(My Sportsbook) - The Colorado Avalanche were seemingly on their way to, at worst, picking up a point for the second straight game Monday night against visiting Boston.

Tied 1-1 with the clock winding down, the Avs were unable to contain the elusive Sergei Samsonov and allowed him to maneuver from the right corner to the right circle. The Russian winger proceeded to snap a high wrist shot past goaltender Patrick Roy with half a second showing on the clock.

And if anyone knows how valuable that overtime point lost might turn out in the end, it's Colorado. Last season the Avs finished tied with San Jose in the Western Conference standings, and by virtue of tiebreakers were awarded a higher seed an home-ice advantage in the teams' second-round playoff series. A loss like Monday's a year ago could have cost the Avs such a luxury, and they would have had to play the seventh and deciding game of that series in San Jose.

"Zero-point-five for one [standings] point," Colorado defenseman Rob Blake told the Rocky Mountain News. "Knowing last year how big one point is -- it meant a seventh game against San Jose [in our building]. You want to take advantage of those points as much as you can."

Martin Skoula scored the lone Avalanche tally, while Roy had a 35-save performance wasted after keeping his club afloat in the game. Colorado also fired at a sub-par 1-for-8 power-play clip on the night.

"We got what we deserved," coach Bob Hartley said. "Certainly, it's a tough one to swallow. Hey, the Bruins, after a bad start in Minnesota, bounced back. They had a much better effort than we did.

"I'm certain that our best guys will agree that they were not the best. Our power play had numerous chances to put us on top and generate momentum. We didn't generate anything. It's a good thing that Patrick was there."

The winning goal game with Boston a man up, as Milan Hejduk was whistled for tripping with 15.5 seconds left in regulation.

The loss to Boston came five days after Colorado opened the season with a 1-1 tie against Dallas at the Pepsi Center. Sophomore winger Radim Vrbata, who is trying to build on an impressive rookie year, salvaged the point for the Avs with a rebound tally in the middle of the third period.

UP NEXT

Monday's tilt closed out a season-opening two-game homestand for Colorado, and Hartley's club begins a three-game California road trip on Thursday in Los Angeles. The Avs also visit San Jose on Saturday, and Anaheim the next night.