DENVER — They might not be scoring as much as they should, but there is no faulting the Bruins when it comes to firing shots. They’re scooting, they’re shooting, and they also happen to be winning.
Less than 24 hours after wringing out a one-goal win in Arizona, the Bruins followed here Sunday night with a 2-0 win over the Avalanche at the Pepsi Center. They fired 64 shots — 45 that made it to the net — and ultimately it was David Krejci’s goal midway through the first period that proved to be the winner.
Dominic Moore added an empty-net goal with 27.2 seconds to go for the final.
While the Avalanche mounted a mere 21 shots on the night — a tidy seven in each period — the Bruins rolled to their third straight win on the strength of Krejci’s strike and yet another air-tight performance by Tuukka Rask (21 saves, third shutout of the season).
“I can’t recall any real breakdowns for us,’’ said Rask, who pocketed his 33rd career shutout and improved his record to 10-1-0 this season. “We kept them on the outside and really limited their scoring chances and rushes.’’
The win improved Boston’s record to 10-6-0, inching the Bruins into more comfortable position in the Eastern Conference standings, and improved their record to 2-0 on the road trip. They wrap up the trip Thursday night in St. Paul, hoping to build on their 7-3-0 road mark.
Like the night before in Glendale, the Bruins struck for the night’s first goal, with Krejci potting his second of the season at 9:30 of the opening period.
Adam McQuaid started the scoring play, turning back the Avalanche on transition in the neutral zone. He pushed the puck ahead for Ryan Spooner and David Backes to advance into the attack zone. Backes fed Krejci, who broke in down the right side to wrist a 15-footer by Semyon Varlamov’s blocker.
“A little bit of a broken play,’’ said Krejci, noting how his goal developed. “Backs saw me with his vision and was just kind of flying wide and got good speed. I kind of read the scouting report on that goalie, tried that shot, happy it went in.’’
Only 30 seconds later, Austin Czarnik nearly made it 2-0 when he blitzed in from the right side, but Varlamov turned away the plucky winger’s backhand stuff at the left post.
Czarnik has been gaining confidence in recent games, playing on a line with Matt Beleskey and Riley Nash. With only 46 seconds to go in the first, Czarnik had another great chance, set up in front by a clever Beleskey feed. Caught slightly by surprise by Beleskey’s silky relay, Czarnik slightly heeled his shot, botching the perfect setup.
The Bruins really poured on the shots in the second period, building a 35-14 shot edge through 40 minutes, but they could not add to their lead. But it was not due to lack of chances.
“The biggest thing is, we’ve got to start getting rewarded for those kind of efforts,’’ noted coach Claude Julien, who liked his club’s effort but is still concerned over the amount of chances that don’t result in goals. “And that kind of dominance. It was still a 1-0 game there after the second. Hopefully the goals will follow.’’
The best of a handful of prime bids came with 1:57 to go in the second when Varlamov turned back Brad Marchand’s blistering one-timer from the low edge of the right wing circle.
“To be honest, I was a little surprised at the pass,’’ said Marchand, who was set up by Patrice Bergeron. “I thought he was going to go up to Torey [Krug] and I swung a little early. Obviously, I want to try to get that up. Frustrating, but we won, so, not a big deal.’’
Later, with only 20 seconds to go before the break and the Bruins on their first power play in two nights, Krug rang a wrist shot halfway up the left post.
Headed into the third period, the Bruins had launched 50 shots at Varlamov, 35 finding the target. The Avalanche only had 27 attempts on Rask, only 14 for him to stop
“I think guys are creating opportunities, which is great to see,’’’ said Marchand. “We are all starting to find chemistry with our lines and we are building on that every game. You can tell each line is getting a little bit better every game and, again, we are generating more opportunities, more shots, and that is what you have do in this league — you have to throw pucks at the net and good things will happen.’’
Kevin Paul Dupont can be reached at kevin.dupont @globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeKPD.
