Islanders Fall to Bruins Again in Shootout Thriller

The New York Islanders met the Boston Bruins for the second time in a week. In their previous matchup, the Islanders jumped out to a 2–0 lead in the first period, only to surrender five unanswered goals to Boston. This time around, it was a tighter, more physical contest.

Despite plenty of back-and-forth action, the Islanders didn’t register their first shot on goal until the 15-minute mark of the opening period, drawing a few sarcastic cheers from the home crowd.

If the first period lacked excitement, the second more than made up for it. The Islanders had the first chance to break the scoreless tie when Boston defenseman Nikita Zadorov was called for tripping Islanders captain Anders Lee. The Bruins killed off the penalty, but the Islanders finally broke through when Anthony Duclair ripped a wrist shot from the high slot off an offensive zone faceoff win.

Shortly after, Mathew Barzal was whistled for a penalty, but the Islanders’ penalty kill held strong. Moments later, the game’s intensity escalated when rookie Matthew Schaeffer was hit hard by Zadorov and then shoved to the ice while in a vulnerable position. Lee and Duclair quickly came to Schaeffer’s defense, sparking a full-on scrum behind the Bruins’ net.

Lee and Duclair both received roughing minors, but Zadorov was handed a major penalty for his hit on Schaeffer, giving the Islanders a lengthy power play. The Isles generated several dangerous chances, but Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman stood tall to keep it a one-goal game.

Boston evened the score when Viktor Arvidsson’s shot deflected off Anders Lee’s skate and past Ilya Sorokin. The tie didn’t last long — Bo Horvat restored the lead moments later, finishing a perfect two-on-one feed from Barzal by tucking the puck under the crossbar.

However, discipline issues continued to plague the Islanders. Another penalty, this time to Lee for cross-checking, led to a Bruins power-play goal from Pavel Zacha, sending the game to the third period knotted at 2–2.

Early in the third, Schaeffer was called for cross-checking Mark Kastelic, putting the Islanders back on the penalty kill. As the penalty expired, Kyle Palmieri exited the zone and spotted Schaeffer stepping out of the box. Schaeffer fed Horvat streaking down the middle, and Horvat buried a glove-side shot past Swayman to give the Islanders a 3–2 lead.

The Bruins pressed hard as time wound down. Sorokin made several key saves, but Marat Khusnutdinov tied the game with a diving backhand effort late in regulation.

Boston’s Charlie McAvoy took a penalty with under two minutes left, giving the Islanders one last power-play opportunity. Despite strong puck movement and multiple shots on net, Swayman shut the door, sending the game to overtime tied 3–3.

After a scoreless extra frame, the contest was decided in a shootout. Sorokin stopped Casey Mittelstadt’s opening attempt but allowed a goal to Khusnutdinov. Jonathan Drouin was the Isles’ last hope, but Swayman turned him aside to seal a 4–3 Bruins win.

 The Islanders came away with a point, but once again, Boston got the better of them.