Well, this one didn’t go quite as the Bruins had hoped.
After blowing a 1-0 in the second period, Boston bounced back in the third to push the game into overtime. Unfortunately, Boston couldn’t complete the comeback, falling 3-2 to the New York Islanders in a shootout at TD Garden on Thursday.
Anders Bjork and Torey Krug potted goals for the Bruins. Ex-Bruin Johnny Boychuk and Mathew Barzal scored for New York.
Tuukka Rask denied 19 shots while Semyon Varlamov pushed away 27.
The Bruins fall to 21-7-8 with the loss while the Isles move to 23-8-2.
Here’s how it all went down:
B’S STRIKE FIRST
Boston found an edge early in this one.
Bjork wasted no time putting the Bruins on the board, notching his fifth goal of the season 1:58 into the period. Charlie Coyle picked up the assist.
"The kid just keeps getting better" ? pic.twitter.com/38fRtPwTyB
— NESN (@NESN) December 20, 2019
Boston and New York went 0-for-1 on the power play in the first, though both squads had a few good short-handed looks on their respective penalty kills. The Bruins ended the period back on the man advantage after Casey Cizikas tripped David Pastrnak in the neutral zone with just 46.2 seconds on the clock, but couldn’t score before the horn sounded.
So, Boston took it’s 1-0 lead into the second. The two teams combined for just seven shots on goal in the first.
REALITY CHECK
Boston closed out the power play without a goal, and the second didn’t get much better from there.
Boychuk rocketed one past Rask 3:26 into the period, knotting the game at one goal apiece. (Seems like the “Johnny Rocket” nickname has stuck, too.)
Johnny Rocket! ?@NYIslanders | #NYIvsBOS pic.twitter.com/i16Jsqp9wV
— NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) December 20, 2019
Boston wound up back on the man advantage midway through the period but failed to make anything of it.
Both squads continued to suppress shots on goal, registering just 20 between them in the second. The B’s had several good opportunities in the final moments of the period, but the Isles took at 2-1 lead on Barzal’s 14th goal of the season.
BARZAL! ?
The @NYIslanders have their first lead. #NYIvsBOS pic.twitter.com/W1wYeDEUJ0
— NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) December 20, 2019
But the misery didn’t end there as Brandon Carlo made his way to the box for tripping with just 16 seconds on the clock.
And just like that, the roles were revered as the Isles took a one-goal lead and a man advantage into the third.
IT AIN’T OVER YET
Things slowly swung in the Bruins’ favor in the third.
After Adam Pelech was whistled for high-sticking 6:32 into the frame, Boston quickly found itself with a 5-on-3 advantage thanks to a delay of game call on Brock Nelson. That gave Boston a prime opportunity to tie things up, and Krug did just that.
?@ToreyKrug | #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/erhPIvC3sm
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) December 20, 2019
Both teams had quality chances to put the game away in the latter half of the third, but neither squad could find the back of the net. Despite outshooting New York 16-9 in the third, Boston couldn’t come up with the game-winner in regulation.
So, they headed to overtime.
EXTRA HOCKEY
Did you think five extra minutes would be enough to finish this one? Think again.
The two squads went end to end, registering just one shot apiece in OT. David Krejci and Brad Marchand had a couple of nice looks for the B’s, but Varlamov denied any and all opportunities to put this one away.
So this one was decided in a shootout.
GAME OVER
The Bruins haven’t had much success in shootouts this season, and that continued Thursday night.
The Islanders scored two unanswered goals to start, but Pastrnak’s second-round point kept Boston alive. But it wasn’t enough, as Brad Marchand missed the Bruins’ third and final shot of the shootout.
Boston now has lost two in a row.
UP NEXT
The Bruins welcome the Nashville Predators to Boston on Saturday, with puck drop from TD Garden slated for 7 p.m. ET.
