The Boston Bruins (20-15-0) hosted the Edmonton Oilers (17-12-6) on Thursday night (Dec. 18). The Oilers defeated the Bruins 3-1 in a low-scoring affair. Here’s your game recap from the TD Garden.
Game Recap
The visitors opened the scoring on the power play 13:38 into the first period. Connor McDavid had the puck down low and threaded a pass in front to Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and he made no mistake, beating goaltender Jeremy Swayman. Then, a few minutes later, the Bruins responded with a power-play marker of their own. Pavel Zacha completed the give-and-go with Elias Lindholm, and Zacha beat goaltender Tristan Jarry with the elevated backhand over the glove. The game was tied heading into the intermission, with the Bruins holding a slim 7-5 shot advantage.
Related: Projected Lineups for Oilers vs Bruins – 12/18/25
The Oilers took the lead 14:38 into the second period courtesy of Quinn Hutson’s first NHL goal. The fourth line won a battle in the offensive zone, and Max Jones threw the puck on the net. Hutson beat the defender to the blue paint and jammed in the rebound. A few minutes later, Jarry left the game after an apparent injury going post-to-post, and he didn’t return. Calvin Pickard came into Edmonton’s net. The Oilers took that lead into the dressing room, holding a 10-9 shot advantage in the period, while Boston had a 16-15 shot advantage overall.
Edmonton added an insurance goal 1:41 into the final frame while shorthanded. Nugent-Hopkins’s stretch pass found McDavid on a breakaway, and he went to the backhand, sliding the puck past the sprawling netminder. That was all the offence as Edmonton held on for the win. Jarry stopped 12 of 13 shots in the win, while Pickard stopped all 12 shots he faced in relief. Meanwhile, Swayman stopped 22 of 25 shots for an .880 save percentage (SV%) in the loss.
The Oilers conclude their five-game road trip on Saturday (Dec. 20) against the Minnesota Wild. Meanwhile, the Bruins continue their five-game homestand against the Vancouver Canucks the same day. These two teams will meet again on New Year’s Eve in Edmonton. Keep following The Hockey Writers for all your NHL content throughout the season.
