The Bruins saw their 10-game win streak come to an end after a 3-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night.
Boston led 2-0 at one point, but being unable to win puck battles and making one too many passes led to its first loss since Feb. 11 against the Washington Capitals.
While the Bruins were able to shut down Connor McDavid, they weren’t able to do the same to the Oilers’ depth, which is what ultimately led Edmonton to the win.
Here are four takeaways from Thursday’s loss.
Bruins turned down opportunity to extend lead
Stuart Skinner was a bit shaky in the beginning of the game for the Oilers, particularly in the first period. The Bruins should have taken advantage of the goalie, but were unable to do so. Usually the B’s pile on the goals when they see a goalie is struggling, but the tables turned Thursday night as the offense proved to pass up opportunity after opportunity to put the puck in the back of the net.
“I thought we checked pretty good tonight, but I thought the Oilers were the better team,” head coach Jim Montgomery told reporters after the game. “They were good, we weren’t good enough. I thought they outplayed us, outworked us, and out-coached us.
“… I thought that we were good in the second, we passed up too many opportunities to push the lead. We were a very non-competitive team offensively tonight, I guess is the best way to say it.”
“… Turning down shots, not driving to hard areas, not winning enough battles to create O-zone time. So, it was a good lesson for us to learn because they played well. We sat back at times where we should have been pushing the envelope, we were sealing the envelope.”
Jake DeBrusk OK after collision
The Bruins faced an injury scare in the first period when DeBrusk collided with Mattias Ekholm. There was no ill intent, but it left DeBrusk down before he slowly got up and made his way down the tunnel hunched over. With injuries to both Taylor Hall and Nick Foligno, fans were left holding their breath at the thought of another injured winger. But DeBrusk returned to the bench before the first 20 minutes expired.
“Oh yeah, he’s fine,” Montgomery told reporters. “I think most of it was that his wind got knocked out of him. When you’re not expecting the hit and it’s an accidental collision like that, you don’t brace yourself for the hit and it knocks the air out of you. We’re lucky it’s all it was.”
Brad Marchand was bright spot
Marchand, who admitted he still has “a little ways to go” in his recovery from offseason double hip surgery, scored the opening goal in the first period. It marked his 20th of the year and his 10th consecutive season with at least 20 goals, joining Johnny Bucyk and Patrice Bergeron as the Bruins who also have accomplished the feat.
“I think it’s his work ethic and the way that he just approaches every practice, every game, every workout,” Bergeron told reporters after the game. “His will and his want to just get better every day and his competitive level. Obviously, he’s just one of those guys that competes and goes to those tough areas. Kudos to him. I’m not surprised that he’s been able to do that again.”
Bergeron’s mistake forgiven
It’s not often Bergeron makes a mistake on the ice, but no one is perfect. The center had a costly turnover Thursday night when he attempted to connect with Charlie McAvoy which ultimately led to Ryan McLeod scoring the game-tying goal in the third period before being called for a penalty minutes later.
But Montgomery is looking past it.
“He holds himself accountable more than anyone else,” Montgomery told reporters. “It’s the first time I’ve seen him make a mistake. I’m going to let him go on that one.”
