Final: Bruins 4, Islanders 3 (F/SO) - Bruins win fourth straight game with shootout victory

The Boston Bruins are now on a four-game winning streak after a back-and-forth shootout victory against the New York Islanders.

This was a competitive game played from both sides, yet the Bruins stayed on par with the Islanders and prevented their mistakes from getting the better of them.

The first period was quiet for both sides. Neither team had any major offensive chances, and they both went into the first intermission scoreless. 

Defensively, it was a great period for Boston, who made it hard for the Islanders to generate shots against Jeremy Swayman. It took 15 minutes for New York to record their first shot on net.

The Bruins started the second period on the wrong foot after Nikita Zadorov registered the first penalty of the game. Although the Bruins killed Zadorov's penalty, Anthony Duclair scored the first goal of the game off a face-off in Boston's own zone.

The Bruins applied the pressure to Ilia Sorokin following Duclari's goal, but they weren't able to get on the board midway through the period. 

Boston finally got on the board off an odd bounce in front of New York's net. Their second line maintained pressured in the offensive zone, and Viktor Arvidsson was credited with a goal that ricocheted off Anders Lee.

This tie didn't last long, as the Islander quickly responded with a goal from Bo Horvat. A costly turnover in the neutral zone by the Bruins resulted in a two-on-one goal by Horvat 45 seconds after Boston's goal.

The scoring wasn't over though. Lee received a late-period penalty for cross-checking which put the Bruins on the man advantage. 

Boston's powerplay peppered Sorokin with shots from multiple angles, but Pavel Zacha tied it up again with a wrist shot at the right face-off dot. Both teams went into the second intermission tied 2-2.

Early in the third period, the Bruins had a couple chances to take the lead, but failed to score on two power play attempts. Once New York's second penalty expired, the Islanders carried the puck in transition, and Horvat fired a shot while skating into Boston territory to regain the lead.

New York maintain an aggressive offensive approach after this goal, but Swayman stayed strong to give the Bruins another chance to tie the game. 

And in the final five minutes of regulation, Marat Khusnutdinov scored Boston's third goal of the game. Boston's first line forechecked well in New York's zone, and Khusnutdinov delivered an impressive backhand goal off a rebound to send the game into overtime.

In overtime, both sides traded offensive chances with each other. For over two minutes, there were no stoppages. Neither team was able to get it done during those five minutes, and the game moved onto a shootout.

In the shootout, Khusnutdinov and Swayman were the heroes that helped the Bruins pick up the extra point. Khusnutdinov scored the lone shootout goal in the second round for Boston, and Swayman stopped all three shots faced to secure the win for the Bruins.

This was an incredibly balanced game played by both teams tonight. The Bruins and Islanders had their offensive bright spots tonight, and they also made costly mistakes which shot them in the foot.

Considering how the Islanders scored their second and third goals of the game, it seemed unlikely that Boston was going to complete a comeback. Swayman didn't play a perfect game, but he made key saves to keep the Bruins in the game, and it helped the Bruins tie the game in the third period.

The Bruins will now go back home and face the Ottawa Senators on Thursday. Puck drop will be at 7 p.m.

_______________________

WHO: Bruins (7-7-0) at Islanders (6-5-1)
WHEN: 7 p.m.
WHERE: UBS Arena, New York
TV: NESN
RADIO: 98.5-FM The Sports Hub

LIVE BOX SCORE

PROJECTED LINES

Boston

Geeikie - Khusnutdinov - Pastrnak

Mittelstadt - Zacha - Arvidsson

Jeannot - Minten - Kastelic

Beecher - Kuraly - Eyssimont

Zadorov - McAvoy

Lindholm - Peeke

Aspirot - Jokiharju

Swayman

Korpisalo

Islanders

Barzal - Horvat - Heineman

Drouin - Ritchie - Palmieri

Lee - Gabriel-Pageau - Holmstrom

MacLean - Cizikas - Duclair

Pelech - Pulock

Schaefer - Mayfield

Romanov - DeAngelo

Sorokin

Rittich

PREGAME NOTES

The Boston Bruins look to continue their three-game winning streak as they take on the New York Islanders for the second time this season.

Elias Lindholm is considered week-to-week after getting an MRI. Marco Sturm did not explain what the MRI revealed.

Milan Lucic joins the St. Louis Blues organization and is on a professional tryout agreement with the Springfield Thunderbirds, St. Louis's AHL affiliate.