The Boston Bruins capped off their five-game road trip with an overtime loss to the defending Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night.
The trip started with the Bruins being outscored, 13-2, losing to the Winnipeg Jets and Seattle Kraken. Boston then won back-to-back games before finishing 2-2-1 overall.
“We finished better than we started, for sure,” Brad Marchand told reporters in Edmonton. “But, we can’t afford to be giving away points like that right now. We needed to be more prepared to start the road trip than we were. It should have been better than what it was.
“But, at the end of the day, it’s good to get five (points). Coming away with five, it could have been a lot worse, but it should have been better.”
Mark Kastelic, who scored the Bruins’ second goal of the game against the Oilers with just over two minutes remaining in the first period, is looking forward to putting the road trip behind them as they head home for a quick two-game homestand.
“I mean, .500 is good, but we definitely wanted more,” Kastelic said of the overall results. “We have two more games here before the break that we really want to take advantage of and try to get feeling good before Christmas. … I’m sure we’ll watch some stuff the next couple of days, and then after that you just kind of park it and get on to Buffalo.”
The Bruins held a 2-0 lead after the first period, but the Oilers scored three unanswered goals to snap Boston’s two-game winning streak. Jeremy Swayman stopped 20 of 23 Edmonton shots he faced, and finished 2-1-1 in his last four games.
“I feel like confidence is building and it all stems from the guys in front of me,” Swayman said. “I think that we wanted to end this road trip the right way and they played the right way. We just didn’t get the result. I’m really, really happy with this team and the effort that we’re giving.
“It shows what kind of team we have in here and the belief. The leadership group is a core part of it and we didn’t take no for an answer. That’s really good to see at this point in the year. The first two games (of the road trip) don’t matter. It’s one game at a time, and I’m just really proud of the group and the way that we responded.”
Here are more notes from Thursday’s Bruins-Oilers game:
— Connor McDavid tallied the tying goal for Edmonton with 2:21 remaining in regulation. Swayman admitted he didn’t make the right decision on the play.
“I think I was too committed to the passing option,” Swayman said. “Opened myself up a little too much. He’s a hell of a player, so he’s going to play.”
— Marchand had the primary assist on Elias Lindholm’s first-period goal, extending his scoring streak to eight games. The Bruins captain has five goals and four assists in that span.
— Oliver Wahlstrom made his Bruins debut against the Oilers. He skated on the third line with Charlie Coyle and Trent Frederic. Wahlstrom had two shots on goal across 8:51 of ice time.
— The Bruins return home to host the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday. Puck drop from TD Garden is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, and you can watch the game on NESN, following an hour of pregame coverage.
