Steeves gets 1st multigoal game, Bruins defeat Islanders

ELMONT, N.Y. -- Alex Steeves scored twice for his first multigoal game in the NHL, and the Boston Bruins defeated the New York Islanders 3-1 at UBS Arena on Wednesday.

The 25-year-old forward had scored twice in his first 22 NHL games, which has spanned five seasons.

“It's funny how the game works and stuff like that,” Steeves said. “I've always, as a player, told myself that if you are getting the chances, it's going to come. And for me, I had the chances tonight and they went in. So, I'm never going to stop trying to make goal-scoring a part of my identity.”

Tanner Jeannot also scored, and Fraser Minten had two assists for the Bruins (14-11-0), who went 2-2-0 on a four-game road trip. Jeremy Swayman made 44 saves.

Boston is 3-0-0 against New York this season.

“It was just one shot at a time, and I was just blown away by the effort that I had in front of me all night,” Swayman said. “And it was a motivator, for sure, just doing whatever I could to stop the puck. And they blew me away. Really, really proud of this group today.”

Mathew Barzal scored the lone goal for the Islanders (13-9-2), who have scored just twice in the first three games of their seven-game homestand (1-2-0). Ilya Sorokin made 11 saves.

“If you're looking at the time of possession, if you're looking at the scoring chances, we were the better team on the ice, but the quality of our shots are going to have to improve,” New York coach Patrick Roy said. “We got to find ways to bear down on our chances. ... We're going to win more games than we're going to lose if we play that way.”

Barzal gave the Islanders a 1-0 lead at 4:41 of the first period. He received a pass from Tony DeAngelo in the left circle, made a move around Pavel Zacha, and pulled Swayman out of position along the goal line before reaching back and tucking the puck behind the goaltender at the left post.

Steeves quickly responded at 6:23 to tie the game 1-1. Sean Kuraly's centering pass hit off the skate of Adam Boqvist and landed right on the stick of Steeves, who tapped it into the open net from the edge of the crease.

Simon Holmstrom had a wrist shot trickle past Swayman at 17:45, but Bruins defenseman Hampus Lindholm was able to swipe the puck under his goaltender before Maxim Shabanov could jam it in.

Jeannot then gave Boston a 2-1 lead 43 seconds into the second period. He controlled a loose puck near the right hash marks and roofed a shot over Sorokin's glove.

Steeves scored a short-handed goal to extend the lead to 3-1 at 10:21 of the third period. Minten skated in on a 2-on-1 rush and toe-dragged around a sliding Matthew Schaefer before passing over to Steeves for a one-timer in front.

“It was a defensive game," Bruins coach Marco Sturm said. “We protected the middle of the ice in our zone. I think that's something where they're really good at. If you look at the guy, like [Bo] Horvat, he's probably one of the best in the League. You got Barzal flying around, you got [Anders] Lee at the net front. So, they have a lot of in-the-slot guys, I would say, and they're not shy to go there.”

New York is 0-for-23 on the power play in its past seven games.

“The goals obviously aren't there,” Islanders forward Kyle Palmieri said. “The percentage is what it is, but I think there's looks. ... The goals aren't there, I know, but I think there's a lot of really good things and stuff to build on, and they'll go in.”

NOTES: Bruins forward Matej Blumel left the game after two shifts with a lower-body injury. ... Swayman has six career wins when making at least 40 saves, which is tied with Gerry Cheevers for the fourth-most in Bruins history since 1955-56. Only Tim Thomas (17), Tuukka Rask (11), and Eddie Johnston (seven) have more in that span.