"Barzal on the power play has done a really good job," Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy said following Saturday morning's pregame skate at Warrior Ice Arena. "We went through that this morning and tried to take away his outlets. He's going to make some plays. Young guys like that, hopefully you can chase the puck out of their hands and force them to defend as much as possible.
"That's usually the game plan. That usually means having good O-zone time, protecting pucks ourselves, not giving them odd-man rushes. That will be our challenge tonight because they're a really good offensive team."
Barzal anchors New York's second line with Andrew Ladd and Jordan Eberle on his wings. The trio has been a strong complement to the Islanders' top unit of Anders Lee, John Tavares, and Josh Bailey. Tavares is third in the league with 17 goals, while Bailey is fourth in assists with 26.
"They've got Tavares as well, so there's a two-pronged attack right now," said Cassidy. "I think we've done a decent job. I think guys accept that challenge here when it comes to the [Connor] McDavids, [Sidney] Crosbys, [Steven] Stamkos.
"We've done a decent job - I don't know how the numbers play out exactly. It will be another challenge. To me, that Tavares line is what makes them go."
With Tavares leading the way, the Islanders sit second in the league in scoring, averaging 3.64 goals per game.
"Very dangerous team, very offensive threat," said Zdeno Chara. "Obviously they have a lot of weapons. They're playing really well, well coached, well structured team. It is a challenge. You're facing very skilled players every night and it's no different tonight."
The Islanders (35 points) are leading the Eastern Conference wild-card race along with Pittsburgh and are one point out of the third and final playoff spot in the Metropolitan Division.
"They're a great team," said Patrice Bergeron. "Every time we play them over the years, they seem to be getting better and better. It's no different this year obviously, with some young guys coming in and having an impact right away.
"It's going to be a tough matchup, so we need to make sure we take care of the puck, especially in our own zone."
Jaroslav Halak will get the start in goal for the Islanders, while former Bruin Dennis Seidenberg slides in on the back end for Scott Mayfield. Fellow ex-Bruin Johnny Boychuk is day-to-day with a lower-body injury and will not play on Saturday night.
