Takeaways: Islanders Fall 5-2 to Bruins, Point Streak Ends at Five Games 

The New York Islanders fell 5-2 to the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night, snapping a five-game point streak.

Bo Horvat (1G, 1A) and Kyle Palmieri got a jump on the Bruins early, quicky grabbing a 2-0 lead by the 4:52 mark of the first period, but the Bruins found their legs and took over, scoring five unanswered goals. Elias Lindholm (1G, 1A), David Pastrnak (1G, 1A), Michael Eyssimont, Morgan Geekie and Fraser Minten (ENG) did the damage for the Bruins. Joonas Korpisalo stopped 33-of-35 shots in the win, while Ilya Sorokin stopped 17-of-21 in the loss.

“In the last couple games we did some good things, and there’s little areas we have to clean up that’s costing us,” Ryan Pulock said. “This group in here is confident. We have to look at it, talk about it and figure it out.”

TAKEAWAYS

- Like Saturday in the 4-3 shootout loss to Philadelphia, the Islanders built an early 2-0 lead but let it slip. After scoring twice in the opening five minutes of the game, the Bruins used the middle frame to catch up and eventually take the lead, scoring three times in the span of 3:51. The Islanders faltered and allowed a power-play goal on their second penalty of the game, allowing the Bruins to pull within one with a Lindholm one-timer that beat Sorokin clean. Pastrnak wristed a shot under Sorokin’s right pad to tie it before Eyssimont’s tip-in took the lead for Boston. Horvat said the difference in play between the first and second period was a deviation from a clean and simple game.

“We fell asleep for half a period and it costed us the game.” Horvat said. “We weren’t breaking out as clean and they took it to us there, they get that power-play goal and the momentum shifted.”

- Horvat powered the effort in the Islanders early offense, contributing the opening goal with a snipe off a Jonathan Drouin drop pass off the rush. Horvat then notched a secondary assist when he fed Mathew Barzal in the left dot, who set up Palmieri for the second goal of the game. The center had a shorthanded chance late in the second period but was denied at the doorstep by Korpisalo. Horvat leads the Isles with six goals and 10 points, with six goals in his last six outings.

- Down 3-2, the Islanders three power plays to tie the game, including a double-minor to Lindholm for high sticking at the end of the second period that spilled into the third, plus another power play after Marshall Warren drew a tripping penalty, but the Islanders could not convert. Instead, the Bruins fed off the momentum, jumped on the man advantage after Adam Pelech took a slashing penalty and Geekie scored his team-leading eighth goal of the season at the 5:48 mark of the third to take a 4-2 lead. The Islanders went 0-for-5 on the power play and 2-for-4 on the penalty kill.

“We have to find a way to do a better job on special teams,” Pulock said. “We had a lot of power play chances, and we couldn’t get it done. We found some good looks, but weren’t able to capitalize. On the PK, we gave them a little too much space at times.”

- Korpisalo was on top of his game against the Islanders, sporting his best performance of the season after struggling in his first four starts, averaging over four goals allowed heading into Tuesday’s contest. After he allowed two goals early, he settled in and kept the Islanders scoreless through 55:08.

“You have to give it to him, he made unbelievable saves at big moments of the game,” Horvat said. “He stood on his head tonight.”

- Warren skated in his second NHL game on Tuesday night, logging 12:56 TOI, while he both took and drew a penalty. Roy said that Warren had two strong games, is still learning and took advantage of the opportunity.

NEXT GAME

The Islanders continue their four-game road trip with a stop in Raleigh to take on the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday. Puck drop is set for 7:30PM.