Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery hasn't had to speak to the media after a loss very often this campaign thanks to Boston's 49-9-5 record, but he wasn't about to let his team off the hook following Thursday's 3-2 defeat to the Edmonton Oilers.
"I thought they outworked us, they outplayed us, and outcoached us," he told reporters after the game, according to Boston Hockey Now's Joe Haggerty. "I thought we were a non-competitive offensive team tonight."
The Oilers joined exclusive company with the victory, becoming just the third visiting team to beat the commanding Bruins in regulation in 2022-23. Edmonton also put an end to Boston's 10-game win streak.
The significance of the result wasn't lost on Oilers rookie goaltender Stuart Skinner, who made 26 saves in the victory.
"It felt very, very nice, if I'm gonna be honest. I was very excited after the game," he said. "The guys were smiling coming to the net after the win, and I was doing the same thing back to them. I was pretty excited, so this one feels really good."
He added, "They're such a good team. They're a hard-hitting team. You know what Boston's going to bring every single night, especially in their own building, so being able to steal two points is huge."
Brad Marchand opened the scoring with his 20th goal of the campaign, and the Bruins carried a 2-0 lead into the second period thanks to a buzzer-beater from David Pastrnak.
Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard halved the deficit midway through the middle frame before Ryan McLeod leveled the game early in the third. But Edmonton was in for a challenge - prior to Thursday's contest, Boston hadn't lost a game in regulation when it'd been leading after two periods.
Darnell Nurse bucked that trend with just under five minutes remaining in the contest by beating goaltender Jeremy Swayman from distance.
"We've got confidence in our group," Nurse said. "I was saying this morning, 'We can play with anyone in this league.' But I mean it's one thing to say it, it's another thing to go out there and do it, and we did tonight."
Superstar Connor McDavid was shaken up after a knee-on-knee collision with teammate Derek Ryan late in the third period but ultimately returned to the contest.
Head coach Jay Woodcroft didn't see what happened but noted that McDavid "felt good enough to finish the game," per The Associated Press' Jimmy Golen.
The Bruins held both McDavid and Leon Draisaitl off the scoresheet. It was the first time all season that Edmonton won a game without the high-powered duo recording a point.
The Oilers hold the top wild-card spot in the Western Conference with a record of 36-22-8. They've won four of their last five games.
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