The Boston Bruins struggled on Thursday, falling to the Edmonton Oilers 3-1. Coach Marco Sturm expressed frustration with how the game went, especially the opportunities allowed to Connor McDavid and the Oilers’ power play, according to Bruins insider Joe Haggerty.
“Marco Sturm: I was really happy with our 5-on-5 game. But we let their PP get one, and our PP gave them one. Overall, it was a little frustrating because the guys were on their game and it was a good game, but that little extra ‘pop’ was missing from our game,” Haggerty wrote on X.
The Oilers struck first, as Ryan Nugent-Hopkins converted on a power-play goal, with McDavid and Leon Draisaitl providing the helpers. A few minutes later, the Bruins responded when Pavel Zacha had a power-play conversion, on assists from Elias Lindholm and Charlie McAvoy. But that would be the only goal the Bruins got.
The Oilers took the lead when Quinn Hutson found the back of the net. In the third period, the Bruins had a chance on the power play. However, a critical mistake allowed the Oilers to take it back to the other end of the ice, where McDavid converted with a short-handed goal at 1:41 of the third period, sapping all momentum.
The Bruins managed just one goal on 25 shots. David Pastrnak struggled against the Oilers, managing just one shot on goal. Also, he finished with a plus-minus of -2. The Bruins lost despite winning 54% of the faceoffs. But they could not do enough to stop the Oilers on special teams.
The loss to the Oilers drops the Bruins to 20-15. They currently sit third in the Atlantic Division. But as the Eastern Conference tightens, they need to avoid critical momentum drops. The Bruins’ next chance to bounce back will be on Saturday, as they host the Vancouver Canucks at the TD Garden.