The Bruins pulled through after they blew a three-goal lead, and Charlie McAvoy won it in overtime for the 6-5 final against the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday, February 21st at Rogers Place. Boston recovered after a four-game loss streak that began after they shutout the Vancouver Canucks on February 8th. They won in a shootout against the Dallas Stars to end that loss streak on the 19th of February.
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Bruins lineup against the Oilers:
Marchand – Coyle – Heinen
DeBrusk – Zacha – Pastrnak
van Riemsdyk – Geekie – Richard
Frederic – Boqvist – Brazeau
Grzelcyk – McAvoy
Lohrei – Carlo
Forbort – Wotherspoon
Swayman
Ullmark
Oilers lineup against the Bruins:
Foegele – McDavid – Hyman
Kane – Draisaitl – McLeod
Janmark – Holloway – Perry
Gagner – Ryan – Brown
Ekholm – Bouchard
Nurse – Ceci
Kulak – Desharnias
Skinner
Pickard
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Early into the first period at 17:26, Morgan Geekie gave Boston a 1-0 lead with his 10th goal of the season. Geekie scored from the blue line with a wrist shot on the power play, beating Stuart Skinner high glove side. Warren Foegele tied it at 1-1 a little later into the period. He deked his way into the crease and crammed the puck through Jeremy Swayman’s pads.
Just 25 seconds into the second period, Brad Marchand put the Bruins ahead 2-1. Marchand shot from the left face-off circle after skating in the blue line and scored a wrist shot, beating Stuart Skinner stick side. Trent Frederic pushed it to 3-1 with his 16th of the season after he redirected a pass from Jesper Boqvist, banking it in off the far post. Later into the middle frame, Jake DeBrusk extended Boston’s lead to 4-1 after scoring off a rebound of David Pastrnak’s shot from the blue line with a backhanded shot. Cutting it at 4-2, Warren Foegele backhanded a centering pass from Zach Hyman.
Mattias Janmark made it a 4-3 score at 13:46 of the third frame. He tapped in a rebound of Cody Ceci’s slap shot from the point and it seeped through Jeremy Swayman’s legs. Darnell Nurse shot from the point and Corey Perry got it in to tie it at 4-4. At 7:19 of the third, David Pastrnak got the Bruins back in the lead 5-4. Pastrnak walked it in from the blue line after he picked up a failed clearing attempt by Evander Kane, and shot past Stuart Skinner’s glove for his 36th goal of the season. Only 42 seconds later on a rebound, Zach Hyman tied it 5-5 and got Mattias Ekholm’s point shot in past Swayman.
At 1:50 in overtime, Charlie McAvoy steered clear of a poke check from Stuart Skinner before he deked and scored forehand-to-backhand to get the 6-5 final and win the second game straight for Boston.
Jeremy Swayman on the Bruins’ 6-5 overtime victory: “I think that’s the identity of ours and it was not exactly how we drew it up but really special to get those two points. In the way we did it through the adversity and their push, I think that’s something special for our group moving forward.”
Mason Lohrei on the win and how the team kept their composure, kept playing: “It was wild, a crazy game. They’re a really good team, they weren’t just going to roll over. It was a good matchup and nice to come out on top at the end,” – “I think the biggest thing is just the culture here. ‘Marchy’ is our captain and these guys just know how to win. They’ve done it so much that you’re never out of it no matter what’s going on.”
Notes:
– Charlie McAvoy had a goal and an assist… Both David Pastrnak and Jake DeBrusk had a goal and an assist, Mason Lohrei recorded three assists.
Pastrnak needs one more point to become the 10th player in Boston Bruins history to reach 700 points… He has seven points during a five-game point streak (three goals, four assists). McAvoy has seven points in a five-game streak (two goals, five assists)…
– Jeremy Swayman made 37 saves for Boston, and Stuart Skinner made 30 for Edmonton.
– Matt Grzelcyk was unable to return to the game after the first period due to a lower-body injury.
– Warren Foegele played on Edmonton’s top line with Connor McDavid and Zach Hyman due to Ryan Nugent-Hopkins being absent with illness.
– Corey Perry is the first Oilers player to have multiple games with a goal and a fight in the same season since 2018-19, Zack Kassian.
– Warren Foegele scored two goals, and Connor McDavid recorded two assists, extending his home point streak to 20 games.
McDavid has 14 assists in the past five games and 64 to lead the NHL this season… 12 goals and 36 assists during his 20-game point streak. He is the sixth player in NHL history to have 20 multiple 20-game home point streaks (21 last season).
