The Bruins know how hard it is to contain the offensive force that is Connor McDavid.
Boston will get its second look at the NHL’s top scorer Thursday night when it welcomes the Edmonton Oilers to TD Garden. The Bruins and the Oilers met Feb. 27 in a game where McDavid scored both of Edmonton’s goals in its 3-2 loss to Boston.
Still, trying to stop someone like McDavid from scoring when he has the puck is a near-impossible task, and Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery has learned something very simple about trying to stop McDavid.
“Don’t let him touch the puck,” he told reporters Wednesday, per 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Ty Anderson.
Easier said than done, of course, given McDavid has 54 goals and 70 assists on the season.
Jake DeBrusk, who’s been tasked along with others with trying to stop the speedy McDavid, knows it’s just a matter of trying to slow him down more than anything.
“I think I said this a week ago, you don’t know if you can stop him, you just try to slow it down any way you can,” DeBrusk told reporters after Wednesday’s practice. “There’s different ways to try to do it. Honestly, it’s puck management. If we have the puck and he doesn’t, things are better for us. It comes down to as simple as that and just being in the right spots and being aware of the speed, that’s the biggest thing, that’s why he’s so good.”
The Bruins have a ton of momentum on their side going into Thursday’s game having won 10 straight. Can the B’s make it 11 consecutive wins and two against the Oilers during that stretch? Puck drop from TD Garden is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
