BOSTON, MA – How you like them apples?
Rookie Quinn Hutson scored his first career NHL goal, while forwards Ryan Nugent-Hopkins & Connor McDavid each posted a goal and an assist for the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night in a 3-1 victory over the Boston Bruins at TD Garden for back-to-back wins.
Nugent-Hopkins’ power-play tally 6:22 into the first period opened the scoring for the Oilers before the Bruins answered back on the man advantage to tie things up before the intermission, but Hutson’s first NHL goal with less than six minutes left in the middle frame would end up being the game-winner.
“I’ve just been playing hard, moving my feet and playing a simple game,” Hutson said. “It’s been going well for me.”
Hutson put away the rebound in front of netminder Jeremy Swayman that came off the shot from Max Jones, picking up his first NHL goal that made it 2-1 for the Oilers before McDavid scored on a short-handed breakaway early in the third to cap off the scoring in Edmonton’s sixth straight win at the Garden.
“Anytime you get your first is pretty special,” Hyman said. “I think it’s extra special for him to be in Boston. He’s got lots of history here, obviously going to school here, and probably played in this rink before. So you always remember your first and a big one for us with the game-winner. I thought he was great.”
McDavid extended his incredible point streak to nine games, tallying 10 goals and 12 assists, while Nugent-Hopkins now has three goals and eight assists over his last 10 games since returning from a nine-game injury absence on Nov. 29.
Goaltender Tristan Jarry picked up his third straight victory for the Oilers but had to leave the game during the second period due to injury after making 12 saves on 13 shots, giving way to Calvin Pickard to see out the win by stopping all 12 shots he faced.
The Oilers will wrap up their five-game road trip at Xcel Energy Center on Saturday afternoon against the Minnesota Wild.
