Boston goaltender Linus Ullmark kneels after giving up an overtime goal to Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl during Tuesday’s game in Boston. Charles Krupa/Associated Press
BOSTON — It’s been a troubling trend for the Boston Bruins this season – giving up a lead in the third period – but Coach Jim Montgomery wants his team to use its latest loss as a learning experience, especially with the playoffs fast approaching.
The Bruins, once again, struggled to close out a game in the third period as they fell 2-1 to the Edmonton Oilers in overtime Tuesday night at TD Garden –their 15th OT loss of the season. The Oilers pulled their goalie in the final minutes, Danton Heinen hit the post on what would have been the clinching empty-net goal, and Edmonton capitalized with the extra skater with 1:20 left in regulation.
“We’ve got to find a way to close out games. It’s a great opportunity for us to realize we can’t take anything for granted,” Montgomery said after the game. “Because in a couple of months it doesn’t matter how tired you are at the end of the game. We’ve got to find a way to push through. We didn’t find a way.”
The Bruins were playing their second of a back-to-back after winning in Toronto on Monday. Getting in late from travel and having a quick turnaround will certainly take a toll on the players, but Montgomery noted Tuesday’s loss was due to “mental fatigue” and not physical fatigue. And he’s not using fatigue as an excuse because, come playoffs time, “everybody’s on an equal playing field.”
“You’re playing the same team that has the same many days off (for) rest. That’s where you got to dig in and find a way,” Montgomery said. “So for me, it’s an opportunity to start growing for the playoffs – the mindset and the physical execution you need.”
Despite another overtime loss, Montgomery liked the overall game from the Bruins, save for overtime. While he acknowledged Boston did a good job on its chances Tuesday night, he knows his team “didn’t have the jump” it did Monday against Toronto.
“We’re creating turnovers and we were not as good as yesterday,” Montgomery said. “And that’s where I could see that we’re a little bit tired, was that we were not transitioning to offense.”
TRADES: Less than 24 hours after the defending champion Vegas Golden Knights got the ball rolling by trading with Washington for 20-goal scorer Anthony Mantha, the action continued on Wednesday. More moves are expected before Friday’s 3 p.m. deadline.
• The Panthers dealt a fourth-round pick in this year’s draft to Ottawa for Vladimir Tarasenko, and the fourth-rounder would upgrade to a 2026 third-rounder if Florida wins the Cup this season. Ottawa also is getting a third-round pick from Florida in 2025, while the Senators are retaining half of Tarasenko’s salary.
Tarasenko, 32, has 17 goals and 24 assists in 57 games with Ottawa this season. He has tons of playoff experience – 97 games in 10 years – and helped St. Louis win the Stanley Cup in 2019 with 11 goals in 26 games.
• Colorado traded a top-10 protected 2025 first-round pick and center Ryan Johansen to Philadelphia for defenseman Sean Walker and a fifth-rounder in 2026 and got center Casey Mittelstadt in a one-for-one trade that sent defenseman Bowen Byram to the Sabres.
• The Rangers sent a 2024 second- and a 2025 fourth-round pick to the Kraken for Alexander Wennberg, considered one of the top pending free-agent centers available. Seattle is retaining half of Wennberg’s salary.
• Edmonton added a pair of centers in Adam Henrique and Sam Carrick from Anaheim. Henrique is another top center rental, and Edmonton sent its first-rounder this year and a conditional fifth-round pick in 2025 to the Ducks and a 2026 fourth-rounder to Tampa Bay for retaining a quarter of his salary. The ’25 pick becomes a fourth if the Oilers win the Cup, which stands better odds now after getting Henrique and Carrick.
CAPITALS: Rasmus Sandin is sticking around with Washington, getting a five-year contract extension worth $23 million.
Sandin will count $4.6 million against the salary cap through the 2028-29 NHL season as part of the new deal.
Copy the Story LinkSend questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.