Game 1 Preview: Islanders at Bruins

GAME 1: ISLANDERS AT BRUINS8:00 PM | TD GARDENSERIES TIED 0-0WATCH: NBC | NHL.TV | SN360 | TVA SPORTSLISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | 98.7FM
After advancing past Pittsburgh in six games in the First Round, the fourth-seeded New York Islanders are shipping up to Boston to take on the third-seeded Bruins in the Second Round, starting at TD Garden on Saturday night at 8 p.m. ET.
The Islanders, who won three-in-a-row to close out the series, are looking to build off the momentum they established in their last game against Pittsburgh, where they mounted a comeback and scored three goals on three-straight shots in the second period. While the Islanders didn't lead for much of the series against the Pens, the team consistently executed a resilient effort. The series also highlighted the importance of utilizing the entirety of the team's lineup as 16 of 19 skaters recorded at least a point.

Boston wrapped up their First Round series against the Capitals in five games, with three of the games requiring overtime.
Both the Islanders and Bruins play a similar style of play, with a heavy, reliable defense and quick-strike, straight-line offense. While the narrative of playoffs is that the outcome of games typically comes down to a margin of inches, that very well could be the case between the Islanders and Bruins.
"[Bruce Cassidy] said it in his presser the other day and I'll say it; there's a lot of similarities between the teams in the way we play," Islanders Head Coach Barry Trotz said. "He used the term 'playing ourselves.' It should be a real hard-fought [series]. All of the games this year were pretty close and hard-fought games. Hopefully, we can find a way to be on top."

ISLANDERS NOTES:

• The Anthony Beauvillier, Brock Nelson, and Josh Bailey line came alive for the Islanders as they combined for eight points (3G, 5A) in Game 6. The trio finished the series with 19 points (9G, 10A), with Beauvillier tied - with Pageau (1G, 6A) - atop the Islanders leaderboard with seven points (3G, 4A).
• Ilya Sorokin won all four games in net for the Islanders as the rookie netminder posted a 1.95 GAA and a .943 SV%. Sorokin also became the first rookie netminder in franchise history to record wins in his first four postseason games.
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• Semyon Varlamov made two starts in the postseason and went 0-2 with a 3.61 GAA and a .903 SV%. The veteran was unable to make the start in net in Game 1 due to injury, but returned in Games 2 and 3. After two losses, the Islanders reverted back to Sorokin - who led the team to a 4-3 victory in OT in Game 1 - for Games 4-6.
• Scott Mayfield led defensemen in scoring with four points (1G, 3A) and led the team with 15 blocks.
• Ryan Pulock matched his regular season totals in goals as he netted two important tallies for the Islanders, both of which were game winners. Pulock also led Isles d-men in hits with 27 and was second with 12 blocks.
• Kyle Palmieri and Bailey each scored an overtime-winner for the Islanders. Palmieri also tied Beauvillier, Nelson and Bailey for the team lead in goals with three.
• Pageau is tied with Beauvillier for the highest point total in the playoffs with seven (1G, 6A) and will look to continue that success against Boston. During the regular season, the centerman totaled team-high eight points (5G, 3A), including two shorthanded goals and one game-winning goal.
• The Islanders power play finished the series going 3-for-16 (18.8%), with the three power-play strikes coming from Beauvillier, Jordan Eberle and Oliver Wahlstrom. The unit, which was the only team in the NHL to not allow a shorthanded goal against during the regular season, allowed one against Pittsburgh.
• The Islanders penalty kill was 9-for-12 (75.0%) against the Pens.
• The Islanders currently lead all playoff teams in hits with 273. Leo Komarov has posted 38, which marks the most among the Islanders and the third most among skaters in the postseason. Komarov set a career best - and the NHL's single-game season-high - with 14 hits in Game 1 against the Pens.
• Oliver Wahlstrom missed Game 6 after sustaining an undisclosed injury against Pittsburgh in Game 5. The rookie winger is 'day-to-day' per Trotz. Travis Zajac skated in his place in Game 6.

BRUINS NOTES:

• The Perfection Line of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak combined for 13 points (8G, 5A) against the Caps. Pastrnak ranks atop Boston's leaderboard with six points (2G, 4A), while Bergeron posted four (3G, 1A) and Marchand totaled three goals.
• Charlie McAvoy leads Boston in assists and is second in points with his five points, all of which were recorded on the power play.
• Tuukka Rask backstopped the team past the First Round with a 1.81 GAA and a .941 SV%.
• Like the Islanders, the Bruins rely heavily on their depth and contributions up and down their lineup. Through five games against the Caps, 14-of-20 skaters registered at least a point.
• Boston's power play notched a 26.3% through versus Washington as it went 5-for-19. Marchand scored two goals on the power play, while Pastrnak, Matt Grzelcyk and Nick Ritchie also lit the lamp.
• The Bruins penalty kill finished with a 85.7% kill rate as it went 18-of-21.
• Jeremy Lauzon returned to his first full-contact practice with the team on Friday after being sidelined with an injury from a blocked shot in Game 1.
• Jakub Zboril and Kevan Miller have also missed time for Boston. Zboril is showing progress after skating with the taxi squad on Wednesday according to Boston Head Coach Bruce Cassidy, while Miller has yet to get back on the ice since sustaining an injury in Game 4 in a hit against Dmitry Orlov.
• Against the Islanders, Marchand (4G, 3A) and Pastrnak (2G, 5A) were tied for the most points with seven each. David Krejci registered a team-high six assists, while Taylor Hall had four goals in three games after being acquired.
• Hall will be battling against his longtime pal in Jordan Eberle, who he spent his rookie season and early part of his career with back in Edmonton from 2010-16. Hall will also be going against his former teammates in Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac, whom he spent four seasons with (2016-20) in New Jersey.
• Per the Bruins official website, the Bruins "will be permitted to return to near full capacity beginning on May 29, 2021." A crowd close to 85% is expected, marking the biggest crowd the Islanders will have played in front of this season.