The set-up: The Colorado Avalanche finished the 2016-17 season with the fewest points (48) of any NHL team in the salary cap era but have to be happy about their 2-1-0 start to the new season. That includes a 4-0 win over the Bruins on Monday and tonight at home, the Avalanche will have a chance to complete a two-game season sweep of the 1-1-0 Boston Bruins in the back end of a home-and-home series at the Pepsi Center. The Bruins opened their season with a 4-3 home win over the Nashville Predators, who lost in the Stanley Cup Finals to Pittsburgh last season, but then had 'nothing' in Monday's 4-0 loss to the Avs.

Boston: The Bruins will again be without two-way center Patrice Bergeron (lower body), who has now been sidelined for the first three games of the season for the second straight year. "I don't know if it 'got worse' is the right way to put it. It just hasn't, I guess, responded well to treatment is probably a better way to put it," head coach Bruce Cassidy told reporters on Tuesday. Fellow forward David Backes (diverticulitis) will also sit out on Wednesday. The Bruins' lack of depth at the forward position prompted some roster shuffling. They called up Danton Heinen from Providence and signed journeyman Ryan White to a professional tryout agreement. Both players are with the team on this trip.

Colorado: The Avalanche may be 2-1-0 but the etam hasn't lacked for some drama. Center Matt Duchene was expected to be traded in the off-season and reported for training camp a month ago and said he was doing so only to honor his contract and teammates. He has a goal and three overall points so far bu former Colorado star and Hockey Hall of Fame member Peter Forsberg told Swedish TV on Saturday the Avalanche should bench Duchene and trade him. In other "news," the Avs were hoping that Nail Yakupov could give their ailing offense a lift and signed the former No. 1 overall pick to a one-year deal in the of-season. He had three goals and nine points in 40 games for St. Louis but had a two-goal performance versus Boston to pull even with Duchene for the team lead in points (three). Goalie Semyon Varlamov is looking no worse for wear after undergoing double hip surgery in January, as he turned aside 37 shots in a season-opening win over the New York Rangers and all 29 he faced in Monday's 2-0 victory over Boston. "It's a good start for me. I didn't play for a long time," said the 29-year-old Russian, who boasts a 1.00 goals-against average and .971 save percentage.

The pick: Neither club is faring well on the power play, as the Bruins are just 1-for-9 with the man advantage while the Avalanche are 1-for-12. Colorado has allowed six goals this season but none at even strength! Boston played reasonably well on the road last season (21-14-6) and I'm not yet 'buying in' to Colorado being all that improved, after just three games. Let's not forget that the Avs finished the 2016-17 season last in the league in goals per game (2.01), goals allowed (3.37), power-play efficiency (12.6) and second to last on the penalty kill (77.3). Make Boston a 10* play