BOSTON -- Martin Necas and Jack Drury each made his debut for the Colorado Avalanche in a 3-1 loss to the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Saturday. The forwards were acquired Friday in a three-team trade also involving the Carolina Hurricanes and Chicago Blackhawks that sent Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall to the Hurricanes.

The up-and-down Boston Bruins remain squarely on a crowded playoff bubble in the Eastern Conference. Team president Cam Neely has acknowledged that a “retool” could be on the table between now and the March 7 trade deadline.

The hockey schedule waits for no one. The Avalanche were preparing for an early matinee matchup on Saturday when they made the late Friday night whopper of a trade with Carolina.

Martin Necas and Jack Drury, who each moved from Carolina to Colorado are expected to be in the lineup for the Avalanche. They were helped logistics. Carolina was in Long Island to face the Islanders when the deal was made, making it logistically feasible to get them from New York to Boston in time for the game despite the early (1 p.m.) start.

The Bruins looked overmatched for two periods, but Morgan Geekie scored two third period goals to lift the B’s to a 3-1 win.

The Colorado Avalanche (28-19-2) open a three-game road trip against the Boston Bruins (24-20-6). Puck drop is scheduled for 11:08 a.m. MT. READ MORE: Avalanche Trade Mikko Rantanen to Carolina in 3-Way Deal for Martin Necas and Jack Drury This post-Mikko Rantanen era starts now.

A former Bruins player and a soon-to-be Bruins opponent were each part of a sizable three-team deal involving the Avalanche, Blackhawks and Hurricanes. As expected Taylor Hall is on the move again. Hall, who spent parts of three seasons as a Bruin is going from Chicago to Carolina.

I never thought in a million years he would leave. So yeah, it sucks,” said Nathan MacKinnon of the Mikko Rantanen trade.

Like Rantanen, Marner is UFA-eligible on July 1. Friedman pointed out Marner has a full no-movement clause whereas Rantanen had a partial no-trade. Proteau believes he'll re-sign with the Leafs.

The Colorado Avalanche ended a three-game losing streak Sunday by beating a white-hot New York Rangers team by a 5-4 score. It was the Avs' first win after their blockbuster trade that sent star right winger Mikko Rantanen to Carolina and brought in forwards Martin Necas and Jack Drury from the Hurricanes,

After that game, Avalanche players finally had a chance to publicly react to the trade, and the team's best player, Nathan MacKinnon, had one of the stronger reactions.