B’s burst busts Oilers
Power play keys third straight victory
Connor McDavid is one of the best hockey players in the world, but he wasn’t about to beat the Bruins on his own.
After the Oilers captain scored 3:43 into the game, the Bruins responded with a flurry of their own with three goals in a span of 5:53 in the first period, two of them on the power play, to down Edmonton, 4-1, last night at the Garden.
David Pastrnak sparked the outburst with a dangle through the Oilers defense on the man advantage before Brad Marchand, on the power play, and Joakim Nordstrom scored 36 seconds apart for a 3-1 lead.
The Bruins never looked back.
“Special teams were good, which makes a difference. We got a couple on our power play,” said Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy. “Discipline was good, team defense was good. We used our whole bench, the backup goalie, so everyone was contributing.”
It was the third win in a row for the B’s after the disastrous opening game in Washington, and goalie Jaroslav Halak’s second win with a 25-save performance.
McDavid had edged past Zdeno Chara and flipped a shot home early, but that was as far as the Oilers momentum would go.
Pastrnak matched the McDavid flash, weaving through a defender in front and lifting a backhander into the net.
“(It energizes) about 18,000 people,” said Cassidy. “Who doesn’t appreciate a play like that? You don’t like it against you, but it’s a hell of a play.”
The man advantage success continued with Marchand’s first of the season when his shot got deflected in front by Edmonton’s Drake Caggiula with 5:23 left in the first for a 2-1 lead. Then, in his first game in the top six forward group, Nordstrom streaked up left wing and took a slick pass from David Krejci, notching his first goal with 4:47 to go in the period.
The second line shined brighter, with Jake DeBrusk crashing the net to earn chances and Krejci firing a few clean passes Nordstrom’s way.
“I think we made some good plays, had some good opportunities,” said Nordstrom. “Throughout the game I thought we played solid. We had the puck a lot in the O-zone and some good moments.”
Patrice Bergeron added an empty-net goal with 34 seconds to play to seal it.
The scoring wasn’t the only electricity in the game. Following a Kevan Miller fight in the second, David Backes got in a tussle with Caggiula as tempers began to fly. Sean Kuraly then laid a heavy hit on Matt Benning that sent the Oilers defender through the glass panel behind the Edmonton net, resulting in a short stoppage of play.
“I didn’t even know it happened, to be honest,” Kuraly said. “But I guess it was pretty cool.”
Defenseman Matt Grzelcyk had a strong bounceback game, tying his career high with two assists, both on the power play. His game alongside Miller was also stronger as the Oilers didn’t hold onto the puck often.
“The less time you spend in your end the better obviously, but when we’re in our end we’re doing a great job of separating guys,” said Grzelcyk. “Trying to get the puck going the other way. When we’re playing good transition hockey, it bodes well for us.”
The Bruins end their three-game homestand against the Red Wings tomorrow afternoon.