The Colorado Avalanche earned their first victory of the season in a most dramatic fashion Monday afternoon against the Boston Bruins. After having a goal waved off in controversial fashion earlier in the third period, the Avs got a goal off the stick of Daniel Briere just ahead of the final buzzer to end regulation.
There was about 0.5 seconds left on the clock when Briere’s shot crossed the goal line, sending the Bruins to their third-straight defeat and earning the Avalanche their first win after an 0-2-0 start to the season.
The goal also marked the 300th of Briere’s NHL career and his first in a Colorado uniform. I’m sure every milestone goal is memorable, but this one should particularly stand out for the 37-year-old forward.
The tally came after a pretty great effort by the Avs in the offensive zone, battling for pucks and trying to keep plays alive. Jan Hejda eventually just threw a puck on net. Briere actually knocked it down before it got there. That fooled Bruins goalie Niklas Svedberg and left him out of position as the veteran forward calmly shoveled the puck into the net just before the final buzzer sounded.
What a remarkable finish for a team that really needed that win.