After a come-from-behind win, the Boston Bruins have a chance to finish their Western Conference road trip with a winning record when they face the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night.
The Bruins have split their first four games of the trip, losing the first two before winning the last two, including a 4-3 victory over the Calgary Flames on Tuesday. In that game, they scored twice in the third period and once in overtime to come back from a two-goal deficit.
“It wasn’t the start that we had anticipated coming off (a strong showing in Saturday’s) Vancouver game,” said Boston interim head coach Joe Sacco. “We got down two, but the guys regrouped, found our game and stuck with it for the next 40 minutes or so.”
David Pastrnak, the team’s leading scorer, scored the game-winning goal in overtime. Meanwhile, Morgan Geekie and Marc McLaughlin helped tie the game in the third period, with both players scoring in back-to-back games.
McLaughlin, a 25-year-old from Massachusetts who has only played 22 NHL games, scored his first two goals of the season. His second goal came after a strong effort, which is exactly what Sacco wants from his team.
“This is a second-effort league, and that was a good second effort by Marc,” Sacco said of McLaughlin’s rebound goal on Tuesday.
The Bruins know who to rely on in late-game and overtime situations. With four of their last five wins being decided by one or two goals, they trust their star players.
“Just give the puck to 88 (Pastrnak) or 63 (Brad Marchand) and then pray,” said Boston forward Nikita Zadorov. “They are our best players, so put it in their hands, they’re going to make it happen.”
The Bruins will need their stars to step up against the Oilers, who are also filled with top players like Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Zach Hyman. The Oilers had won five straight and eight of their last nine games before losing 6-5 to the Florida Panthers on Monday.
After a tough loss in their first game since last spring’s Stanley Cup Final, Edmonton begins a stretch of three games in four days. Both McDavid and Hyman recently survived injury scares.
Hyman, who suffered a broken nose from a shot to the face on Monday, is expected to play. McDavid also collided with teammate Darnell Nurse during practice on Tuesday but is not expected to miss any time.
“You don’t want to see any of that, and sometimes it happens,” said Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch. “And you have to be careful on the drills that you do so you don’t set up a situation where players get hurt. But also, if you never have any contact, you don’t have game-like practices and situations.”
Viktor Arvidsson, who has missed 15 games due to an undisclosed injury, could also return for the Oilers on Thursday after impressing in recent practices.
“I think he might have been the best player on the ice for us. I thought I was that impressed with him,” Knoblauch said. “But that’s one thing about practice and games, so I think it’s ease him in there.”
The Oilers will be looking to bounce back from their first loss since Dec. 3 and their first time allowing more than three goals since Nov. 21.
“I think the sense of urgency goes up,” said McDavid. “We talked about not letting losses turn into two, three, or four games. You gotta respond. We always have and I would expect the same on Thursday.”
