BSJ Game Report: Bruins 4, Islanders 3 (SO) - DeBrusk, Pastrnak lift B’s past New York in shootout

Everything you need to know from the Bruins’ 4-3 shootout win over the Islanders with BSJ insight and analysis:

BOX SCORE

HEADLINES

B’s gut their way to another two points: The Islanders might be a year removed from a stagnant 2021-22 campaign — and no longer have defensive guru Barry Trotz behind their bench — but that stingy, grind-out DNA doesn’t seem to be erased from the fabric of this team. 

Look no further than Tuesday’s bout at TD Garden, where both teams battled bouncing pucks and fluky goals in what was largely a defensive slog for most of the evening. 

Even without Vezina candidate Ilya Sorokin between the pipes, the Islanders were a tough nut to crack for the B’s on home ice — with a long trek home from Las Vegas further draining a Bruins squad looking to avoid consecutive losses on home ice for the first time all season. 

"I remember in the summer when Don Sweeney and I sat down — this is the game that we looked like we were set up to fail,” Jim Montgomery said. “Everybody goes through it. There are a couple of games every year where you look like you should have success. And there are games where it looks like it's gonna be a battle.”

It wasn’t always pretty, but the B’s managed to grind their way to another two points, with both Jake DeBrusk and David Pastrnak each scoring in the shootout round to lift Boston to a 4-3 victory over New York. 

After a sluggish first period in which DeBrusk’s two goals in 19 seconds overshadowed a lopsided 20 minutes in favor of New York, the Bruns scrapped for inside ice against Semyon Varlamov and the Isles all night — with a shorthanded goal from Derek Forbort giving Boston a 3-2 lead late in the second before Casey Cizikas secured the equalizer off of a bouncing biscuit at 4:40 in the third. 

But after Boston sparked some momentum with a few productive O-zone shifts at the end of play, the B’s finally pushed past New York in the shootout — with Linus Ullmark (23 saves) turning aside Josh Bailey’s final attempt to secure another win for Boston. 

"Your core temperature elevates when you're around 7:30-8:30 p.m.,” Montgomery said. “And that's when you're at your best. And I think that's when we got our legs because we're used to West Coast time. We're really — you gain an hour a day. So our bodies were on Mountain Time today. So, it's an incredible effort. It's such a gutsy effort by that group in there, to will themselves against some really good hockey team.” 

FOUR UP

Jake DeBrusk: Yes, DeBrusk was gifted with a fantastic bounce on his second goal of the night, but two goals in 19 seconds are still worthy of some praise, especially when factoring in his contributions on Forbort’s shorthanded strike. Don’t look now, but DeBrusk is now up to six goals and 12 total points in his last 12 games. Also, with that shootout tally — can we credit him for a hat trick? 

Derek Forbort: He was on the ice for Cizikas’ third-period equalizer (another ricochet tally), but Forbort still had his fingerprints all over this game — logging a few thunderous hits alongside his shorthanded goal. And — surprise, surprise — Forbort’s return from injury has provided a major spark for Boston’s PK unit.

Linus Ullmark: It was a defensive slugfest for most of the night, but the Isles brought the pressure early — with Ullmark turning aside all seven high-danger scoring chances that came his way in the first period. Add in some clutch stops in overtime, and Ullmark kept this contest from getting out of hand. Ullmark is now 17-1-0 on the season with a .938 save percentage.

Pavel Zacha: Another impressive showing from Zacha in David Krejci’s usual spot at 2C — with the Czech pivot finishing with two helpers in the win. His set-up on Forbort’s shorthanded strike was a thing of beauty. 

 TWO DOWN

First period: If it wasn’t for Ullmark’s play in net, Montgomery noted that the Bruins could have been down by three goals by the time DeBrusk finally put Boston on the board. "We were sluggish in the first, probably our worst period of the year, and expected,” Montgomery noted.

Bergeron Line: Yes, Pastrnak put Boston ahead in the shootout with a filthy set of dangles, but Boston’s reunited top line still failed to pack much of a punch during 5v5 play — with both Pastrnak and Brad Marchand struggling with the puck on their stick in the offensive zone. 

PLAY OF THE GAME

Montgomery, on how he would describe Pastrnak’s shootout goal: "Ooooof. I don't know. Are there words for it? I mean, you guys are the wordsmiths, not me. You guys can describe it a lot better than me."

LOOSE PUCKS

LOOKING AHEAD

The Bruins will continue their five-game homestand on Thursday when they welcome the Kings to TD Garden. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.