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Boston Bruins Failed To Build On Success In Edmonton

By Mike Cratty

Feb 26, 2017; Dallas, TX, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo (25) and defenseman Zdeno Chara (33) and center David Backes (42) and left wing Brad Marchand (63) and center Patrice Bergeron (37) celebrate a goal against the Dallas Stars during the second period at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 26, 2017; Dallas, TX, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo (25) and defenseman Zdeno Chara (33) and center David Backes (42) and left wing Brad Marchand (63) and center Patrice Bergeron (37) celebrate a goal against the Dallas Stars during the second period at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Boston Bruins have been rolling as of late, but they couldn’t they keep it up against Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers

The Edmonton Oilers may have been thanking the Boston Bruins at one point after their win against the Flames, but now their focus shifted to beating a greatly improved Bruins team last night. With the Bruins ending the Flames’ 10-game win streak, the Oilers sat just one point out of third place in the Pacific Division behind the Flames entering the night. With a regulation win over the Bruins, the Oilers jumped into sole possession of third place in the Pacific Division, leapfrogging the Flames.

A statement win over the red-hot Calgary Flames on the road last night showed a lot, on top of the numerous positives that we have seen lately. Calgary’s recent success hasn’t just come in their last 10 games. In their previous 18 games heading into last night’s game, they were averaging 3.3 goals per game, while only allowing an average of 2.1 goals per game. Not to mention, their record in those 18 games was a daunting 15-2-1. Those stats didn’t matter to the Bruins, as they pummeled the Flames on their way to a 5-2 win.

No sympathy was shown for former Bruins, Matt Bartkowski, Dennis Wideman, Dougie Hamilton, and Chad Johnson. Although, Dougie Hamilton got a nice gift from in between Calgary’s offensive blue line and the red line. When it all came down to it, Anton Khudobin, who has had his share of troubles in the past, acquired his fourth straight win last night. Matt Beleskey got on the board in Calgary with his third goal of the season. The goal was his first since Nov. 19 against the Winnipeg Jets. This could be the start of improvement from Matt Beleskey, as he has looked energized to be back in the lineup for the past three games.

On to Edmonton

The Bruins carried a four-game win streak into Rogers Place and were look to build on it and continue to work towards a return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They also carried a 12-3-0 record under Interim Head Coach, Bruce Cassidy heading into the night. A five-point cushion on the Tampa Bay Lightning may seem fine, but the Bruins knew they were playing for more than third place in the Atlantic Division. Both the Bruins and the Oilers have plenty to fight for in the standings. Unfortunately, only one of those two teams showed up Thursday night.

Related Story: Brad Marchand Leads NHL in Scoring

Although the scoring race isn’t Brad Marchand’s main focus at this time, it is worth noting that he entered Thursday’s tilt in a three-way tie for first place in the NHL in points. Following the Bruins lopsided loss to the Oilers on Thursday, Marchand remains tied in points with Connor McDavid and is now ahead of Patrick Kane who sits at 77 points. He also leads the NHL in goals with 37, tying his season high from last year. Scoring will definitely be a storyline to follow for the rest of the regular season. David Pastrnak now has 31 goals this season, and has extended his point streak to 11 games.

Rough Stretch for Edmonton

While the Bruins dominated the red-hot Flames, the struggled against a cold Oilers team. The Oilers entered Thursday night with a 4-5-1 record in their last 10 games. More recently in those 10 games, they had lost three of their last four. Still, an Oilers team featuring Connor McDavid shouldn’t have been taken lightly. The Bruins ultimately paid for their efforts but will need to shake this game off and look forward to their next game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Next: Tuukka Rask Earns 200th Career Win

Last night’s game was a big one in a stretch of the season where every point is very valuable. Winning at Edmonton would have put the Bruins at 39 wins on the season, with 20 of those being on the road. One win away from 40 and three away from tying last season’s win total of 42. They’ll look to get back on track against the Leafs in an important divisional game.

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