BSJ Game Report: Islanders 3, Bruins 1 - Shorthanded Bruins fall flat once again

Everything you need to know from the Bruins’ 3-1 loss to the Islanders with BSJ insight and analysis:

Box Score

SHORT SHIFT

In a shocking development, a Bruins team missing seven total skaters — and forced to take to the ice on Thursday night with just 11 available forwards— labored once again.

Despite generating some quality chances against Semyon Varlamov, the shorthanded Bruins couldn’t finish their Grade-A looks — with the Islanders holding on for a 3-1 victory at UBS Arena.

Mike Reilly scored for the Bruins, who fall to 14-10-2 on the season. Linus Ullmark stopped 25 of 27 shots in the loss for the B’s.

Even though Varlamov has been awfully pedestrian this season (.884 save percentage in his first seven games), this revamped Bruins roster did little to challenge the Isles goalie in the opening 20 minutes — landing just eight shots on net and generating one high-danger scoring chance.

Down the other end of the ice, the Isles made the most of their few chances — with lax net-front coverage allowing Cal Clutterbuck to bury a loose puck past Ullmark at 11:47 in the first period.

The Bruins tilted the ice in their favor in the second, landing 21 shots on goal in the frame — but once again could not push the puck past Varlamov. 

And, of course, even though the Islanders were mostly stymied in the second, they did add to their lead on the power play — with Anthony Beauvillier uncorking a slap shot that sailed past a screened Ullmark just 1:44 into the period.

Clutterbuck added his second goal of the evening off of an empty-net tally at 17:43 in the third — while Reilly finally got the Bruins on the board with an unassisted tally with 54 seconds left in regulation. 

Too little, too late. 

ONE UP

Nick Foligno: He didn’t make much of an impact on the score sheet, but good on Foligno for sticking up for his teammates — with the veteran dropping the gloves with Isles tough guy Matt Martin after he caught David Pastrnak up high with an elbow. 

After the Bruins caught plenty of flak for the lack of a response when Patrice Bergeron received plenty of punishment over the last few weeks, it was good to see Foligno step to the plate and answer the call. 

FOUR DOWN

Mike Reilly: Gotta say, after getting scratched earlier this week, Reilly did little to inspire much in terms of confidence in his play on Thursday — with the blueliner stuck in no-man’s land on Clutterbuck’s opening tally in the first period. Sure, he managed to light the lamp in the final minute of play, but alas.

Jack Studnicka: Studnicka did little to shift the narrative regarding his lost season — with the pivot landing just one shot on goal in his 16:27 of ice time. All things considered, it was tough to notice him out there on most of his shifts.

Top Line: Yes, Pastrnak landed seven shots on goal. In the Hall-Coyle-Pastrnak’s 13:28 of 5v5 ice time, the Bruins held a 17-8 edge in shot attempts. But all that matters very little if Boston’s big guns continue to struggle with finishing on these chances. 

Power play: If there was any avenue for Boston to manufacture offense, it was likely going to come on the man advantage. But with both Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron out of commission — the Bruins’ power play struggled to land any punches, generating just one high-danger scoring chance on their three bids.

LOOSE PUCKS

So when does this end?

If you want a succinct summary of what is plaguing the Bruins right now, look no further than Oskar Steen’s last 48 hours. Called up on an emergency basis on Wednesday, Steen was expected to provide some relief to a beleaguered B’s depth chart — with Bruce Cassidy noting that the Swede was scheduled to log top-six minutes against New York. 

But, just ahead of puck drop, Steen was pulled out of the lineup due to COVID protocols, becoming the seventh B’s skater to get put on the shelf since Tuesday morning. 

Yes, the Bruins still should have put together a more competitive performance against an Isles team at the bottom of the Metro Division. But something’s gotta give at some point when it comes to the league stepping in and canning these games, right?

Of course, waiting for the league to step in and do the right thing might be a fool’s errand. 

But at this point, with the Bruins — and scores of other NHL teams — looking to avoid double-digit absences on their respective rosters, this product on the ice is downright embarrassing. 

Perhaps it's an indictment on the Bruins' pipeline that this cobbled-together lineup is this anemic, but just take a gander around the league. There's a whole lot of AHL-level rosters trudging through scheduled losses right now — with no end in sight. 

PLAY OF THE GAME

Well, at least it wasn’t a shutout. 

PARTING THOUGHTS

LOOKING AHEAD

Well, we’ll see what the next few days hold for this club — but IF the Bruins do head up to Canada this weekend, they’ll resume play on Saturday night with a matchup against the Canadiens at the Bell Centre. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.