The Boston Bruins won their seventh straight game, topping the Edmonton Oilers 3-2 Monday night at Rogers Place.
“I’m proud of our team for that effort,” Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft said.
“Boston is the top team in the NHL for a reason. They didn’t need much in order to score, but when we broke down, they made us pay and we were unable to find the equalizer.”
The teams traded goals 13 seconds apart before the game was three minutes old.
Captain Connor McDavid took a long pass from Leon Draisaitl and beat Jeremy Swayman five-hole. Tomas Nosek provided the quick reply for Boston.
Nick Foligno put the Bruins in front, finishing off a pass from Charlie Coyle with 4:54 left in the first.
“It’s a good team over there and we made one or two little mistakes and miscommunications, and it ends up in your net,” Tyson Barrie said.
“Overall, we played really hard and showed a lot of character tonight and it was a good game for us to realize that there’s another level to our game.
“If we play like that most nights, we should be on the right side of it.”
In the second, Klim Kostin beat out an icing and put the puck in front to a wide-open McDavid.
He went to the forehand to beat Swayman for his 50th of the season.
McDavid became the sixth Oiler to post a 50-goal season, joining Wayne Gretzky, Jari Kurri, Glenn Anderson, Mark Messier, and Draisaitl.
“It’s a nice number,” McDavid said.
His teammates had more to say.
“It’s something you should be proud of — even for him, as somebody who paces the league in pretty much every offensive stat,” Zach Hyman said of his captain’s milestone.
“He’s humble about it, but I really think he’s taken himself, in regard to attacking the net more, and I think you see the results.”
“Dominant player. By far the best player in the National Hockey League,” Woodcroft said of McDavid.
“What I’m most impressed with is how he carries himself day in and day out, and how he’s really driven to help this team win. That’s what consumes him.”
The Bruins regained the lead with 29.9 seconds left in the second. Pavel Zacha dove for a loose puck in front and chipped it over Stuart Skinner.
Kostin had a major penalty negated by video review in the third. The tape showed he didn’t make contact with Boston’s David Krecji, who accidentally cut himself with his own stick.
However, Kostin would be assessed a double minor for high sticking Patrice Bergeron with 4:30 left.
“He was in the box a little more than he would like, or we would like,” Woodcroft said of Kostin’s return to the lineup. “But I think he brings a physical element — it was nice to have him back in the lineup.”
Vincent Desharnais then went off for slashing, giving Boston a two-man advantage for 1:56.
McDavid and Draisaitl would get a shorthanded two-on-one but didn’t get a shot away. Not long after, Darnell Nurse couldn’t finish a one-time chance from the right wing.
Swayman earned the win with 22 saves. Skinner stopped 25 shots.
The Oilers, 32-21-8, will host the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday. The 630 CHED Face-off Show starts at 4:30 p.m., the game begins at 6 p.m.
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