Third-period goals from David Pastrnak and Charlie Coyle (2, the second a hat-trick goal) offset a short-handed gift to the Islanders and put the Bruins in good stead (5-2 in the waning minutes) to finish off a grind of a victory at TD Garden. Here is the game summary:
THIRD PERIOD
Marchand and Pastrnak made a set play that just missed off Marchand’s stick, then Shattenkirk hit the post from the left point, but that one would have been called back with Marchand leaning over Sorokin in the blue.
The Islanders came back to two close calls of their own, but Oliver Wahlstrom tripped Poitras. However, disaster struck when Marchand misplayed a pass back to the point, and Simon Holmstrom converted a short-handed, game-tying goal just 10 seconds into the penalty. The Bruins thought about an offsides challenge but relented. 2-2.
Pastrnak and Marchand had chances before Pastrnak’s shot from the slot broke through and dribbled across the red line, putting Boston back on top, 3-2 at 3:33.
The Bruins had a tough shift but finally got breathing room midway through the period when Coyle finished off a play his line, with Frederic and van Riemsdyk, orchestrated at 9:26 to make it 4-2 with a half a period to play for a regulation win against a team that always plays them tough and without their top defense pairing.
Samuel Bolduc high-sticked Oskar Steen with 4:44, putting a bow on the game (provided the Bruins didn’t get careless again and give the Islanders life on the kill).
Sorokin to the bench with over two minutes remaining in regulation. Pastrnak had a look and fires, but the Islanders deflect it away.
Islanders coach Lane Lambert takes his timeout with 1:54 left.
Pastrnak made sure Coyle got his hat trick with 1:21 left, as the Bruins went up 5-2 with Sorokin on the Islanders’ bench.
That’s it from here … a post-gaming we go …
SECOND PERIOD
Marchand and Barzal got into a rat-a-rat of gotha-last stick jabs, then Mayfield followed Marchand to the Bruins bench, getting in his whacks of disapproval.
Ullmark snared a Casey Cizikas shot from the left circle.
JG Pageau lined up Hampus Lindholm and cleanly missed, as the Boston defenseman skated the puck up the left wall.
Poitras took a pass through center and shielded the puck from Pageau, leveraging a holding penalty on the Islanders center 4:59 into the second period. Bruins to the powerplay. Coyle connected on a bang-bang from Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha at 6:06, restoring the Boston lead at 2-1.
A longgggggggggggggggggg stretch of hockey ended the period, but not before Noah Dobson made a great pass through several sticks and skates to Bo Horvat, whose shot caught Ullmark cutting across – great save and puck luck, too. Then Ullmark made another point-blanker a minute later.
The Bruins pushed back, and Marchand made a great move at the NYI blue line to create a threat that Sorokin stopped.
Coyle, the leader without the letter, has been in beast mode throughout this tilt, and he factored in some Boston pressure late in the period.
Shots on goal through two: 20-18 NYI. Bruins take a 2-1 lead into the third.
FIRST PERIOD
The Bruins peppered Ilya Sorokin with four shots, two of which were high-quality chances. They did an excellent job cutting off the Islanders’ outlets and regrouping for more scoring threats.
Mat Barzal finally had a partial breakaway that Linus Ullmark turned away. It was by no means a great save by Ullmark, but a very important one nonetheless. Imagine letting in the game’s first shot, which was somewhat bothered, after the Bruins caved in the Islanders for the first five minutes.
Just into the game’s eighth minute, James van Riemsdyk carried off the rush down right wing, spun and passed goalmouth to a rushing Trent Frederic, but once again Sorokin said no.
Jake DeBrusk went for a wide wrap but missed the far post.
Both teams got away with ticky-tack interference penalties that have been called frequently so far this season. The victims: Anders Lee and Patrick Brown. Somehow, had it been Barzal and Pastrnak, I suspect there would have been penalties on those plays.
Just when it looked like the Islanders had tightened up defensively, Charlie Coyle won a puck on the halfwall, sending it behind the net to van Riemsdyk, who found Trent Frederic cruising through the slot. His low snapper beat Sorokin cleanly with 5:55 remaining in the period. 1-0 Boston.
The primary assist was van Riemsdyk’s 600th regular-season NHL point.
Frederic went to the penalty box for crosschecking Lee with 3:43 left in the period. Lee and the Islanders were pressing for the tying goal and making Ullmark busy.
Brock Nelson tied the game with 54 seconds remaining on Frederic’s penalty.
Coyle had a rushed breakaway chance after Pastrnak collected a neutral-zone puck, rescued it from some ragged play and hit a perfect lob wedge. Sorokin followed it perfectly.
By then, the Islanders completely turned around the game and finished the first period with a 15-12 shots advantage.
PREGAME
The Boston Bruins moved this afternoon to activate Jakub Lauko and place Morgan Geekie on injured reserve.
Lauko took a heavy hit late in the October 24 Chicago game and, while on his hands and knees, took an accidental skate to the face, just missing his eye. The pesky left winger returns to the lineup tonight, while Geekie is forced to sit by a foot injured from a puck on the instep of the skate during the Bruins’ victory Monday night in Dallas.
Below is the press release on today’s transaction.
Meantime, the Islander and Bruins are digging into their pregame skate, led onto TDG ice tonight by Ilya Sorokin and Linus Ullmark.
Other notes from warm-up: Derek Forbort took his turns in the line drills with Kevin Shattenkirk. Earlier today, coach Jim Montgomery indicated that Forbort (unspecified, nagging injury that dates back to early days of training camp) is a game-time decision. The guess here is he will give it a go, and Parker Wotherspoon will sit. Wotherspoon is a left shot, while Ian Mitchell is a right and, without Charlie McAvoy (four-game suspension upheld by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman) who returns Saturday night in Montreal, the Bruins would be down to two right-shot D’s if they sat Mitchell.
BRUINS ACTIVATE JAKUB LAUKO; PLACE MORGAN GEEKIE ON IR
BOSTON – Boston Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney announced today, November 9, that the team has added forward Jakub Lauko to the active roster and placed forward Morgan Geekie on injured reserve.
Lauko, 23, has appeared in six games with Boston this season. The 6-foot-1, 193-pound forward has skated in 29 career NHL games, recording four goals and three assists for seven points. The Prague, Czech Republic native was originally drafted by Boston in the third round (77th overall) of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.
Geekie, 25, has appeared in 12 games with Boston this season, recording one goal and two assists for three points. The 6-foot-3, 202-pound forward has skated in 192 career NHL games with Boston, Seattle and Carolina, totaling 23 goals and 43 assists for 66 points. The Strathclair, Manitoba native was originally selected by Carolina in the third round (67th overall) of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.
#11/09/23#
Rink Rap with Mick Colageo 