Bruins look to solve Oilers' recent dominance (Nov 26, 2017)
BOSTON -- There was a time the Edmonton Oilers couldn't beat the Boston Bruins, losing 13 straight games.
Those days are gone.
The Oilers, still trying to find their way in 2017-18 amid what was supposed to be a sea of optimism, bring a five-game winning streak over the Bruins into Sunday's game at TD Garden.
Three of the five Edmonton wins have required extra time, but the Bruins haven't defeated the Oilers since Nov. 6, 2014.
The Oilers, just 8-13-2 this season, have lost four of their last five and seven of their last nine, and they come to Boston 1-3 on a five-game road trip.
And they're sick -- and not just over the record. A flu bug is following the team around North America.
Goaltender Cam Talbot and Oscar Klefbom missed Friday night's loss in Buffalo (the Sabres ending a seven-game losing streak) with the flu. Klefbom was back on the ice when the Oilers practiced at Boston University's Agganis Arena on Saturday.
The loss, with rookie Laurent Brossoit in goal, came after the team's eighth win of the season.
"Same story after every win, we don't follow it up with a win," Oilers captain Connor McDavid said. "I don't think it was effort at all. We were just sloppy. We were never in sync, anyone at any time, little passes that are usually easy to make, we couldn't complete them. We're a group that's out of whack.
"We need to get on a roll, we talk about and get the result in Detroit and have high hopes tonight but couldn't get going."
The Bruins are already on a roll. They have won four straight, all with backup goaltender Anton Khudobin in net. The veteran is 7-0-2 this season, already matching last year's wins total, and is 12-0-2 dating to last year, which happens to be his record since Bruce Cassidy took over from Claude Julien behind the bench.
With the red-hot Tampa Bay Lightning coming to town Wednesday night, Cassidy has decided to go back to starter Tuukka Rask, who is just 3-7-2 this season.
Rask is 4-2-2 with a 2.80 goals-against average and .895 save percentage against the Oilers. Khudobin is 2-2 with 2.70/.917 in five game against Edmonton.
"It's his turn to go. It's his turn to play. We've had terrific goaltending out of Doby and hopefully we'll get terrific goaltending from Tuukka," Cassidy said of Rask, who has a .897 save percentage and 2.89 goals-against average -- and hasn't played since Nov. 15. "Then everything will be terrific.
"But we'll see, it's his chance (on Sunday). That's it."
The Bruins (10-7-4) remain without sparkplug Brad Marchand, who was back at practice Saturday but in a non-contact situation. He will miss his sixth straight game.
Boston recalled center Jordan Szwarz on an emergency basis and sent defenseman Rob O'Gara to Providence.
The Oilers showed something different at practice Saturday, with Leon Draisatl moving to center for the first time this season. Newcomer Mike Cammalleri remained at right wing on the top line with McDavid and Milan Lucic.
"We're not getting enough out of players. We've got to try something else," Oilers coach Todd McLellan said Saturday.
Talking Friday about Brossoit, McLellan said, "He made some really good saves, and any goalie in the league would like the second one (by Jack Eichel) back, but we can't just focus on just that one. We have to look at his overall performance and it was pretty strong, especially early."
Talbot is 8-10-1 with a 3.13 goals against average and .901 save percentage. Brossoit is 0-3-1 with 3.31/.881.
Edmonton left winger Jughar Khaira suffered a lower body injury Friday and won't play Sunday.
The Bruins are hoping to get their power play going -- and the defensively challenged Oilers might help. Boston is 1 of 28 on the power play since Nov. 6 and has failed in its last 16 tries.
