GAME RECAP: Oilers 2, Bruins 1 (OT)

BOSTON, MA – They left it late in Beantown, but the Edmonton Oilers are leaving with the extra point.

Leon Draisaitl tied the game with 1:20 left in the third period before the German scored the game-winner in overtime to secure the Edmonton Oilers their fifth straight victory on Tuesday night with a 2-1 comeback victory over the Boston Bruins at TD Garden.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins made another terrific backcheck with the net empty to keep the Oilers alive in the late stages before Draisaitl deflected a puck over Boston netminder Linus Ullmark during six-on-five, forcing overtime where Connor McDavid set up Draisaitl for the game-winner on a one-timer that went five-hole off defenceman Brandon Carlo's stick with 2:42 remaining in the extra frame.

Both netminders were terrific all night, with Stuart Skinner making 25 saves to outduel former Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark, who was saddled with his sixth straight defeat after making 24 stops.

The Oilers continue their four-game road trip on Thursday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

FIRST PERIOD

Stuart Skinner and Linus Ullmark were locked into a goaltender's duel through a scoreless opening 20 minutes, with the former Vezina Trophy winner looking to end a streak of five straight losses while the Oilers netminder was looking to extend his personal win streak to four games.

Ullmark was looking sharp early with two saves on McDavid – once on a net-front push from the Oilers captain beside the Boston crease and again on his turn-around shot coming out from behind the net that required quick thinking from the Bruins shot-stopper.

Edmonton had to kill off one penalty that came late in the first frame after Dylan Holloway was given a cheap hooking penalty on Jakub Lauko that the young forward rightfully protested, but Skinner came up clutch on the penalty kill, diving across to blocker away a dangerous chance for Brad Marchand.

Skinner stopped all nine shots he faced in the first period, along with Ullmark making the same amount over the opening 20 minutes to keep it scoreless.

"You're playing a good defensive team and I know they had a lot of block shots, especially in the first period, and their goalie came up with some big saves," Head Coach Kris Knoblauch said. "But I think also, the chances were limited on both sides just because you've got two good teams who defended really well tonight."

SECOND PERIOD

The last time these two teams met in Edmonton on Feb. 21, they combined for 11 goals in a 6-5 overtime thriller in favour of the Bruins.

Through 40 minutes, it was crystal clear that we weren't going to be treated to a similar type of game on Tuesday with the tight checking and goaltending that was on display between the Oilers and Bruins.

"There wasn't too much physicality, but there was almost no room for it because they're a really well-structured team," Mattias Janmark said. "We played a really good structured game. So in that regard, it was a very competitive and playoff-type game. I think this time of year, those are the games that you kind of want to be playing in."

Leon Draisaitl had a great chance to break the deadlock when he tried to catch Ullmark flat-footed on a deflection off Hyman's low feed past the six-minute mark, forcing the Bruins' netminder into a fast right-shoulder save that was the Swede's best stop through two periods.

Skinner stayed up to the task, following up his counterpart with a strong stop on David Pastrnak alone in the left circle before denying Jake DeBrusk with the right pad on a breakaway with 3:43 left in the middle frame.

Pastrnak had a golden opportunity to give Boston the lead before the intermission after intercepting a wayward pass from Evander Kane, but the Oilers winger made up for his mistake by avoiding taking a penalty and getting a piece of Pastrnak on the backtrack.

Boston outshot the Oilers 12-8 in the second period as both netminders remained perfect through two frames. Connor McDavid led the Oilers with six of their 17 shots through the first 40 minutes.

THIRD PERIOD

The Bruins stuck fast off a quick pass up ice from Pavel Zacha four-and-a-half minutes into the final frame, leading to a two-on-one where Danton Heinen passed off to Pavel Zacha for a one-timer that beat Skinner for the 1-0 Boston lead.

"At the end of the day, you need one shot and one play to be made," Draisaitl said. "We've got a lot of great players in our group that in tight games and tight moments can make a play."

The Oilers didn't convert on their only third-period power play in the final five minutes before Ryan McLeod had an open net to shoot at with 2:47 left in regulation, but instead put his shot wide and through the crease to keep the Bruins up by one as Edmonton then elected to pull their goaltender for the extra attacker.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins made another one of his vital backchecks with the Oilers playing at six-on-five when he took away an empty net for Danton Heinen, once again coming up with an incredible defensive effort that would pay off in the moments that followed for the Blue & Orange.

"He probably never gets enough credit for how hard he works," Draisaitl said. "He's one of the best guys in the world at stripping guys from behind. He's such a sneaky hard-worker. He doesn't get enough credit for that a lot of times, so without that play, we're probably not standing here talking about a win."

McDavid pushed a backhand on goal with over a minute to go that was deflected into the air by Draisaitl, leading to the puck going over the Bruins goaltender and off his pad before crossing the line to tie the game at 1-1 with 1:20 left in regulation.

OVERTIME

The Dynamic Duo waited for their opportunity to win the contest in extra time, and the moment finally came.

"When three-on-three first started, it was a lot easier and now it seems like everyone has it figured out," Draisaitl said. "We used to score a lot more, but it's nice to get one and obviously, I've been doing this for a long time with him, so there's definitely some confidence there."

Connor McDavid wheeled into Boston's zone and evaded a Bruins defender before lifting his head and picking out Draisaitl in the right circle, who dropped to one knee and delivered a one-timer five-hole on Ullmark that went off the shaft of Brandon Carlo's stick and in to earn Edmonton the extra point in comeback fashion.

"I think it's just a sign of maturity in our group," Leon Draisaitl said. "It's a tough building to play in, so I thought we stuck with it and stayed patient and very mature."

PARTING WORDS

Check back following tonight's game for post-game reaction from the Oilers locker room.