Game Preview: Islanders vs. Bruins

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (27-11-4) AT BOSTON BRUINS (22-12-6)
7 PM | TD GARDEN
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The New York Islanders look to pick up their sixth-straight win over the Boston Bruins this season as they open up a back-to-back set at TD Garden on Thursday night. Thursday will be the first of a three-game road trip for the Islanders, who play two games at Boston before heading to Philadelphia for a matchup on Sunday.

The Islanders enter the contest having defeated their crosstown rivals the New York Rangers 3-2 in OT on Sunday night, ending a six-game homestand. Kyle Palmieri scored his first goal - on the power play - as a member of the Islanders, while Jean-Gabriel Pageau also scored in regulation. Ryan Pulock sealed the OT victory netting a huge goal that marked his first of the season. Ilya Sorokin backstopped the win with 24 saves on 26 shots.
Boston outlasted the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night to pick up a big two points in a 3-2 shootout win at TD Garden. It was the first game in the Black and Gold for Boston's newest acquisitions, who were acquired at the NHL Trade Deadline on Monday, defenseman Mike Reilly (acquired from Ottawa) and forwards Taylor Hall and Curtiz Lazar (acquired from Buffalo).
After falling 1-0 to Buffalo just under two minutes into Tuesday's game, Boston received regulation goals from David Krejci and Craig Smith. Charlie Coyle and Jake DeBrusk scored in the first and second rounds of the shootout, while Jeremy Swayman made 21 saves in the win.
Elsewhere in the East Division, the Washington Capitals (60 points) overtook sole possession of first place with a 6-1 win over Philadelphia on Tuesday night. The Islanders rank in second place now with 58 points while Boston currently occupies fourth place with 50 points.

ISLANDERS NOTES:

• Palmieri notched his first goal as an Islanders since being acquired by the team in a trade with New Jersey on April. 7. Palmieri put the Islanders on the board with a conversion on the power play. Palmieri has scored nine goals and 18 points through 37 games this season.
• Pageau doubled the Islanders lead as he potted his 12th goal of the season and ended a seven-game scoreless drought. The centerman now has 24 points (12G, 12A) through 41 games. Five of Pageau's 12 goals have been scored against Boston and he has recorded at least a point in every meeting this season against the Bs.
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• Pulock's OT winner provided the Islanders with two big points in the standings and also lifted the burden he was carrying of having not found the back of the net through 41 games ahead of Sunday night. The defenseman now has 15 points (1G, 14A) through 42 games.
"Obviously for me, throughout my career I've been able to score a little bit," Pulock said. "To go through a little slump like that is tough, and as the games wore on, it got tougher. I knew I just needed to get that one and obviously it came in a big moment. I'm excited about that."
• Mathew Barzal posted a two-point outing with an assist on Pageau's goal and the lone helper on Pulock's overtime winner. The 23-year-old center now has three assists in his last two games and leads the Islanders offense with 37 points (13G, 24A) through 42 games.
• Sorokin maintained his perfect home record, improving to 8-0-0 at the Coliseum with the win on Sunday. The Russian rookie netminder has a record of 11-3-1, a 2.17 GAA and a .915 SV%. In his last 12 starts, Sorokin is 11-1-0. Only one other NHL rookie goalie in the last 39 years has won eight straight at home in a single season; his fellow countryman Semyon Varlamov did that in 2009-10 for Washington.
• With the overtime win, the Islanders have now won seven-straight games in either overtime or a shootout.
• While the Islanders didn't score in the third period against the Rangers, their plus-19 goal differential remains the best in the NHL.
• Braydon Coburn joined the Islanders for practice on Wednesday and will travel with the team on its upcoming road trip.

BRUINS NOTES:

*Update: Per Bruins Head Coach Bruce Cassidy, Tuukka Rask will start in net.
• Boston made some noise at the NHL deadline with their acquisitions to bolster their lineup, including Taylor Hall, who was seen as one of the most sought-after players. While Hall didn't record a point in his Boston debut, he finished the game plus-one, fired three shots and skated alongside Krecji and Smith. Hall, a former MVP, has 19 points (2G, 17A) in 38 games this season between Buffalo and Boston.
• Neither Lazar nor Reilly made it to the scoresheet either in their Bruins debuts. Coming into the game, Lazar was a game-time decision after missing six-straight games for Buffalo with a lower-body injury. Lazar ended up playing centering Sean Kuraly and Chris Wagner. Reilly posted a game-high five shots and was paired with Kevin Miller.
• Krejci potted his second goal of the season to bring his season total to 23 points (2G, 21A) through 35 games.
• Smith scored his second goal in as many games and extended his point streak to five games with eight points in that stretch (3G, 5A). Smith has been heating up lately with points in nine of his last 13 games with 15 points in that span (5G, 10A). Through 39 games this season, the veteran center has totaled 24 points (9G, 15A).
• Swayman earned his second career with and improved his record to 2-1-0. The 22-year-old rookie has a 2.35 GAA and a .929 SV%.
• Charlie McAvoy returned to the lineup after being sidelined the last four games with an upper-body injury. McAvoy leads Boston's blueline in scoring with 22 points (4G, 18A) through 36 games this season.
• Neither Trent Frederic (illness) or Tuukka Rask (upper body) played in Tuesday's game. But following morning skate, Bruins Head Coach Bruce Cassidy confirmed that Thursday's game against the Islanders is the target return date for both players. Rask has only dressed and played in one period since March 7 (against the Islanders on March 25), while Frederic has been sidelined with a non-COVID related illness.
• Boston's power play and penalty kill both rank in the top 10 in the NHL. Boston's man-advantage checks in at No. 9 with a 23.1% conversion rate, while they currently boast the top-ranked penalty kill at 85.7%.
• The Bruins also rank the highest in the NHL in the faceoff circle with a 55.9 FOW%. Boston's captain Patrice Bergeron is the highest ranked player at winning faceoffs with a 62.6 FOW% and 541 wins in the circle this season. Behind Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby (942) and St. Louis' Ryan O'Reilly (896), Bergeron has taken the third most draws in the NHL with 864.