Boston Bruins Take Down New York Islanders, 5-2

BOSTON, Mass. – The Boston Bruins hosted the New York Islanders at TD Garden on Thursday night where they won 5-2 and improved to a 11-1-1 record.

Linus Ullmark made 27 saves in his seventh start of the season.

The Bruins found their legs early and were dominating in all three zones. Boston clogged up the middle of the ice and slowed the Islanders’ transition game while holding them to zero shots on goal through the opening five minutes.

Trent Frederic opened scoring for the Bruins at 14:05 of the first, but you could feel it coming all period as his second line with Charlie Coyle and James van Riemsdyk was buzzing from puck drop. The trio were tenacious on the forecheck and found their spots well, evident on Frederic’s third goal of the season to make it 1-0.

Coyle stripped Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield of the puck in the right corner, circled up and then dropped the rubber back down to van Riemsdyk below the goal line who dished it to Frederic in the high slot to rip it past New York netminder Ilya Sorokin.

The Islanders then found the equalizer at 17:23 with Frederic in the box for cross-checking. Defenseman Noah Dobson – who tops the Islanders with 12 points – released a rocket from the key that bounced off Linus Ullmark’s left shoulder and up. Forward Brock Nelson tapped the puck in, midair, for his team-leading sixth goal of the season.

The Bruins netted a power play goal of their own at 6:06 of the second period to regain the lead with forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau off for holding. It was a pretty tic-tac-toe play, starting with a hard pass from David Pastrnak above the right circle to Pavel Zacha on the doorstep who knocked it to a net-front Coyle to snap in for the 2-1 advantage, his third tuck of the season and 400th career point.

In a game of special teams, each group got a goal during the Bruins’ early third period power play. Oliver Wahlstrom was sent to the box for tripping at 2:40, but it didn’t stop the Islanders from producing. Ten seconds into the B’s man advantage, forward Simon Holmstrom knotted things 2-2 off a two-on-one rush with Pageau. Less than a minute later, Pastrnak scored his tenth goal of the season off a wrister that just barely trickled past Sorokin for the 3-2 lead at 3:33.

Boston widened the gap at 9:26 with Coyle’s second goal – and third point – of the night. Linemate van Riemsdyk showed good patience down low before saucing it to Coyle on the right side who tipped it past Sorokin’s left pad to make it 4-2. 

The Islanders pulled Sorokin with 2:30 left on the clock, and Coyle clinched his hat trick at 18:39 with an empty net goal, bringing the game to its final 5-2 score and improving the Bruins to a 11-1-1 record.