Need to Know: Bruins at Oilers 

EDMONTON –– The Boston Bruins will close out 2025 with a New Year's Eve matchup against the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday at Rogers Place.

It marks the second of two regular-season meetings between the teams. The Bruins fell 3-1 to the Oilers at TD Garden on Dec. 18.

“That was the message this morning, that will be the message again before the game. We played a really good 5-on-5 game, I thought. They scored on their power play, they scored on their PK. So that already shows you that we have to be disciplined tonight,” head coach Marco Sturm said. “Knowing them, especially at home, they are really good behind their crowd. We just have to bring our skating boots tonight and try to check with our legs, not with our stick.”

Boston earned a point in its 2-1 overtime loss against the Calgary Flames on Monday, and is looking for the full two in Edmonton as their five-game road trip continues. The lineup will remain the same for the Bruins, Sturm said, including Morgan Geekie on the first line with Alex Steeves and Elias Lindholm.

​The Bruins had a high-energy practice in Edmonton on Tuesday ahead of the contest.

“I think a day like yesterday helps a lot, just [morale-wise] with the practice and playing some games. Everybody puts a lot of pressure on themselves in situations like this,” Geekie said. “To be able to just lift the mood up a little bit, it helps. Just keep it simple and try to go out there and rely on what we know.”

Tanner Jeannot remains out of the lineup due to injury. The forward skated with the team on Tuesday and Wednesday in a non-contact jersey.

“Little steps, I would say. I don’t know how close he is,” Sturm said of Jeannot. “We’ll see how he does today, and hopefully he’s going to be better tomorrow.”

Wait, There’s More

• Jeremy Swayman will start in net for Boston. The goaltender last played on Monday against the Calgary Flames and made 19 saves. Swayman has a 2.87 goals against average and a .903 save percentage through 27 games this season.
• Viktor Arvidsson is playing against his former team for the first time since getting traded from Edmonton to Boston in July; the forward was injured for the first meeting between the groups earlier this month. Arvidsson spent one season (2024-25) with the Oilers. The 32-year-old has 15 points (seven goals, eight assists) through 28 games with the Bruins, and is on the second line with Casey Mittelstadt and Pavel Zacha.
• Andrew Peeke scored Boston’s only goal on Monday in Calgary. The defenseman has two goals in the last five games and is averaging 20:30 of ice time per night. Since the return of Jonathan Aspirot from injury, Peeke is skating on the third pair with Mason Lohrei.

Opposing View

• The Oilers are coming off a 3-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets on Monday. Max Jones, Jack Roslovic and Zach Hyman scored in the victory; goaltender Calvin Pickard made 41 saves on 42 shots. Edmonton has won three of its last five games.
• Edmonton has the best power play in the league (34.9%); the team has scored 38 goals on the man advantage through 40 games this year. Leon Draisaitl leads the team with 11 PPG. He is on the first unit alongside Connor McDavid, Hyman, Evan Bouchard and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. McDavid has the most points on the Oilers with 69 (24 goals, 45 assists).
• Bouchard has the most points (37) of all Edmonton defensemen. The 26-year-old blueliner is skating on the first pair with Mattias Ekholm, and is averaging 24:16 of total ice time per night. Bouchard has seven goals in 40 games, which leads the Oilers' defensemen, too.