Bruins Wrap: Oilers Rally To Win Defensive Duel Over Boston

BOSTON — A goalie battle took place Tuesday night at TD Garden, but the Edmonton Oilers put together a late rally to pull out a 2-1 overtime win over the Boston Bruins.

The Bruins fell to 36-13-15 while the Oilers improved to 38-20-2.

Check out the full box score here.

ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
The Bruins and Oilers combined for 11 goals when they met north of the border two weeks ago. It was much harder to find the back of the net when the two sides collided again.

The main reason was the play of both teams netminders as Linus Ullmark and Stuart Skinner turned in outstanding performances to keep both offenses locked down.

The defensive showing from the Bruins was especially promising given the opponent and the struggles Boston has had at points in that department. The Oilers came into the contest averaging the third-most goals per game in the NHL — they also have an electrifying scorer in Connor McDavid to worry about — but for most of the night, a goose egg was under their name on the scoreboard.

But the less encouraging part for Bruins came with a bad habit resurfacing. The Bruins coughed up another third-period lead with the Oilers scoring with 1:20 left in the frame.

Letting a late lead evaporate just feels inevitable for the Bruins at this point no matter how well they play during the first two periods.

STARS OF THE GAME
— Leon Draisaitl netted the game-winning goal 2:18 into the extra frame. He also was credited with the game-tying goal.

— Pavel Zacha delivered a key goal for the Bruins as he sent in a one-timer off pass from Danton Heinen 4:26 into the third period. It was Zacha’s third goal in two games.

1️⃣8️⃣ breaks the 🧊 pic.twitter.com/acbgsR5399

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) March 6, 2024

— Skinner was sensational in net for the Oilers, making 25 stops. He even arguably came up with the save of the year by sprawling across the crease to deny Brad Marchand late in the first period.

WAGER WATCH
FanDuel Sportsbook set the odds of Zacha scoring at +420. Bettors had to wait a little bit for Zacha to light the lamp, but a $100 wager on this prop bet would have netted a total of $520.

UP NEXT
The Bruins will welcome in the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday for their second matchup with their Original Six rival in four days — Boston won in Toronto on Monday. Puck drop from TD Garden is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET and you can watch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN.