Tuukka Rask’s return to the net for the first time in 11 days didn’t go how the Boston Bruins hoped it would.
The B’s took an early 1-0 lead against the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday at TD Garden, but the Oilers scored three times over the final two periods against Rask, as Edmonton held on for a 4-2 win.
Boston got goals from David Pastrnak and David Krejci, but it wasn’t enough to extend the B’s winning streak to five.
The game was tied at two after the second period, but a defensive breakdown allowed the Oilers to take a lead they would not relinquish.
The Bruins fell to 10-8-4 with the loss, while the Oilers improved to 9-13-2.
Here’s how it all went down:
B’S POWER
After a slow-moving start to the first period, the Bruins went on the power play at the 13:24 mark when Michael Cammalleri was sent to the box for hooking.
It took Boston a minute of power-play action to make the Oilers play.
Torey Krug took the puck from behind the Bruins’ net and raced into the offensive zone. The defenseman crossed the blue line and shuffled the puck to Pastrnak.
Pastrnak faked Oskar Klefbom and ripped the puck into the net to give Boston a 1-0 lead.
ALL EVEN
Boston continued to hold a 1-0 advantage until the 9:50 mark in the second period.
Rask stopped a shot from Mark Letestu, but the Bruins were unable to clear the puck out of their defensive zone.
Zack Kassian nabbed the puck and found Patrick Maroon who slapped a shot past Rask to even the game at one.
BACK-AND-FORTH
Edmonton took the lead shortly after tying the game, as the Bruins played sluggish hockey in the second frame.
Patrice Bergeron blocked a shot from Adam Larsson, but Boston once again was unable to clear the puck out of its zone. The puck eventually found its way back to Larsson, who launched a shot from the point past Rask to give Edmonton a 2-1 advantage with 5:40 left in the second period.
Boston would answer back quickly, though, as Riley Nash took the puck hard to the net and found Krejci who snapped it past Cam Talbot to tie the game at two.
EDMONTON LEADS
The Oilers got the lead back just 2:03 into the third period when the B’s had a communication breakdown on a 3-on-3.
Leon Draisaitl took the puck through the neutral zone and into Boston’s offensive zone. Draisaitl then dropped the puck off to a wide-open Ryan Stone in the middle of the ice and he ripped a shot over Rask’s left shoulder to put Edmonton on top.
The Bruins had a couple solid chances to even the score in the final 10 minutes, but Talbot was able to turn them away and Draisaitl scored an empty-net goal to secure the win for Edmonton.
UP NEXT
The Bruins will take the ice again Wednesday when they welcome the Tampa Bay Lightning to TD Garden. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
