BOSTON — For the first time in five games, the Bruins played a contest that didn’t go to overtime. But there still was plenty of drama in Saturday’s matinee affair.
The B’s held a slim one-goal lead for much of a tight game against the New York Islanders but broke free in the third, as David Pastrnak scored his second goal of the game to lift Boston to a 3-1 win.
Pastrnak and Loui Eriksson once again were the source of offense for Boston, as the Swedish winger tallied his second goal in as many games and the 19-year-old Czech notched his fourth goal in three games. Eriksson and Pastrnak now have scored the Bruins’ last five goals.
Islanders captain John Tavares added the lone goal for New York, as Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask made 25 saves on 26 shots. New York netminder Thomas Greiss stopped 28 of Boston’s 31 shots.
The win helped Boston extend its Atlantic Division lead over the Tampa Bay Lightning to three points and gave the club a much-needed boost before it embarks on a tough three-game road trip.
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
Pastrnak buried his second goal of the afternoon with 2:34 remaining in the third.
The dynamic forward delivered the dagger for Boston, speeding into the puck and unloading a howitzer from the right wing that trickled past Greiss to put the Bruins up 3-1.
WAKE-UP CALL
The Bruins and Islanders spent most of the matinee contest’s first period finding their sea legs, but the B’s finally hit their stride before hitting the dressing room.
The Bruins produced the majority of quality scoring chances in what was a bit of a sloppy frame on both ends. Yet Boston put the pressure on at the end of the period after Lee Stempniak drew a tripping penalty with a nice move in the offensive end.
Eriksson made Stempniak’s efforts pay off, taking a pass from Ryan Spooner and beating Greiss on the wraparound for the power play goal, his 26th of the season.
The Bruins outshot the Islanders 14-5 in the first frame.
TRADING BLOWS
On Thursday night, the Bruins erased a 1-0 deficit with a second-period goal. On Saturday, it was the Islanders’ turn to do just that.
New York came out with more energy in the second frame, and it paid off at the 10:48 mark thanks to a Bruins defensive breakdown. Zdeno Chara got knocked off the puck along the boards and couldn’t clear it out of his own zone. Moments later, a diving Kyle Okposo slid the puck from behind the net to Tavares, who was wide open on the right side to deposit his 200th career goal.
But the Bruins entered the dressing room with a one-goal lead thanks to the efforts of Krejci and Pastrnak. After weaving behind the net to the right circle, Krejci fired a perfect pass to his linemate, and the 19-year-old winger slammed home a wrist shot with just nine seconds remaining in the period.
Both goalies saw plenty of action in the second, as the Islanders held a 12-11 shooting edge in the frame. Rask made a big stop on a Tavares rebound attempt shortly before Pastrnak’s goal.
The damage could have been worse for Boston, as Anders Lee escaped on a breakaway early in the period but hit the right post on his backhand attempt.
ALL SHE WROTE
Pastrnak’s fourth goal in four games and 12th of season was the knockout blow for a pesky Islanders team that threatened Rask with nine shots in the third period.
Things also got a bit chippy in the final frame, as Chara drew a roughing penalty for this friendly shove on Thomas Hickey:
LINEUP NOTES
Defenseman Kevan Miller returned to action after missing a week due to an upper body injury he suffered in last Saturday’s game against the Washington Capitals. His return pushed Joe Morrow out of the lineup as a healthy scratch along with Zach Trotman and Tyler Randell.
UP NEXT
The Bruins are about to become road warriors, as eight of their next nine games are away from TD Garden. They’ll begin their road trip with a West Coast swing, taking on the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday, the Anaheim Ducks on Friday and the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday.
Thumbnail photo via Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports Images
