Swayman outing squandered, Bruins gassed, 3 reasons why Boston Bruins lost 3-2 in OT against Edmonton Oilers

The Boston Bruins blew a 2-0 lead, losing 3-2 in overtime against the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday at Rogers Place. The Bruins coughed up a lead late in the third period via a goal by Connor McDavid, sending the game into OT.

Mattias Ekholm ended the game at 1:04 of the extra frame. Zach Hyman recorded the other goal by the Oilers. Meanwhile, Elias Lindholm and Mark Kastelic scored for Boston.

Here’s a closer look at the three key reasons why the Boston Bruins lost to the Edmonton Oilers despite leading early in the game.

3 reasons why Boston Bruins lost to Edmonton Oilers

#3 The Bruins' power play continues on cold steak

The Boston Bruins have had issues with their power play all season long. On Thursday, the power play crew went 0-for-2.

On its own, going 0-for-2 doesn’t seem like a massive failure. However, the issue lies in the power play failing to score in a tight game. In one-goal games, scoring with the man advantage makes a huge difference.

Such was the case against the Edmonton Oilers. The Bruins got a chance while still up 2-0. Had they scored, the Bruins could have put the game away. They had another chance with the game at 2-1 before the second intermission.

The Bruins failed to score. The Oilers came back and the Bruins eventually lost the two points.

#2 Another wasted outing by Jeremy Swayman

The Boston Bruins wasted another strong outing from Jeremy Swayman. He made 23 saves and kept his team in the game amid the pressure from the Oilers.

However, Boston could not support Swayman offensively and defensively, allowing Edmonton to skate away with the win.

It’s crucial to highlight that the Bruins sat back on their own trying to defend a one-goal lead. While that approach could work against most teams, that's not the case with the Oilers. Edmonton's offense doesn't allow its opponents to sit back and try to defend one goal.

#1 The Bruins ran out of gas

A common theme for the Boston Bruins has been running out of gas in tough games this season. The Bruins played well for 40 minutes, but just couldn’t keep up in the third period.

Boston looked in slow motion as the 2-on-1 that led to the game-winner unfolded. After Swayman made the initial save on the rush chance, all three Bruins players stood on the ice as Ekholm corralled the rebound and fired it home.

Boston will get Friday off to recover before taking on the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday at TD Garden.