielder in the team's minor-league system. . . . Defenseman Ruslan Salei (back) did not practice Sunday and isn't expected to play today. . . . Some Avalanche personnel attended Sunday's Red Sox-Angels playoff game at Fenway Park.

Bruins: Boston is coming off a 4-3 shootout win over the New York Islanders on Saturday night. The Bruins were down 3-0 midway through the third period before mounting a comeback. . . . Coach Claude Julien wasn't happy with his team before the win over the Islanders, a game preceded by a 6-1 home loss to Anaheim. He put the team through a grueling "bag skate" Friday. . . .

 

[IE]

Not satisfied
Because of today?s matinee against Colorado, the Bruins had a rare Sunday practice at Ristuccia Arena. One of the primary missions was to improve defensive-zone coverage. During one drill, the defenders flipped their sticks upside down to emphasize proper positioning.

?There?s an urgency right now,?? said Mark Recchi. ?Guys are understanding that we?ve got to get this thing going. We have an opportunity [today] to be a game over .500 on a homestand where we really didn?t play well. If we can come out of here with a win, we can go on the road and continue to build this thing the right way.??

The Bruins also spent part of practice working on the power play, which is 4 for 24 through four games.

Wideman out
Dennis Wideman, who injured his left shoulder in the second period Saturday night, sat out practice and will not suit up today. Wideman suffered the injury after throwing a check on Moulson and falling into the boards. Julien said Wideman should be day-to-day following today?s game . . . With Wideman out, Johnny Boychuk, a healthy scratch in the first four games, will make his 2009-10 debut. Boychuk most likely will skate with Mark Stuart on the third pairing. Boychuk, who has a heavy shot, could see some power-play time on the second unit. Patrice Bergeron replaced Wideman on the point Saturday night on the No. 2 unit . . . Thornton, Steve Begin, and Michael Ryder were given maintenance days yesterday. Julien said all three should be available today. Begin is the most banged-up of the three forwards, having taken a Mark Streit slap shot off the right knee in the first period. Begin had to miss approximately five minutes after blocking Streit?s shot.