“No one can stand a leg on that to say otherwise,” coach Jim Montgomery said.
All Bruins surveyed this week agreed that Avalanche superstar Cale Makar is the best offensive defenseman on the planet.
“He’s an absolute beast,” Marchand said. “Him and [Connor] McDavid are the best two guys in the league.”
Praise for the Stanley Cup champion Avalanche was spread so liberally in the Bruins locker room that it made one wonder whether they see themselves as an underdog in Saturday’s game. But that’s clearly not the case.
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Halfway through a run of top-tier opponents — Tampa on the road, Carolina, Tampa, Colorado, and Vegas at home, then a road trip that includes Colorado and Vegas — the Bruins (19-3-0) are still cooking.
They are taking too many minor penalties (91, 11th-most in the NHL), which could hamstring them against the Avalanche’s top-ranked power play (33.8 percent). Turnovers, Montgomery said, are another area in need of improvement, though he’s pleased with the level of offensive creativity.
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“I like the way we’ve played,” Montgomery said. “I think we’ve gotten spoiled with how much we’ve had the puck. When you play really good teams, you’re not going to have the puck much.
“I love the way we checked in the Carolina game and in the Tampa game. Tampa played a really strong, heavy game. A team that’s loaded with players that know how to win Stanley Cups. And we found a way to match that.
“I know we had the advantage of not playing on a back-to-back” — like Tampa Bay — “and that’s where I have so much admiration for Tampa Bay, how hard they made it on us.”
The Avalanche (13-7-1), who took down the Sabres, 6-4, Thursday, are without forwards Gabriel Landeskog, Valeri Nichushkin, Darren Helm, and Evan Rodrigues, and defenseman Bowen Byram. This is still a group, Montgomery noted, that went 16-4 in last year’s playoffs, making quick work of the Lightning in the Finals.
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Montgomery sees a team that reloads better than anyone, and works away from the puck better than anyone, too. He said the Avalanche, along with the Devils (who host the Bruins twice Christmas week), are the speediest teams in the league.
“They play fast and they are fast,” Montgomery said. “We play fast; I think we also play with a certain level of poise and possession in all three zones. We’re kind of like Tampa Bay, a very dangerous offensive team but I wouldn’t describe them as super fast. They’re fast, but it’s more of a controlled offensive scheme. Whereas the other ones put you on your heels.”
Colorado coach Jared Bednar is likely to start ex-Ranger Alexandar Georgiev (11-3-1, 2.58, .922) in net. As for the Bruins starter, Montgomery said it wasn’t safe to assume it would be Linus Ullmark.
“I don’t think it’s safe to assume at any point in your life,” he cracked.
What is more than likely: The No. 1 defense pair of Hampus Lindholm and Charlie McAvoy will see a lot of Avalanche linemates MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen, who entered Friday ranked fifth and 11th in league scoring.
In the last four games against that elite competition, the Lindholm-McAvoy pair has allowed next to nothing — just one high-danger shot attempt, according to Natural Stat Trick. And that’s while McAvoy is still finding his game after returning from shoulder surgery.
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Montgomery sees Lindholm reaching another level, particularly in his own end.
“He took it upon himself, like, ‘I’m going to shut some of the best players in the league down,’ and he’s done it,” Montgomery said.
Lindholm, ever confident, said he loves to face the best.
“I’ve done that my whole career,” he said. “I don’t think too much about it. I play the same way, and obviously you’ve got to know who you’re out there against and be smart. They’ll make you pay if you’re not smart defensively. There’s a little more excitement coming into these games, and that’s what you want.”
Makar and partner Devon Toews, several Bruins said, are the league’s top defensive pair. But not everyone agreed.
“I see Lindholm and McAvoy being right at the top of that list,” Brandon Carlo said. “I think it’s pretty amazing with the small sample size of what they have done together. They haven’t played together much. It’s a lot of fun to watch, and how they create off each other in the offensive zone is pretty cool too.
“If you build chemistry into that, you’ll start to see something special. I think that’s all Makar and Toews have on them is the chemistry aspect, because they’ve played together longer.”
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Boston’s power play is ranked second (34.2) and its third-ranked penalty kill (83.5) far outpaces Colorado’s (22nd overall, 76.3) … Saturday’s schedule at Warrior Ice Arena is busy. The Bruins host their annual coaching symposium at 7 a.m., with input from Montgomery and defensive assistant John Gruden. At 2 p.m., the Bruins Alumni team plays Navy veterans in the Nathan H. Hardy Memorial Game, in honor of a Navy SEAL from Durham, N.H., who died in 2008 while serving in Iraq … Ex-Bruins strongman Kevan Miller makes his alumni team debut. Marchand, asked for a stat-line prediction for his pal: “I’d say about 28 hits, three or four fights. He gets pretty riled up about things, and he’s got nowhere to take it out now. These poor old guys are going to catch a beating.” … Zdeno Chara, who also makes his alumni debut, and Ray Bourque are among the other big names playing.
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Matt Porter can be reached at matthew.porter@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter: @mattyports.