Pre-Scout: Bruins desperate for victory on sluggish streak, but play improved vs Calgary

How about one more Edmonton Oilers game in this crazy year called 2025, taking out the calendar slate with a desperate Boston Bruins team right now.The Bruins still haven’t won since they last played the Oilers on December 18th. Make it six in a row to the bad after a 2-1 overtime loss to the Calgary Flames on Monday night. 

When they played Edmonton, a win would’ve meant first place in the Atlantic. Now? They’re only two points clear of last in the Eastern Conference. So it goes in this year’s zany East. 

Andrew Peeke scored the lone Bruins goal in the 1st period, before Blake Coleman tied it in the 2nd. Despite outshooting the Flames 8-1 in the 3rd frame, the coin flip game went against them. 

“It’s a point. A point is a point. We’ll take that any time on the road. Do we want two? Yes. But again, I feel good about that point,” head coach Marco Sturm said post-game. 

Jonathan Aspirot was activated back into the lineup for his first game back from injury on Monday, but made the crucial mistake for a high-sticking penalty just as regulation expired. 

The Bruins still threatened with a shorthanded breakaway in OT for Pavel Zacha, and Nikita Zadorov on the rebound, but couldn’t score. A failed clearance by Hampus Lindholm actually goes off his stick and in the net for a gut-wrenching game-winner for Connor Zary. 

“We want to build on that. We have to. It’s a tough league, and you have to sometimes start with the little things,” said Sturm. 

What hurts was the five-game homestand they threw away before Christmas, going winless in the ultra competitive race. This is the third game of their western roadtrip, before yet another five game homestand.

Where have all the goals gone?

The goals are deserting them. The Bruins have scored just six goals in their last four games. Only against the Canucks on this skid have they scored more than two in a game. 

Morgan Geekie was shooting the lights out to begin the season, but has gone four games without a goal, the longest stretch for him this year. 

And although Elias Lindholm isn’t a renowned goal scorer, he’s scored just one in his last 18 games, despite being fourth in team scoring. 

“We’ve just got to stick with it. I think the message between each other is you just got to stick with it. We’re going to get out of it,” Sean Kuraly said, who had an assist last game. 

Structure

Sturm and his players are preaching about returning to their structure and details that allowed them success in November and early December.  

That helped in allowing just two goals against the Flames, a better run after allowing 24 goals in their last six games. 

In their last 10 games, an expected goal share that is slightly better than the middle of the pack is actually seventh-worst in actual goal share in all situations, according to Moneypuck. Despite that, they are 9th in shot attempts in that stretch in all situations. However, their 37 goals allowed is 5th-worst in the league. 

They aren’t in a great place with their game right now, and sit seven points back of Detroit for first in the Atlantic. 

But does getting a point vs the Flames, plus some additional standings urgency, make this a trappy game for the Oilers?

Last timeThe Oilers played a strong game in Boston on December 18th to win 3-1, considering Tristan Jarry’s injury forced Calvin Pickard into the net cold. Edmonton took advantage of scoring in all three phases, and got a depth goal with Quinn Hutson in that game. The lone Bruins goal came on the power play thanks to Zacha. The Oilers got the better of Geekie-Lindholm-Pastrňák at five-on-five, though. 

Since then, Marco Sturm has changed his lines, with Alex Steeves playing with Lindholm and Geekie, and Pastrňák with Fraser Mitten and Marat Khusnutdinov (say that 10 times fast). 

Notes:Andrew Peeke leads Boston defensemen with four goals this season, all of which have come in his past 11 games. No other Bruins dman has two. Charlie McAvoy registered his first goal of the season on Dec. 21st vs the Senators. He’s pointless in his last three games, but has 19 total this year. David Pastrňák has 110 points in the 2025 calendar year. Viktor Arvidsson should make his first return to Edmonton tonight, after returning to the Bruins lineup on Dec. 23. He’s scored 7-8–15 in 28 games. Tanner Jeannot is still listed as day-to-day and hasn’t played since the Christmas break. Marat Khusnutdinov was a 2nd round pick in 2020 by the Minnesota Wild and came back in a March trade for Justin Brazeau. Sturm seems to like him, but he doesn’t play specialty teams for the most part. He’s matched his career high point total of 12 already. Alex Steeves has gotten his longest look in the NHL as well. The 26-year-old undrafted product had played a handful of games with the Leafs over the years, but has become too good for the AHL. After scoring above a point-per-game with the Marlies last season, Steeves has 8-2–10 in 23 games with the Bruins this year, staying up in the lineup and avoiding a call back to Providence. While the Oilers are 6-2-2 their last 10 vs the Bruins, Boston does fare better at Rogers Place than at home. In fact, the Oilers have won just once in their last five home games vs Boston, but that was the last one on Dec. 19, 2024. ARTICLE PRESENTED BY bet365