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The Boston Bruins were 35-0-2 this season when leading after 2, having never lost in regulation in that situation.
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But in the face of adding to that daunting statistic, the Edmonton Oilers would not be denied. Despite the 2-0 deficit they found themselves in after 1 period of play, the Oilers battled back. Slowly and surely, they chipped away at the Bruins’ armor. And Stuart Skinner, who surrendered 2 really bad goals, was seemingly unshaken by them…and locked it down the rest of the way.
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Meanwhile, his teammates both found enough weaknesses and limited what they gave Boston to skate away with a 3-2 win and 2 points against the league’s best team.
No small accomplishment.
Here is the tale of the tape…
Cult of Hockey Player Grades
STUART SKINNER. 6. Whiffed on the Bruins’ first shot of the game, the puck pin-balling through his pads and in. This, after his team had all but dominated Boston the first four minutes. The, after rebounding with a number of fine saves mid-period, a terrible turnover by him led to the 2-0 with 0.3 left in the 1st. But after putting his squarely behind the 8-ball, Skinner slammed the door closed the rest of the way. Stopped Bergeron on a late 2nd period 1-timer. Big stop on Carlo off a turnover in the 3rd. Ultimately stopped 26 of 28 for the victory. A lot of goalies would crumble after a start like that. Skinner did not.
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CONNOR McDAVID. 4. As quiet of a 60 minutes as I have ever seen Connor McDavid turn in. A lot of that credit goes to Bruins who surrendered #97 precious little gap all night long. Could not drain the EN goal after a nice setup from Draisaitl. 0 points. Most of us were left holding our breath after a mid-ice collision in the 3rd sent McDavid limping to the bench but he returned for 2 shifts after that. 1 shot, -1.
ZACH HYMAN. 3. A very rare off-night. Whistled for a 1st Period hold. Pass to Nurse for a dangerous chance in the 2nd. 5v5 CF 7-15, 32%. Scoring Chances For-Against 2-8. -2.
EVANDER KANE. 5. Played with jump in his first game back. Called for a 1st Period hold which the Bruins’ Lindholm embellished. Heavy hit on Zacha in the first 20, one of 3 on the night.
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DARNELL NURSE. 8. Couldn’t knife down the pass on the 2-0 but in Nurse’s defence the goal against was squarely on the goaltender. But he was otherwise terrific. Good chance off a Hyman set-up in the 2nd. Then, his seeing eye shot from the point found net through a screen to make it 3-2. Led the club in shots with 5 and in ice-time at 24:41. That included a perfect 1:58 short-handed. Was physical, adding 3 hits. and he skated miles. Named the game’s 1st Star.
CODY CECI. 7. Very good defensive stick stopped a Marchant chance in the 2nd. Heavy, hard shot swallowed up by the Bruins goalie late in the 2nd. Just a terrific keep on a difficult puck at the point, then slid it across to Nurse for the game winner. Big shot block late. Battled hard. Ceci has been struggling for a while, now, maybe a solid performance like this turns that around.
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LEON DRAISAITL. 6. Heavy hit drove Lindholm into the end boards in the 1st. Fed Nugent-Hopkins for an early 3rd Period chance. A high-level chance on a terrific cutback on Carlo in the 3rd. Integral on the winning goal, as Draisaitl beat double coverage coming out of the corner and fed the point. A well-earned assist for that tidy bit of work. Led the forwards with 22:52 of TOI. 53% on draws. Not everything clicked for him but he kept at it.
RYAN NUGENT-HOPKINS. 5. A smart stick and clear on the Bruins first PP. Missed high on a pass from Draisaitl behind the net. An effective screen on the winning goal. Hit the post on an empty net.
KAILER YAMAMOTO. 4. Ineffective, especially over 40 minutes. Allowed Orlov to walk out of the corner for a dangerous chance in the 3rd. Got going a bit late, but his performance was uneven at best.
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MATTIAS EKHOLM. 8. The Oilers 2nd pair was solid. And Ekholm played a massive role in both that and the resulting victory. A menacing physical presence including a notable hit on Krejci in the 1st. 2nd Period takeaway. A rare turnover in the 3rd led to a chance against. Big 3rd Period shot block on none other than Pastrnak followed. Check out this stat line: 2 shots, 6 hits, 4 shot blocks in 20:47 plus a perfect 1:46 on the PK. Ala Bob Stauffer, Ekholm is +7 in 5 games since the deadline. What a great acquisition.
EVAN BOUCHARD. 7. One of the Oilers best performers over 40 minutes, albeit an imperfect performance. Strong open ice hit from Bouchard in the 1st. A failed zone clear led to a 1st Period chance against. Walked by DeBrusk early in the 2nd. Broke a 43-game drought with a wicked wrist shot to finish off a 4-on-1 Oilers break, making it 2-1. 3 shots. Played with an extra dose of intensity. Really good to see.
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NICK BJUGSTAD. 5. Bit of an ebb in his game, 5v5 CF 6-10, 38%. Still, was a handful in the heavy going. 44% in the circle.
WARREN FOEGLE. 5. Worked hard. Missed the net on a 1st Period breakaway. Moved the puck back to Ceci for a shot late in the 2nd.
MATTIAS JANMARK. 6. Primary assist on the 2-1 after picking up a loose puck along the wall in the neutral zone. Good neutral zone takeaway.
BRETT KULAK. 4. Absolutely crushed in shot shares 5v5 (8-18, 31%). An indecisive poke check at the attacking blueline led to a Bruins 2-on-1 in the other direction. But he managed to saw-off in Grade A’s at 3-3.
VINCENT DESHARNAIS. 5. Heavy hit on Frederic in the 2nd. Chased quite a bit on the 3rd pairing, but managed to limit the damage.
DEREK RYAN. 6. The veteran continues to pitch in and make it impossible to take him out of the lineup. His hard forecheck helped lead to the 2-2. No assist but the goal does not get scored without hiscontribution on that sequence. Drew a 3rd Period PP. A key intercept and clear late in the 3rd. 3 hits. Quite an impact in just 8:56.
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RYAN McLEOD. 7. Not especially sharp early but warmed considerably as the game wore on. And once his feet got moving he was dangerous. Set up Bouchard for a 2nd period chance. Then, slapped home a Devin Shore centering pass into the slot for his first in 13, tying the game at 2. 2 shots and 3 hits. 2:01 shorthanded. Named the game’s 2nd Star.
DEVIN SHORE. 7. Tremendous play on the tying goal as he first blocked an attempted clearing pass and then slid a lovely pass into the slot for Ryan McLeod who did not miss. All he has done is contributed since his recall from Bakersfield. An industrious 9:17 of TOI. Assists in 3 straight, now.
Also, a stick tap to the Oilers video crew…as the original Bruins 2-0 was (correctly) called back on the off-side.
The Oilers are now 36-22-8, 80 points. Edmonton holds the 1st Wild Card spot in the Western Conference, but are just 4 points out of 1st. Toronto is next.
Find me on Twitter @KurtLeavins, on Instagram at LeavinsOnHockey, and now on Mastodon at KurtLeavins@mstdn.social
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2023-03-10 04:31:26Z
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