Strome goal in third boosts Oilers past Bruins

BOSTON -- The Edmonton Oilers shuffled their lines against the Boston Bruins, and it paid off with a victory to close out their five-game road trip.
New linemates Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Strome connected for the go-ahead goal 2:07 into the third period to lift the Oilers to a 4-2 win at TD Garden on Sunday.

WATCH: [All Oilers vs. Bruins highlights]
Coach Todd McLellan put together Strome, Draisaitl and Drake Caggiula on his new lines, and they all contributed on the winning goal.
Draisaitl made a rush up the left wall and found Strome in the middle of the ice. Caggiula drove the net, distracting Bruins defensemen Torey Krug and Brandon Carlo. Strome beat goalie Tuukka Rask with a wrist shot top shelf from between the face-off circles to make it 3-2.
Strome said he enjoyed playing with Draisaitl.
"Just try to get open and make little plays. He sees the ice so well, and I've never really played with a centerman with that type of skill, ability," Strome said. "Obviously, Connor [McDavid's] got great 1-on-1 skill, but the way Leon sees the ice and makes plays is pretty special, so you try to get open, and luckily we were able to convert on one there."
Cam Talbot made 23 saves to help the Oilers (9-13-2) finish their road trip 2-3-0.

"We finished the trip off the way we wanted to as far as tonight goes," McLellan said. "It was not enough points in the bank [the whole trip], but tonight was a well-played team game by everybody that dressed, starting with the goaltender out. I thought we managed the puck much better, got pucks behind them, and had more of a forecheck game than a pretty game, and it helped us."
David Pastrnak and David Krejci scored, and Rask made 32 saves in his first game since Nov. 15 for the Bruins (10-8-4), whose season-high four-game winning streak ended. Rask backed up Anton Khudobin the past four games.

The Bruins, outshot 27-11 through the second period, didn't do enough to help Rask avoid his fourth straight regulation loss.
"I think we were just looking for another play instead of just throwing it to the net," Pastrnak said. "I think we had a couple of opportunities where we could have just shot it at the net and you never know what could have happened, other chances or something."
The Bruins took a 1-0 lead at 14:03 of the first period after Krug gained the Oilers zone during a power play and passed to Pastrnak, who beat Talbot high to the glove side with a snap shot from the right hash marks.
Pat Maroon tied it 1-1 with a wrist shot from the left circle at 9:50 of the second period after receiving a slap pass from Zack Kassian from the right point.
Adam Larsson beat Rask with a wrist shot off Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy's skate at 14:20 to put the Oilers ahead 2-1, but Krejci scored from the slot off a pass from Riley Nash to tie it 2-2 at 15:31.
Draisaitl scored into an empty net to make it 4-2 with 50.7 seconds left.

Goal of the game

Strome's goal at 2:07 of the third period.

Save of the game

Talbot stopping Nash's sharp-angled backhand at 18:29 of the third period.

Highlight of the game

Kassian's slap pass to set up Maroon's goal at 9:50 of the second period.

They said it

"Well, he skated today. We had a chat before practice that I told you about. You know a lot of times he just skates for Leon. Tonight, he skated for his teammates and created open ice and did some things that were beneficial to his linemates." -- Oilers coach Todd McLellan on forward Leon Draisaitl
"When they start to pile up and nothing seems to go your way, it's frustrating. Obviously right now, it's frustrating, but tomorrow is a new day, go back to work." -- Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask, who has lost his past four starts

Need to know

The Oilers allowed the first goal for the 16th time in 24 games. They are 4-11-1 in those games. ... Edmonton forward Anton Slepyshev was activated from injured reserve after missing eight games with a groin injury. He had two shots on goal in 14:28. … Oilers forward Jujhar Khaira was out with a lower-body injury. … It was Talbot's 200th NHL start. He did not play Friday in a 3-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres because of flu-like symptoms. … Bruins forwards Peter Cehlarik (lower body) and Ryan Spooner (groin) missed the game. Cehlarik, injured in a 4-3 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday, will be re-evaluated in four weeks, general manager Don Sweeney said. Spooner is day to day. … Boston forward Brad Marchand missed his sixth straight game with an undisclosed injury.

What's next

Oilers: Host the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday (9 p.m. ET; SNOL, FS-A PLUS, NHL.TV)
Bruins:Host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN, NHL.TV)