Recap: Bruins fall to Oilers, 3-2, as Edmonton comes back in third

The Boston Bruins fell to the Edmonton Oilers, 3-2, at the TD Garden tonight, as the Oilers scored three consecutive goals to come back and win the game.

The loss snapped a 10-game winning streak for the Bruins.

Here are the highlights:

First period:

The Bruins opened the scoring at 3:51 of the first period.

David Pastrnak tapped the puck at center ice to forward a pass to Brad Marchand. Inside the left-wing circle, Marchand let a wrist shot fly past Stuart Skinner. 1-0 Bruins.

The Bruins took a two-goal lead at 19:59 of the first period.

Daivd Krejci found Pastrnak at the high slot to beat the clock, as he put a one-timer past Skinner’s glove with 0.3 seconds remaining in the period. 2-0 Bruins.

Second period:

The Oilers cut into their deficit at 10:44 of the second period.

Matt Grzelcyk lost an edge along the defensive boards battling for the puck, leaving Hampus Lindholm alone on a 4-on-1 for Evan Bouchard to beat Jeremy Swayman’s blocker. 2-1 game.

Third period:

The Oilers tied the game at 6:08 of the third period.

Devin Shore found Ryan McLeod in the slot for a one-timer past Swayman. 2-2 game.

The Oilers took the lead at 15:11 of the third period.

Cody Ceci sent the puck over to Darnell Nurse at the point who threw a long wrist shot on net that traveled past Swayman. Final score: 3-2 Oilers.

Game notes:

• Head Coach Jim Montgomery said the Bruins were a “non-competitive team offensively.” He felt they were outplayed and got lucky in the first period with two goals. He said while the team looked better overall in the second period, they passed up opportunities in the third to extend the lead and regain the lead after the Oilers’ tying goal.
• Some of that lack offense came from guys overpassing and turning down shots. A few moments stuck out that there was great passing, but no finish out front. Charlie Coyle also notably should have taken a shot in the slot during the second period that he passed the chance up. There were also instances that the top two lines overpassed the puck, not only to each other, but missed sticks.
• Postgame, Bergeron told reporters he felt the team lost their game in the third and the Oilers didn’t let up on them. “They took it to us,” Bergeron said. “The first 40 wasn’t perfect, but we had some good control of the game...that’s where we’ve had success all year. We’re not happy with that third, but we have to learn from that. We got on our heels and we didn’t deny their speed.”
• Although urgency was missing from the offensive game, there were some highlights to talk about. Marchand’s goal was his 20^th of the season. He’s now scored at least 20 goals for 10 consecutive seasons and 12 seasons overall. The milestone puts him at 3^rd in all-time Bruins for 20-goal seasons, behind Johnny Bucyk at 16 seasons and Bergeron at 14 seasons, per NHL Public Relations.
• The Bruins had a power-play goal challenged and taken back. Offsides was ruled on the play, 20 seconds before a one-timer was scored by Krejci. Although it was not a goal, the sequence showed the potential of Charlie McAvoy on the second unit could bring and how he can be impactful there.
• It’s a little victory, but the Bruins held Connor McDavid to only one shot on net and no points to end an 11-game point streak for him.
• The Bruins host the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday, March 11, at 1 p.m.