Final, Bruins 5-2: The Bruins close this one out as Patrice Bergeron adds another empty-netter with 4.1 seconds left and the B's take the victory.
Special teams were the difference in this one, as Boston's first three goals were a power-play tally, a short-handed strike and another power-play score.
The Bruins have now won three straight at home and will look to close out a perfect three-game homestand against the Flyers on Saturday.
Third Period, 18:57, Bruins 4-2: The Bruins may have put this one away as Lucic nets another empty-netter to push the lead back to two goals with a shot from inside his own blue line after the Isles pulled DiPietro.
Third Period, 16:27, Bruins 3-2: The Islanders answer back, as Rob Scremp puts a rebound of a Travis Hamonic point shot under Rask from the right side to cut the lead back to one goal.
Third Period, 14:16, Bruins 3-1: The Bruins strike with just one second left on the power play, as Michael Ryder redirects a pass from Andrew Ference in front.
Ference came on the ice on a change and took a pass from Chara, then drove down the right side, finding Ryder in the slot for the redirection.
Third Period, 12:17, Bruins 2-1: The Bruins get a chance to add an insurance goal, as they go on the power play with Nielsen sent off for cross-checking.
Third Period, 12:00, Bruins 2-1: Chara claims another victim, as his one-timer from Horton hits John Tavares in front, and the talented young center goes down in pain. Play is stopped and he heads to the locker room.
Third Period, 11:16, Bruins 2-1: The Bruins were hemmed in their own zone for a long shift there after McQuaid's clear was intercepted.
Rask finally tied up the puck in a scramble in the crease, with McQuaid and Jon Sim nearly coming to blows, though Sim wanted no part of McQuaid.
Third Period, 9:28, Bruins 2-1: The Bruins' penalty kill comes through again, as the Isles are now 0 for 3 on the power play.
Krejci actually had the best scoring chance with a short-handed shot from the slot that DiPietro was able to turn aside.
Third Period, 7:28, Bruins 2-1: Big kill here for the Bruins, as Thornton is called for tripping, giving the Islanders a power play as Boston clings to a one-goal lead.
Third Period, 4:30, Bruins 2-1: Bit of a slow start to the third. The Bruins are playing like they're protecting a bigger lead than just the one-goal edge they actually have.
Third Period, 0:00, Bruins 2-1: The final frame is under way here at the Garden, with the Bruins looking to close out a victory over the Islanders.
Boston is 12-0-0 when leading after two periods and has outscored opponents 33-12 in the third period this season. New York is 0-10-1 when trailing after two and has been outscored 26-17 in the final period.
Second Intermission Notes: The Bruins are somewhat fortunate to come out of that period still in the lead, as the Islanders outshot the B's 17-9 in the second and had some golden chances.
Nielsen converted one on a penalty shot, but otherwise Rask has come through when needed, showing no rust despite his two-week layoff.
Kampfer is also showing no first-game jitters on the blue line. He has played 9:36 so far, with an even plus/minus rating, two shots, two hits and a blocked shot.
The Bruins also continue to dominate the draws, winning 62 percent (28-17). Bergeron (9-2) and Krejci (9-3) are leading the way in that department.
End Second Period, Bruins 2-1: The Bruins let the Islanders stick around too long and Frans Nielsen tied the game on a short-handed penalty shot. But Brad Marchand answered with a short-handed goal of his own, and the Bruins will take a one-goal lead into the third.
Second Period, 17:20, Bruins 2-1: Krejci with a bid to extend the lead, but DiPietro makes the stop on a one-timer from the left slot.
Second Period, 14:40, Bruins 2-1: The Bruins are back in front as Brad Marchand strikes short-handed.
Marchand blocked DiPietro's clear as the goalie came out to play teh puck. Marchand then tracked down the puck in the corner and stuffed it into the open net. That's Marchand's third short-handed goal of the year, tying him for the league lead.
Second Period, 13:27, 1-1: The Bruins are short-handed again as Krejci is called for hooking.
That followed a strong shift by the top line as Lucic and Horton each had strong scoring bids. Lucic's came on a drive down the left wing, while Horton nearly scored on a scramblein front.
Second Period, 10:24, 1-1: Kampfer continues to impress, making a nice play to keep the puck in at the point, then firing in a shot on goal later in the shift.
Second Period, 7:51, 1-1: The second fight of the night is a heavyweight affair between Shawn Thornton and Trevor Gillies.
After Gillies was roughing up some Bruins in front, Claude Julien puts Thornton out for the faceoff, and they drop the gloves off the draw. It was a lengthy bout as both natural southpaws traded lefts in a wild swinging affair. Thornton switched to the right late to score some points in a pretty even bout.
Second Period, 6:37, 1-1: The Islanders have been energized by that goal and are now carrying the play a bit.
They have a 9-2 edge in shots in the period to pull within 18-16 overall.
Second Period, 3:40, 1-1: The Islanders cash in on a miscommunication by the Bruins. Chara tried a blind drop pass to Recchi at the point, but Recchi wasn't there.
Frans Nielsen grabbed the puck and broke in alone, drawing a penalty shot when Bergeron came back to trip him. Nielsen then beat Rask up high on the penalty shot to tie teh game.
Second Period, 2:30, Bruins 1-0: The Bruins get another chance with the man-advantage as Jack Hillen goes off for tripping Marchand on a dangerous play down the left wing.
Second Period, 1:50, Bruins 1-0: The Bruins can't convert on that power-play chance, though Horton came close on a rediection just wide from the right slot.
Second Period, 0:00, Bruins 1-0: The middle frame is under way, with the Bruins on the power play for the first 1:50.
Boston is 10-0-0 when leading after one, while the Isles are 0-11-2 when trailing after the first period, a couple of trends that bode well for the B's.
First Intermission Notes: The Bruins got off to a strong start in this one, now they just have to cash in on a few more of their chances and not let the Islanders continue to hand around.
It was an impressive first frame for the two rookies on the blue line. Kampfer played 3:58 in his first NHL period, dishing out a pair of hits. McQuaid was even more of a physical presence, as he slugged it out with Zenon Konopka,added a hit and had two blocked shots.
It was also good to see Savard get his first point of the year, setting up Lucic's power-play goal with a faceoff win. Savard was 3-0 on draws and the Bruins were 14-6 as a team. David Krejci won all five draws he took in the period.
End First Period, Bruins 1-0: The Bruins close out a solid opening frame with a one-goal lead that could have been much larger if not for some strong saves by DiPietro.
The Bruins held a 16-7 edge in shots and will have 1:50 left on a power play to start the second.
First Period, 19:49, Bruins 1-0: The Bruins get another power play in the closing seconds as P.A. Parenteau goes off for boarding after a dangerous hit on Boychuk that draws the ire of several Bruins.
First Period, 16:56, Bruins 1-0: Now Eaton is limping around trying to shake off the effects of a Lucic shot he just blocked. The Bruins are winning this war of attrition so far.
First Period, 14:00, Bruins 1-0: The Bruins take advantage of the power-play time as Milan Lucic scores from the left slot with a shot that hit the post, DiPietro's skate and then popped over the goal line.
Savard picks up his first point with the assist for a faceoff win to start the play.
First Period, 13:57, 0-0: The Islanders, already dealing with a plethora of injuries, may have suffered another as Martinek is hurt blocking a Chara shot.
First Period, 13:20, 0-0: DiPietro gets called for delay of game as he clears the puck over the glass, giving Boston a 5-on-3 for 34 seconds.
First Period, 13:07, 0-0: Play is stopped as DiPietro gets some equipment repaired after making a couple of huge stops.
He denied Horton on tip, then again on a one-timer, then slid across to rob Seidenberg on the rebound.
First Period, 11:53, 0-0: The Islanders negate that power play as Eaton is called for holding Bergeron.
It will be 4-on-4 for 24 seconds, then the Bruins go on their first power play of the night.
First Period, 10:16, 0-0: The Bruins will be short-handed here as Nathan Horton gets the first non-matching penalty of the night. He was whistled for tripping on a play in whcih Mark Eaton actually looked to have propeled himself into the boards in an awkward fall.
First Period, 8:22, 0-0: The gloves are off for the first time in this one, as McQuaid lays out Konopka at the blue line with a stiff hit. Konopka, who led the NHL with 33 fights last year, doesn't like that and away they go.
Go long fight with both men landing, Konopka with left jersey jabs early, while McQuaid got insome harder rights in a spirited scrap.
First Period, 6:00, 0-0: The Bruins have a 6-2 edge in shots early as they are controlling play, but DiPietro appears to be on his game in this one.
First Period, 4:26, 0-0: The Bruins energy line nearly strikes again, as Marchand sends out a perfect pass from behind the net to Thornton in front, but DiPietro robs him on a point-blank save.
First Period, 0:45, 0-0: An eventful first NHL shift for Kampfer, who landed a big hit on Comeau off the opening draw, then pinched in deep to the corner as he showed his willingness to jump in on the play.
First Period, 0:00, 0-0: And we're under way here at the Garden, with the Bruins looking towin their third straight at the Garden, while the Islanders are out to avoid dropping their 11th road game in a row.
7 p.m.: Rookie Steven Kampfer will get to be in the spotlight right away, as he'll be starting on defense alongside Dennis Seidenberg in this one.
The "don't call them the fourth" line of Brad Marchand, Greg Campbell and Shawn Thornton start up front, with Tuukka Rask in goal.
The Islanders counter with Jon Sim, Zenon Konopka and Blake Comeau up front, Radek Martinek and Mark Eaton on defense and Rick DiPietro in goal.
6:55 p.m.: No surprises with the scratches, as Daniel Paille is again out for the Bruins, along with Mark Stuart (broken hand).
The Islanders have scratched Bruno Gervais (cheekbone) and Doug Weight (back). Gervais was supposed to be a game-time decision, but did not skate in warm-ups.
6:45 p.m.: No changes in the Bruins lines in the warm-ups, as they will roll the ame line combinations they've used since Marc Savard returned last week.
David Krejci remains between Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton, Patrice Bergeron is centering Mark Recchi and Blake Wheeler, Savard is flanked by Tyler Seguin and Michael Ryder and Greg Campbell is between Brad Marchand and Shawn Thornton.
Daniel Paille skated in warm-ups but did not participate in the line drills. He should be the healthy scratch again.
The defense will have a new look with Mark Stuart sidelined. Zdeno Chara was paired with Johnny Boychuk in warm-ups, while newcomer Steven Kampfer was with Dennis Seidenberg and Andrew Ference was with Adam McQuaid. Expect plenty of mixing and matching on defense though, as Kampfer and McQuaid won't log as many minutes as the veterans and Chara and Ference will probably spend some shfts together as well.
6:30 p.m.: The Bruins and Islanders have taken the ice for warm-ups.
Tuukka Rask and Rick DiPietro led their respectve clubs onto the ice, so we'll have the goaltending matchup expected after the morning skate.
6 p.m.: The Bruins and Islanders will clash in just about an hour here at the Garden.
Tuukka Rask is expected to get the start in goal for the Bruins, as he was the first off the ice at the morning skate. Rick DiPietro will be in net for the Islanders.
It's been a busy day at the Garden, as Mark Stuart discussed the hand injury that will keep him out of the lineup for 4-6 weeks, and the club completed a pair of minor trades that sent Providence forwards Jeff LoVecchio, Jordan Knackstedt and Levi Nelson away in exchange for AHL defenseman Sean Zimmerman, forward Juraj Simek and a conditional seventh-round pick. Zimmerman and Simek will both report directly to Providence.
For a complete breakdown of the matchup with the Islanders, check out our Facing Off feature.
4:30 p.m.: New York is a league-worst 5-15-5 with just one win in its last 18 games and a 10-game road losing streak, but Bruins coach Claude Julien was in full Belichick mode after this morning's skate. Julien piled on plenty of praise for the Isles when asked about Thursday's game.
"I see a team that's in every game that they play," said Julien. "You know, you hear me say that and sometimes it sounds like coaches trying to blow smoke here, but I really believe that they're a hard working, strong team that is in every game, and right now it's up to us to be ready to play a team that's got good goaltending, great speed, good work ethic, and like I said, has been in every game, and a bounce here or there is a different outcome.
"That's what this game is about nowadays," added Julien. "It's not about first place teams playing last place teams or whatever. It's about that gap between the two isn't that big and they're a team that's just looking for a way to win some hockey games, and we shouldn't and will not take them lightly."
8 a.m.: The Bruins will continue a key three-game homestand on Thursday when they welcome the struggling New York Islanders to the Garden.
Boston hasn't won three straight at home this season but can do that on Thursday after routing Tampa Bay 8-1 last Thursday and rallying for a 3-2 overtime win over Buffalo on Tuesday.
The Islanders would appear the perfect opponent to extend that streak against, as they come in with the worst record in the league at 5-15-5. The Isles have lost 10 straight on the road and have just one win in their last 18 games overall.
That slide cost former Providence Bruins coach Scott Gordon his job behind the Islanders' bench last month, but new coach Jack Capuano, who played two games for the Bruins in 1991-92 himself, hasn't fared much better. The Islanders are just 1-5-2 since the coaching change, but they have kept most of their games close.
New York has lost by more than two goals just twice in their last 12 games, so the Bruins can't afford to take this win for granted, or else they'll have an unexpected battle on their hands.
The puck drops at 7 p.m., so check back here throughout the day for updates on all the action.
