The New York Islanders entered Friday having lost just twice this season — both times to the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks.
Their four-game win streak came to an end, however, against a determined Boston Bruins team that rebounded from a suspect first period by scoring four goals over the final 24 minutes. The Islanders managed just one over that span — a far-too-late tally by Thomas Hickey with less than two minutes to play — as the Bruins finished off a 5-3 win in their first visit to Brooklyn.
Boston’s third road win in as many tries elevated its record to 3-3-1 on the young season, a promising mark given the team’s 0-3-0 start.
“This is one of the best teams in the league right now,” Bruins coach Claude Julien told NESN’s Jack Edwards and Andy Brickley after the game, “and I think it was important for us to come in and obviously establish ourselves as the aggressors, and then win ourselves a big hockey game. We were so disappointed with the last game at home against Philadelphia. It was important to put that behind us as quick as possible, and now you’ve got an opportunity to be at .500. We dug ourselves a hole; now we’re back to even. Now we’ve got to start climbing out and working our way back up.”
Some additional notes from Friday:
— Goalie Jonas Gustavsson again was solid in relief of usual starter Tuukka Rask. The veteran backup stopped 23 of 26 Islanders shots and now has won each of his two starts this season.
— Matt Beleskey participated in morning skate for the Bruins but did not suit up for the game. It was the winger’s second consecutive scratch as he deals with an upper body injury.
— Zac Rinaldo was in the lineup for the Bruins, having avoided suspension for his hit Wednesday night on Philadelphia Flyers center Sean Couturier. NHL vice president of player safety Damian Echevarrieta told NESN’s Jack Edwards that not suspending the Bruins winger was “the hardest decision” his department has had to make.
Rinaldo did not factor into the scoring Friday night but did finish with nine hits in 11:05 of ice time.
— 27-year-old Bruins rookie Joonas Kemppainen tallied his first NHL goal after scoring 62 over nine seasons in the Swedish Elite League.
“I think I played pretty badly to start off the season, so it’s nice to get some positive things,” Kemppainen told NESN rinkside reporter Sarah Davis after the game.
Rinaldo and Max Talbot now are the only forwards on Boston’s current roster without a goal this season.
Along those same lines, here’s an interesting nugget: Of the 27 goals the Bruins have scored this season, 26 have come from forwards. Kevan Miller is the only defenseman to light the lamp thus far.
— The game featured the Bruins’ second fight of the season, with Adam McQuaid and Matt Martin squaring off late in the first period. Both combatants are known for their fist-throwing capabilities, but their latest bout was a bit of a letdown.
— In addition to his first-period goal, Islanders center Casey Cizikas also earned the game’s good-guy award for rescuing Gustavsson from a tumbling Joe Morrow.
— Several members of the National League champion New York Mets were in attendance in Brooklyn. Surprisingly, Daniel Murphy finished the night without a home run.
Thumbnail photo via Brad Penner/USA TODAY Sports Images
