The Colorado Avalanche lost their fourth straight game to start the season, this time 5-3 against the Boston Bruins. Here are 3 takeaways from another loss in Colorado.

Kylington drives the battle bus

It’s noticeable that the Avalanche are missing a top defenseman. It’s even more noticeable when the replacement, Oliver Kylington, has struggled mightily, and that’s putting it lightly. The 27-year-old defenseman, who signed a one-year contract this summer, hasn’t played much hockey over the past two seasons and it really shows. Mishandling the puck, losing puck battles, you name it. It was a rough start to his Avalanche career.

Another attacker is injured

Can the Avalanche go one game without losing a player? In the third period, Miles Wood took a nasty blindside blow that left him in serious pain. He was on the ice for several minutes and was attended to by the training staff, but did not return. After the game, Jared Bednar didn’t get an update on his status, but things weren’t looking good.

Power play keeps them alive

Without the power play, this game could have been ugly. Colorado’s had three power plays and scored on all three. Ross Colton was a good match playing the bumper role in the middle, while Mikko Rantanen picked up three points on the night and played a part in all the goals.

Avalanche 3, Bruins 5

What happened: Colorado just can’t get the momentum going and drops their fourth straight game to start the season, giving them their worst start since the 1998-99 season.

What went well: Ross Colton is off to a great start this season. He played a little bit of everything on Wednesday, but was probably the most consistent offensive player throughout the game, scoring an early power-play goal.

What went wrong: That second period. Colorado wasn’t bad in the first period, but the first 10-12 minutes of the second period were spent on their own. The Bruins simply outplayed and outplayed them in every puck battle.

Between the pipes: Alexandar Georgiev stopped just 20 of the 24 shots he faced, but looked a little more comfortable in the process, making some big stops as the Avalanche floundered early in the second.

What’s next: The Avalanche conclude their homestand against the Anaheim Ducks this Friday. That game starts at 7 p.m