Need to Know: Bruins at Islanders

NEW YORK - Bruce Cassidy expected some rust in Adam McQuaid's game.
After all, the burly defenseman had not played in three months, the result of a broken right fibula from blocking a shot against the Vancouver Canucks on Oct. 16.
But after a solid all-around performance in his return during Boston's 4-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night, there was little indication that the veteran blue liner had missed the last 36 games.

"Very solid, thought he handled the puck very well, especially at the offensive blue line," Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said Thursday morning at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. "I thought that's where the rust would be, to be honest, not having pressure around him. But handled it very well. Penalty kill is one of his fortes -obviously delivered there, solid defensively. Very pleased with his game."
With Kevan Miller still sidelined with an illness, McQuaid will be back in the lineup tonight against the New York Islanders. The 31-year-old played 15 minutes, 12 seconds versus the Habs and logged a team-high four shots on goal and two hits, while playing alongside Matt Grzelcyk on Boston's third pairing.
"Not too bad. I wasn't sure what to expect, just went with the first shift and then the second and just went down from there," said McQuaid. "I wanted to try to keep things really simple. Grizz made life pretty easy to play with - he played really well. All the guys did, so it was nice to be back, be a part of the win. I'm happy to be back."

During the defenseman's absence, Cassidy spoke on numerous occasions about how valuable McQuaid is on the kill and he showed why against Montreal. McQuaid logged 1:34 on the kill, all of which came during the Canadiens' unsuccessful 5-on-3 bid midway through the second period.
"I was a little tired," McQuaid said with a laugh. "I tried my best not to overstay or overextend my shifts, I didn't have much choice in that case. I felt that one a little bit…I think guys thrive off of wanting to kill that and be in those situations. Even though I was a little winded at the end of it, it was a good feeling for sure."
McQuaid's strong work in the D-zone also led to the deciding goal. After rubbing out Jacob de la Rose along the left wall, the puck squirted to Jake DeBrusk, leading to a rush up ice that resulted in Ryan Spooner's backhanded tally that gave the Bruins a 2-1 lead.
"It goes without saying that I was looking forward to getting back out there," said McQuaid. "A few nerves [before the game], just settled into the game…it felt good just to be a part of the win.
"As fun as it has been to watch the guys win and when you're actually on the ice and on the bench and a part of the battle it's that much more gratifying."

Captain Iron Man

Like McQuaid, Bruins captain Zdeno Chara did yeoman's work on the penalty kill against the Canadiens. Chara logged 2:25 of shorthanded ice time on Wednesday, including a consecutive stretch of 4:18 before and through Charlie McAvoy's holding penalty. It is just the type of situation that the 40-year-old thrives on.
"It's something that we feel that the guys that are on the ice, that's our job to prevent them from getting a goal," said Chara. "For the most part, I thought we did a really good job of keeping them on the outside…at that point in the game it was a turning point, they could easily get two goals and that would be a different story.
"That's my job and that's our job to make sure we do our best to prevent that…I was tired but nothing that didn't happen before…it takes some energy out of you, but at the same time, that's my job and I train to do that.
"Those are the times and moments where I absolutely love to be on the ice. Whatever the team needs, I'm willing to give."

Opposing View

Tonight marks the third and final meeting between the Bruins and Islanders this season. Boston has had the upper hand so far, winning both previous matchups - a 3-1 victory on Dec. 9 in Boston and a 5-1 thrashing on Jan. 2 in Brooklyn.
The Islanders are coming off a 4-1 loss to New Jersey on Tuesday, a setback that snapped a three-game winning streak. They currently sit 1 point back of the Rangers and Penguins for an Eastern Conference wild card spot.
The Isles' high-powered offense is led by John Tavares (24-30-54), Josh Bailey (12-38-50), rookie Matthew Barzal (16-31-47), and Anders Lee (26-15-41). Jaroslav Halak (13-13-2, 3.22 GAA) will start in goal for New York tonight.
"They are a well-skating team, a lot of skill in their lineup," said Chara. "We just have to be on time. I thought that again yesterday we were just a little bit slow the first five minutes.
"Playing a back-to-back, it's about making the right decisions at the right time and keeping shift length shorter and make sure you role that throughout the lineup."

Thursday Night's Projected Lineup

Anton Khudobin will make the start between the pipes for the Bruins in Brooklyn.
Brad Marchand - Patrice Bergeron - David Pastrnak
Jake DeBrusk - David Krejci - Ryan Spooner
Danton Heinen - Riley Nash - David Backes
Tim Schaller - Sean Kuraly - Noel Acciari
Zdeno Chara - Charlie McAvoy
Torey Krug - Brandon Carlo
Matt Grzelcyk - Adam McQuaid
Anton Khudobin
Tuukka Rask