Boston Bruins
Islanders Beat Bruins 3-2 In Shootout
BOSTON- Mathew Barzal scored the shootout winner and got his 14th goal of the season, and Semyon Varlamov made 27 saves and stopped two out of three Boston Bruins in the shootout for a 3-2 New York Islanders win Thursday night at TD Garden
Anders Bjork and Torey Krug scored for the Bruins in regulation and David Pastrnak scored the lone shootout goal for the B’s. Former Bruins defenseman Johnny Boychuk had the Islanders first goal and an assist on Barzal’s goal for the Islanders in regulation and overtime.
Tuukka Rask made 19 saves for the Bruins in regulation and overtime.
The Bruins got on the board early when Bjork took a beautiful feed from Charlie Coyle 1:58 into regulation. Coyle, who as he seems to so many times, was able to take control of a puck as it was exiting the zone and then possessed it with his strength to get the puck to Bjork in the slot.
That Anders Bjork goal was all made possible by Charlie Coyle. Great puck protection and a great keep-in.
Bjork-Coyle-Wagner has potential pic.twitter.com/thFBroTCbL
— Evan Marinofsky (@emarinofsky) December 20, 2019
The Bruins failed to cash in on their first powerplay after the Islanders were called for too-many-men-on-the-ice at the six-minute mark and then couldn’t convert again later in the first period and early in the second period on a tripping call to Islanders forward Casey Cizikas at 19:13 of the opening frame.
Just under two minutes after the Islanders killed off the Cizikas penalty, Boychuk tied the game for the Islanders 3:26 into the middle frame. Boychuk took an Eberle feed at the point and let her rip. Rask couldn’t track the puck thanks to a screen in front and the game was tied at one.
Johnny Boychuk with a rocket pic.twitter.com/WNUzXl5vNA
— Rob Taub (@RTaub_) December 20, 2019
The Bruins would go on their third powerplay of the game 12:24 into the second period but failed to convert again as Varlamov stood tall once again and the Islanders were blocking plenty of shots. The Islanders goalie robbed Bjork of his second goal of the game with 3:33 left in the period.
Semyon Varlamov absolutely robs Anders Bjork. WOW pic.twitter.com/s8957DcP8C
— Evan Marinofsky (@emarinofsky) December 20, 2019
The final two minutes of the second period was an utter disaster for the Bruins as they got sloppy in their own end and somehow decided to leave one of the most lethal scorers in the game, Barzal, wide open in front. Boychuk made a great pass from along the boards as Jake DeBrusk was baring down and Barzal buried it past Rask for a 2-1 lead with 1:34 left in the period.
Holy hell Johnny Bouychuk with the heads up play right on the tape for Mathew Barzal. #Isles pic.twitter.com/0ILKdCI3zZ
— Eyes on Isles (@eyesonislesFS) December 20, 2019
Then 1:18 later, Brandon Carlo was called for tripping, but the Bruins were able to kill off the Isles’ second powerplay of the game and keep the deficit at one.
The Bruins finally cashed in on the powerplay when they found themselves with a 5-on-3 thanks to an Adam Pelech high-sticking call at 6:32 and a Brock Nelson delay of game penalty after he sailed the puck over the glass trying to clear the zone at 7:16. Eight seconds later, Krug blasted it home from just inside the faceoff circle and the game was tied at two apiece. David Krejci and Pastrnak got the helpers on Krug’s fifth lamplighter of the season. The Bruins were unable to cash in on the Nelson penalty though.
BOMBS AWAY!!! TOREY KRUG TIES IT UP!!! 2-2 #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/PdtelgZTHY
— Marina Molnar (@mkmolnar) December 20, 2019
Neither team was able to light the lamp in overtime and had just two shots each. However, Rask did come out and poke check the puck away from Lee on a breakaway in the closing seconds of the extra frame.