EDMONTON, Alberta — Connor McDavid scored twice to succeed in the 50-goal mark for the primary time in his profession, however even the sport’s greatest participant could not derail the league’s greatest workforce, because the Boston Bruins outlasted the Edmonton Oilers, 3-2, on Monday night time.
Pavel Zacha scored the tiebreaking objective late within the second interval and the Bruins flexed their depth, skating to their seventh straight win.
Nick Foligno and Tomas Nosek additionally scored for the Bruins, and Dmitry Orlov had two assists for his first factors since being acquired from Washington final week. Jeremy Swayman stopped 22 pictures to win his third straight begin and eighth in his final 10.
“We have six or seven (defensemen) that may actually play hockey, after which we have 4 strains that may actually play hockey,” Boston coach Jim Montgomery stated in his postgame interview on NESN.
Regardless of all of McDavid’s heroics. Edmonton has now misplaced two straight in regulation after a five-game level streak (2-0-3). Stuart Skinner had 25 saves within the loss.
“Disappointing, clearly,” McDavid stated. “They’re the most effective workforce within the league, and I believed we performed them exhausting and gave ourselves an opportunity to win.”
? Mc50 UNLOCKED ? pic.twitter.com/zzOG1wR6ZL
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) February 28, 2023
Zacha gave the Bruins their second lead of the night time with 30 seconds left within the center interval. David Pastrnak fired a shot from the left slot that hit Oilers defenseman Cody Ceci‘s skates and slowly trickled towards the left facet of the objective. As Skinner reached to knock the puck apart, Zacha dove and swatted the puck up and in for his 14th of the season to make it 3-2.
“We had been skating quick, and taking delight in all three zone,” Swayman stated in his postgame NESN interview. “It was making my job straightforward, so it is simply actually enjoyable to be a part of that win. That was a particular one for positive.”
McDavid had tied it 2-2 with 7:40 left within the second along with his fiftieth. Klim Kostin skated down the fitting facet and chased down a protracted dump in behind the objective line, got here across the again of the online and despatched a centering cross in entrance to McDavid. The Oilers’ captain faked to get Swayman to go down, went to his left and put it in.
“We had a few seems to be, and we did not capitalize … in opposition to a workforce a workforce that does not hand over a lot,” McDavid stated.
McDavid, whose earlier profession excessive was 44 targets final season, obtained the Oilers on the scoreboard first, 2:17 into the sport, as he skated within the left circle and beat Swayman five-hole.
Nosek tied it simply 13 seconds later as he obtained a cross in entrance from Garnet Hathaway — who came to visit from the Capitals with Orlov final Thursday — and despatched the puck into the highest proper nook for his fourth.
Foligno gave the Bruins a 2-1 lead with 4:54 left within the center interval as he obtained the return cross from Charlie Coyle on a 2-on-1 rush and beat Skinner previous his blocker from the left facet. It was his tenth.
Orlov had secondary assists on every of the Bruins’ first two targets.
Earlier than the sport, Montgomery advised reporters that ahead Taylor Hall had a lower-body harm and wouldn’t proceed on with the workforce’s highway journey.
“Simply precautionary,” the coach stated. “I do not suppose it is something critical. However with back-to-back video games, we did not see him taking part in so we despatched him again.”
Boston will proceed its western highway journey on Tuesday, taking up the Calgary Flames.
The Related Press contributed to this report.