Game 5: Boston Bruins Vs Islanders Lines, Preview

The Boston Bruins and New York Islanders will play their second rubber game of the East Division final as they head into Game 5 tonight (6:30 PM ET, NBCSN, Sportsnet, TVAS) with their series tied at two games apiece.

The Boston Bruins know that they could’ve been much better in their 4-1 loss in Game 4 at Nassau Coliseum on Saturday. While they poured on 29 shots on net, there wasn’t much second effort and rebound attempts and that left Boston Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy pretty frustrated with his team.

“Our shot mentality wasn’t there enough for whatever reason. With a guy that’s rebound-friendly in there, you’ve got to make him work to control the rebounds. I don’t think we did enough of that,” Cassidy said after Game 4. “I don’t think we were clean enough through the neutral zone. I don’t know if it’s necessarily an adjustment [as much as] the execution wasn’t good enough for whatever reason. It happens, so hopefully, it’s better [in Game 5].”

“On their two five on five goals, we had major D-zone break downs. One we had a D behind the net. On the other, the winger dives down on Barzal. He has to hold his position until the center arrives. That’s basic D-zone coverage. It’s disappointing that we weren’t able to get those areas done.”

Boston Bruins Notes

-While he did not participate in the morning skate prior to Game 5, Boston Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask is expected to be back between the pipes for the B’s after making 30 saves in the Game 4 loss Saturday. Rask and Cassidy have both acknowledged that the 34-year-old netminder is dealing with some nagging injuries so the team has been exercising as much load management as possible to keep him game ready.

-Brandon Carlo (upper-body) is out for Game 5 after getting clobbered by Cal Clutterbuck with a big hit along the end boards in Game 3 that caused a suspected concussion for the Bruins defenseman. Carlo also missed Game 4. Defenseman Kevan Miller (upper-body) will also miss his sixth straight game and remains day-to-day. Defenseman John Moore (hip) and forward Ondrej Kase (upper-body) are out for the season.

-Forward Karson Kuhlman will draw into the lineup tonight and fellow winger Jake DeBrusk will be a healthy scratch.

–The Bruins’ powerplay is now 9-for-28 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs after going 1-for-3 in Game 4 against the Islanders. The Boston Bruins are scoring at a 32.1% clip on the powerplay that has them third in the NHL playoff field behind only the Colorado Avalanche and the Tampa Bay Lightning.

-After killing off both Islanders’ powerplays in Game 4, the Bruins penalty kill has now killed off 26 of 32 power-play attempts against in the playoffs for an 81.3 percent success rate.

New York Islanders Notes

-Semyon Varlamov bounced back after letting in the Brad Marchand overtime winner in Game 3 and made 28 saves in Game 4. Varlamov will be back between the Islanders’ pipes tonight. He is 2-3 with a 2.48 GAA and .929 save percentage.

-New York Islanders captain Anders Lee (ACL) skated after his team’s gameday skate at TD Garden Monday morning but as of now, his status as ‘out for the season remains the same.

-The Islanders’ powerplay is 6-for-27 with a 22.2 percent success rate.

-The Islanders’ penalty kill has killed off 14 of 21 power-play attempts against in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

-For more info on the Islanders for this and every game in the series, go check out NYI Hockey Now!

Boston Bruins Lines

Forwards:

Brad Marchand – Patrice Bergeron – David Pastrnak

Taylor Hall – David Krejci – Craig Smith

Nick Ritchie – Charlie Coyle – Karson Kuhlman

Sean Kuraly – Curtis Lazar – Chris Wagner 

Defense:

Matt Grzelcyk – Charlie McAvoy

Mike Reilly – Jeremy Lauzon

Jarred Tinordi – Connor Clifton

Goalies:

Tuukka Rask

Jeremy Swayman

New York Islanders Lines

Forwards

Leo Komarov — Mathew Barzal — Jordan Eberle

Anthony Beauvillier — Brock Nelson — Josh Bailey

Kyle Palmieri – Jean-Gabriel Pageau – Travis Zajac

Matt Martin — Casey Cizikas — Cal Clutterbuck

Defense

Adam Pelech — Ryan Pulock

Nick Leddy — Scott Mayfield

Andy Greene — Noah Dobson

Goalies

Semyon Varlamov

Ilya Sorokin