Boston Bruins
Bruins Steal Two Points In Shootout Win Over Islanders
Marat Khusnutdinov is emerging, and so too are the Boston Bruins.
The B’s collected their fourth straight win on Tuesday night, coming back from three different deficits to beat the New York Islanders 4-3 in a shootout at UBS Arena, with Khusnutdinov providing both the tying goal late in the third period and the winner in the skills competition.
After head coach Marco Sturm sent Casey Mittelstadt out for the first round of the shootout, Khusnutdinov expected either David Pastrnak or Morgan Geekie to be next over the boards. Instead, he was the one who got the call, and answered by setting up Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin with a small pump fake before beating with a shot high to the blocker side.
“It was a great chance for me,” Khusnutdinov told reporters on Long Island. “Just a shoulder shake. I know that Sorokin would maybe try to play the first move, the first fake. I don’t know, it was a good goal. A good shoulder shake and a good shot.”
MARAT MAKING IT HAPPEN 💪 pic.twitter.com/anXPPNk2Cl
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) November 5, 2025
Khusutdinov’s goal at 15:o6 of the third period was the reason the two sides battled for the extra point past regulation in the first place. With bodies sprawled across the ice and the puck loose in the slot, Khusnutdinov flew in from the corner, dove onto his belly, and buried a backhand shot from his belly for his second goal of the season.
9️⃣2️⃣ KNOTS IT UP ‼️ pic.twitter.com/AxUJ9mpIb1
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) November 5, 2025
In net for the Bruins, Jeremy Swayman denied all three Islanders attempts in the shootout, and finished the game with 29 saves on 32 shots.
“It’s the best thing ever,” Swayman said of the high stakes offered by shootouts. “I love the intensity when the game gets like that. It’s just one shot at a time. You want to keep an even-keeled mindset. But, it does make the game more enjoyable. The fans are getting into it, and the boys are getting into it. That’s why we play this game; for the intense moments and extreme competitiveness.”
The game was already intense well before it reached the shootout.
After a scoreless first period ended with the Bruins holding the Islanders to just three shots on goal, Anthony Duclair broke the stalemate for New York 5:11 into the middle frame. At 12:21, Viktor Arvidsson drew Boston even, throwing a puck on net that bounced in off Islanders captain Anders Lee for his fourth goal of the season and third in five games.
“He probably just needed that one to get him going,” said Sturm. “He had a lot of chances before. He’s a guy that gets really frustrated. He’s really hard on himself, too, when he doesn’t score and if it doesn’t go his way. As soon as he had one, it opened up the door for him.”
It was only 45 seconds later that Bo Horvat put the Islanders back in front, capitalizing on an odd-man rush following a Bruins’ turnover in the neutral zone. But Pavel Zacha tied the score for Boston once again with less than three minutes remaining in the period, burying a shot from the right circle on the power play for his third goal of the season.
“It was a really good bounce back from our power play,” Sturm said. “Last game, it wasn’t as sharp. Again, we lost [Elias Lindholm]. He’s a big motor on our power play. The last game wasn’t good, but today they showed how dangerous they can be.”
The Islanders took the lead once again at 5:o5 of the third period, when Horvat scored his second goal of the night. But of course, he wasn’t the only one who had two goals in the game, and the Islanders weren’t the one who walked away with the extra point.
“It’s excellent to see that in guys, not giving up, playing 60 full minutes, and getting the result,” said Swayman. “That’s something that’s really important for us right now, and we got to just keep this rolling.”
The win for the Bruins was just their second on the road this season and improves their record to 8-7-0. They are 3-0 in games that have gone beyond regulation time this year.
The Bruins will welcome the Ottawa Senators to TD Garden on Thursday.
