Bergeron, Bruins defeat Islanders to extend point streak to 15 games

NEW YORK -- The Boston Bruins extended their point streak to 15 games with a 5-2 win against the New York Islanders at Barclays Center on Thursday.

Patrice Bergeron had a hat trick, Brad Marchand had a goal and two assists and Ryan Spooner had a goal and an assist for Boston (26-10-8), which is 11-0-4 since Dec. 14. Anton Khudobin made 22 saves.
\[WATCH: All Bruins vs. Islanders highlights\]
"He's so consistent," Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said of Bergeron, who has 14 points (nine goals, five assists) in his past eight games. "You can't say enough about his ability to contribute every night. You talk about some guys when they don't have it offensively to bring something else, but he brings it every night no matter what."
Jordan Eberle and John Tavares scored, and Jaroslav Halak made 29 saves for the Islanders (23-20-4), who were outscored 13-4 in three losses against the Bruins this season.

"You need to work in this league every shift," Islanders coach Doug Weight said. "The teams that have 60 points or 55 points right now work nine out of 10 shifts in the right way, and we're doing 7 1/2 right now, and it's a fine line.
"I'm telling you, we need people to buy in on a 60-minute basis. It's hard with different lines and different people going in, but we've got to do it."
Spooner broke the early tie to make it 2-1 at 9:47 of the second period. Tanner Fritz won a face-off against David Krejci in the Islanders zone, but Jason Chimera and Ryan Pulock were unable to get control and the puck bounced in front to Spooner, who put a quick shot past Halak.

Bergeron scored his second of the game during a power play at 13:49 of the second period. Torey Krug's slap shot from the point struck Adam Pelech and caromed to Bergeron in the right face-off circle, where he scored on a one-timer to make it 3-1.
"We felt like the first period was pretty good; we were playing hard," Islanders forward Josh Bailey said. "We were getting pucks in and getting pucks on net. We're playing good teams. If the roles were reversed, we'd be the ones pushing back in the second period like they did. It's just finding a way to weather those storms a little better and try and limit their Grade A chances."
Bergeron completed the hat trick when he spun and beat Halak from the left face-off circle at 3:45 of the third period to make the score 4-1.
With his third goal, Bergeron passed Wayne Cashman for seventh on the Bruins all-time list with 278 career goals.
"No, it's not something I stop and think about, to be honest with you," Bergeron said. "I had a chance to learn from [Cashman] my first few years, and he was a great person and I've only heard good things about him as a player and the way he played the game.
"It's always great to hear and a great honor, but at the same time I'm only worried about what I can control, which is helping my team get some more wins."
Tavares scored his 25th goal when he one-timed Bailey's feed at 14:24 of the third period to make it 4-2.
Eberle gave the Islanders a 1-0 lead at 7:35 of the first period. It was his 15th goal of the season.

Bergeron tied it at 13:41 of the first period when Marchand seized control of the puck in the neutral zone and found Bergeron in the slot to make it 1-1.
Marchand scored an empty-net goal at 18:59 of the third period to make it 5-2.

Goal of the game

Bergeron's goal at 13:41 of the first period.

Save of the game

Khudobin's glove save against Brock Nelson at 17:38 of the third period.

Highlight of the game

Bergeron's third goal at 3:45 of the third period.

They said it

"It's been a long time together and a lot of years building that chemistry, but when he's playing the way he is right now, it's just fun to watch. It's fun to be on the ice with him. You know he's going to make a play every time he gets the puck. You can't give him enough credit. He's an incredible player."-- Bruins forward Brad Marchand on Patrice Bergeron
"Obviously, we're frustrated at this point. We all want it so bad, and sometimes things aren't going to go your way. It's an 82-game season; every team goes through little ups and downs like this. There's still time left. We're not going to dwell too much here. We just want to keep getting better and know that we're still in the mix."-- Islanders forward Josh Bailey

Need to know

The Bruins moved within five points of the Tampa Bay Lightning for first place in the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference. … It was Bergeron's second hat trick this month; he also scored four goals in a 7-1 win against the Carolina Hurricanes on Jan. 6. … Bailey returned after missing the past four games because of a lower-body injury.

What's next

Bruins: At the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN, TVA Sports, NESN, NHL.TV)
Islanders: At the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday (8:30 p.m. ET; NBCSCH, MSG+, NHL.TV)