The Bruins Score 1st Then It All Goes Downhill From There As The Maple Leafs Take Game 1, 4-1

At this point, the incredible droughts for the Maple Leafs are well-known around the hockey world: they last won the Stanley Cup in 1967 and they haven't even come out on top in a single playoff series since 2004. For a team that is the second-most valuable in the NHL according to the recent list published by Forbes Magazine and gets exhausting coverage by the Canadian media, these things have to end at some point, right?

This is the third time since 2013 that the Leafs and Bruins have met in the playoffs (also last year) with Boston taking both of them in seven epic games. In Game 1 tonight at TD Garden, the Maple Leafs executed their gameplan to perfection as they came away with an easier-than-expected 4-1 victory. Mitch Marner continued his mastery of the B's (and added more dollar signs to his next contract this summer) with a pair of goals while Frederik Andersen (37 saves) had one of the best playoff performances in his NHL career. Boston actually got the first goal which is usually a huge key in the postseason: Patrice Bergeron finished a pretty cross-ice feed from his BFF Brad Marchand for a 1-0 lead at 9:31 of the first period. It was the 32nd career playoff goal for Bergeron and his 86th postseason point; Marchand reached 40 career playoff assists and 61 postseason points while Torey Krug (20th career assist and 29th postseason points) had the other helper.

Toronto tied it up at one later in the first period as Jake Muzzin's shot hit the post and then Marner was there to put in the rebound at 16:44. He was the best player against Boston in last season's playoff series and Marner continued to bolster his credentials as a legit Bruins killer (9 goals, 20 assists in 20 career games vs. Boston). The B's went 3-1 vs. the Leafs in the regular season which means nothing and for what it's worth, this was the first time that Muzzin faced them since he was traded to Toronto from Los Angeles this winter. That was Muzzin's 14th career playoff assist and John Tavares had the other assist (his 1st playoff point as a Leaf). You might remember him as the guy that supposedly spurned the Bruins in free agency last summer for his hometown Leafs.

With another power play early in the second period, the B's looked poised to regain the lead but instead about the worst possible (and extremely unlikely) event happened: the puck hopped over Jake DeBrusk's stick at the blue line of Boston's offensive zone which allowed Marner to zoom ahead on a breakaway. DeBrusk isn't yet known for his Bergeron defensive forward skills so all he could do to prevent a goal was to take Marner down before Jake went crashing back first into the boards, ouch. There wasn't much that Tuukka Rask (29 saves) could do on the ensuing penalty shot as Marner froze him with a slick move then wheeled the forehand shot around him. It was only the second successful penalty shot in Leafs playoff history and the sixth ever allowed by the Bruins (only 2 of which ended in goals). That punch in the gut was followed by a kick to the nuts later in the frame by Toronto was William Nylander took a long stretch pass from Nazem Kadri (7th career playoff assist) and beat Rask five-hole for a 3-1 Leafs advantage at 18:25. What do you want Rask to do when his teammates allowed roughly 100 breakaways in that period? Old man Patrick Marleau (playing in his 185th career playoff game) had his 54th career playoff assist on young Nylander's backbreaking tally.

Boston outshot Toronto 21-14 in the second period yet they were outscored 2-0 then, yuck. The Bruins could never make it interesting in the third (by cutting the deficit to 1 goal and putting some pressure on the Leafs). The closest they came to another goal was Joakim Nordstrom missing the net by mere inches on a rebound in the crease that Andersen had lost track of. Fittingly on that last slice of turd pizza, Tavares put it away with an empty-netter at 18:41. Gross. Game 2 is Saturday night (8, NESN) at the Garden and all the Bruins can do is flush this disappointing Game 1 down the toilet.

If you are into scary numbers, check these out: Boston is 14-34 all-time in best-of-seven series when they trail a series 0-1 while Toronto is 19-13 all-time in best-of-seven series when they lead a series 1-0. Finally, Boston is 20-28 in Game 2s when trailing in a series 0-1. Home ice doesn't mean all that much in the NHL playoffs (this ain't the NBA my friends) but needless to say, Game 2 is nearly a must-win for the Bruins. There is no way they want to go to Toronto down 0-2 in the series. The biggest adjustment that they have to make for a different outcome on Saturday is to not allow so many breakaways and odd-man rushes by the Leafs. That's easier said than done since Toronto has so much team speed, still it's no time to panic yet for the home team. Did anybody think that this series would be that easy (and yes I realize that everyone and their mother picked the Bruins to win it)?

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B's Finally Get Back to .500 Mark (16-16-5) at TD Garden with 3-1 Win/Season Sweep of the Isles

For the first time in 2016 and only the second time this season (Dec. 29 they were 9-9-2 after smoking Ottawa 7-3), your Bruins (39-23-8) are .500 at TD Garden (16-16-5). This afternoon, they beat the Islanders (37-21-8) 3-1 to sweep the three-game season series and at least temporarily go three points ahead of the Panthers (who host the Flyers tonight) and Lightning for first-place in the Atlantic Division.

David Pastrnak is by far Boston's most important young player so it's certainly a major positive to see him healthy and thriving at the NHL level in his somewhat bumpy second season. He scored two goals while Loui Eriksson added three points (1 goal, 2 assists) as the B's never trailed and scored a goal in each frame to beat New York. Tuukka Rask (25 saves) also improved to 7-1-1 in his last nine decisions. Eriksson opened the scoring with a power-play goal at 18:26 of the first period. Boston took advantage of the only power play for either side (the 4th time this season that they haven't allowed a single PP) as Eriksson wrapped around Islanders goaltender Thomas Greiss (28 saves) for his 26th goal of the season, assisted by Ryan Spooner and Torey Krug.

Superstar John Tavares tied it for New York at 10:48 of the second period with a sweet backhander. His 26th goal of the season was assisted by Kyle Okposo (after David Krejci turned the puck over behind Boston's net) and it was also Tavares' 200th career NHL goal. The Black and Gold used a late strike in the second period to take the lead for good and go into the third up 2-1. Krejci displayed great patience to hold onto the puck for a while in New York's zone before he found Pastrnak for a sweet one-timer at 19:51. Eriksson had the second assist on Pastrnak's 11th goal of the season.

New York outshot Boston 12-11 in the second period and they ramped that up to 9-6 in the third but Rask and the Bruins' defense got the job done. Of course, it helped that the Islanders were kind of sloppy with the puck all day (19-13 giveaways in their favor). It looked like it would end 2-1 with Boston on top or maybe 3-1 via a late empty netter but Pastrnak took away any doubt with a slap shot at 17:26 that Greiss got a piece of but couldn't stop. Eriksson had the lone assist by banking the puck up the boards to Boston's promising talent.

The B's get two days off for the first time in over month and they'll need it since the dreaded three-game trip to California awaits them next week. Boston is at San Jose (37-24-6) on Tuesday (10, NESN), at Anaheim (37-21-9) on Friday (10, NESN) and at LA (40-22-4) on Saturday (10:30, NESN). All three of those teams are quality sides that will be in the always loaded Western Conference playoffs this spring (they are the top-3 teams in the Pacific Division) and each came to Boston earlier this season and beat the Bruins handily. For that reason alone, the road warrior B's (23-7-3 on the road) won't be lacking for motivation this next week as the regular season winds down. They only have 12 games left and eight of them are on the road, the next home game isn't until March 24 vs. Florida (their only remaining home game in March).

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Bruins Start Crucial Homestand With Playoff-Like 2-1 Win Over Islanders

It's been a while since the Bruins could say that a 2-1 win vs. Islanders at TD Garden was quality and playoff-like but if you were at the game or watched it on TV tonight, that was most definitely the case. New York (33-18-1) is one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference this year and there is a good chance that Boston (28-17-7) will see them this spring in the playoffs. Finishing 2-1 against them in the regular season series has to give the B's a little extra confidence if they meet again when it really matters.

After a great pregame ceremony featuring numerous Super Bowl champion Patriots, Boston quickly fell behind 1-0 at 9:06 of the first period. Superstar John Tavares scored his team-high 24th goal of the season on a rebound. The power play strike was assisted by Frans Nielsen (outstanding name) and Travis Hamonic. Before allowing that goal, the Bruins' penalty kill had been 18-for-18.

Boston answered fittingly enough with a power play goal on its first opportunity of the contest. Patrice Bergeron jumped on the loose puck in New York's slot and put it top shelf on former teammate Chad Johnson (34 saves). The unassisted goal was Bergeron's 14th of the season. Tuukka Rask (39 saves) was spectacular almost the entire way and he has looked like the Vezina trophy winner from last season this past month plus.

Things stayed deadlocked through the second period as New York controlled play (outshooting Boston 16-9). Loui Eriksson was the hero as he stepped up in the third period for the game-winning goal. He's not a big or physical guy by any means but he does a pretty good job getting to the net and in this instance, it worked to perfection. He was covered by an Islander but he still managed to backhand the shot under Johnson for his 12th goal of the season. His linemates Carl Soderberg and Chris Kelly had the assists on one of Eriksson's biggest goals as a Bruin.

Montreal (33-15-3) comes to the Garden tomorrow night (7:30, NBCSN) for their final meeting with Boston this regular season. Considering that the Canadiens are the Bruins unquestioned main rival and they absolutely own them the last few seasons, it'd be nice to see the B's play well against the Habs for once. That way we all won't have heart attacks in Game 1 of the playoff series that you know will happen this year.

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Bruins Kick Off 2nd Half With Impressive Road Win, 5-2 Over Islanders

After what felt like about a month off (for the NHL All-Star break), the Bruins were finally back in action tonight on Long Island. Boston (26-16-7) dropped the Islanders (32-15-1) 5-2 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum to improve to 7-1-2 in their last 10 games. In fact, the B's have earned points in 12 of their last 13 contests. Tonight's win evened the season series at one and the only way that Boston will ever see that dump again is if they meet in the playoffs. Boston hosts New York next Saturday at TD Garden, the finale of the three-game season series.

Boston certainly didn't start like a team that hadn't played a game in over a week as they got out to an early 2-0 lead in the first period. Reilly Smith scored his 10th goal of the season at 13:59, a tip-in on a beautiful pass by Milan Lucic. David Krejci had the second assist on that one. 2:10 later, Patrice Bergeron scored a power play goal when New York gave him way too much time and space. Boston's lone All-Star knew what to do, snapping a low shot past Jaroslav Halak (28 saves). Dougie Hamilton and Smith assisted on Bergeron's 12th goal of the season.

The Islanders showed why they have been the top team in the Eastern Conference as they dominated zone time in the second period and were rewarded with not one but two goals to tie it up. Superstar John Tavares cut it to 2-1 at 8:25 after dumping the puck in on Tuukka Rask (season-high 43 saves including a save of the year nominee with the paddle of his stick), the rebound came right to him and he was able to slide it in for his team-leading 23rd goal of the season. Goon Cal Clutterbuck and Travis Hamonic got the assists but honestly, they didn't do anything. New York made it 2-2 at 15:12 when Johnny Boychuk's blast was deflected by Michael Grabner in front of Rask. Tavares had the other assist on Grabner's fifth goal of the season.

Earlier in the season, if they blew a two-goal lead like that, the Bruins would have been toast. This showed the progress that they have made as they stayed calm and benefitted from a fluky goal of their own with less than four seconds left in the second period. Halak cleared the puck right to Kevan Miller at the blueline and he alertly threw it on net, ending in his second goal of the season.

Boston would not relinquish another two-goal advantage as Torey Krug scored right away, 1:45 into the third for his 10th goal of the season (4-2 Bruins). Smith and Lucic had the assists on Krug's shot through traffic that deflected off an Islander. The Isles outshot the B's 14-6 in the final frame but it didn't matter since Lucic clinched it with an empty-netter at 17:54 from Krejci and Zdeno Chara. Would you believe that it was Lucic's 10th goal of the season as well?

The B's take on the struggling Kings (21-15-12) on Saturday night (7, NESN) at the Garden. It should be another highly-entertaining, playoff-like game.

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Bruins Lose 3-2 to Islanders But That's Overshadowed By Chara's Unknown Injury

All in all, it was a really terrible night for the Bruins. They lost 3-2 to the Islanders at TD Garden but that is the least of their worries since captain Zdeno Chara left in the first period and never returned.

After the game, Claude Julien wouldn't specify if it was an upper body or lower body injury but TSN's Aaron Ward (a former teammate of Chara) was the first to report it was his left knee and he was going to the hospital. Yikes! Ward later said Chara will be out 4-6 weeks with a knee ligament injury and they'll reevaluate it after that to see if he needs surgery.

This was supposed to be Johnny Boychuk's triumphant return to Boston for the first time. He was fine: +1 with one shot and two blocked shots in a team-high 23:18 but few would have predicted that he'd be overshadowed by another ex-Bruin-Chad Johnson. Boston's backup goaltender from last season got the surprise start and made 30 saves to earn his second win of the season. New York's starter Jaroslav Halak has been struggling a little so perhaps a goalie controversy is brewing on Long Island?

Boston (4-5-0) was chasing it all game, going down 1-0 and 3-1 before finally waking up in the third period. The fact that those final 20 minutes were their best of the season was inconsequential since their hapless second period (the worst of the season) buried them. Let's also give credit to New York (5-2-0), their early season success doesn't look like a fluke.

As good teams usually do, the Isles also got their fair share of breaks starting with Frans Nielsen's goal. The puck deflected off Dougie Hamilton's skate right to Nielsen for his first goal of the season at 6:21 of the first period. Bruins backup goaltender Niklas Svedberg (35 saves) had no chance to stop it.

Milan Lucic finally got a goal, it only took him nine games. He tipped in Seth Griffith's pass at 18:21 of the first period with David Krejci providing the second assist (and extending his point streak to five games).

One of the best American players that you never hear about for some reason-Kyle Okposo-made it 2-1 Islanders at 1:30 of the second period. John Tavares had the primary assist, giving him an NHL-high 11 points (3 goals, 8 assists). Okposo followed up his initial shot for the goal, his third of the season.

You knew it was New York's night when scrub Cal Clutterbuck (awesome name) extended their lead to 3-1 at 9:27 of the second period. He was wide open and Martin threw almost a no-look pass to him from behind the net for his first goal of the season.

After getting embarrassed in the second (outscored 2-0 and outshot 12-6), the Bruins showed some pride with a dominant third period. It felt like they were on a power play for basically the entire time with an unreal amount of zone time, unfortunately their finishing resembled the first few brutal games of this season when they couldn't score to save their lives.

It's scary to say it but Chris Kelly is playing the best hockey of at least his Bruins career so he has arguably been their best player in October. Haha I realize that probably explains why they are currently under .500. He also pushed his point streak to five games (tying a career-high) with a timely goal at 9:49 of the third period. Johnson's only juicy rebound (that cost him at least) of the night went right to Kelly who was on the doorstep to put it in. Carl Soderberg and Loui Eriksson had the assists as they've been Boston's most effective line as well.

Boston has practice tomorrow before they head to Toronto for Saturday night's game at the Air Canada Centre (7, NESN). The Bruins typically own the Maple Leafs (3-3-1) but needless to say, if they lose Chara for a significant amount of time, that could totally shell-shock them (as it seemed to in the 2nd period tonight). He has been remarkably durable in his Bruins career: this is his ninth season with Boston and the most games he's ever missed is five. Ugh, let's hope for the best and that somehow it's not as bad as it sounds.

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Islanders Shit All Over New Year's Eve for the Bruins

The older you get, the more you accept that some things in life just won't make sense. For instance, the fact that the Islanders-the second worst team in the Eastern Conference-have already clinched the season series for the first time since 2006-07. Tonight at TD Garden, New York (13-21-7) used the strength of four power play goals to score four unanswered in a 5-3 victory over Boston (26-12-2). The Isles had won 3-1 on November 2 at home and they'll meet January 27 in Long Island.

The B's are allowed a hiccup every now and then, it is still technically the holiday season, but this was just one of those games where nothing went their way after they built a 3-1 lead midway through the second period.

The numbers will look ugly for Tuukka Rask (26 saves) but given the dumb penalties and a shot that went off Brad Marchand's skate, you can't really blame him. For a while, it looked like Boston would be popping bottles as David Krejci scored 4:25 into the first period on a juicy rebound by Evgeni Nabokov (35 saves). His ninth goal of the season (and 100th of his career) was assisted by Jarome Iginla and Milan Lucic, giving them all a five-game point streak.

Frans Nielsen's power play goal at 5:56 of the second period tied it when Thomas Vanek screened Rask. Patrice Bergeron answered with a power play goal at 12:33. His 10th goal of the season was assisted by Ryan Spooner and Reilly Smith. 25 seconds later, Daniel Paille tipped Zdeno Chara's shot from the point for his fifth goal of the season.

Nielsen added another power play tally at 16:30, after the puck went off a Bruins skate in the slot leaving Nielsen there to collect the trash. Kyle Okposo's power play goal with 2.6 seconds left in the third was a punch in the balls since it went off Marchand's skate and past Rask to tie it at three.

All that momentum stayed with New York as Tavares scored 32 seconds into the third for their first lead of the game (4-3). The four-point night for one of the top players in the NHL and somebody that will lead Team Canada at the Olympics was complete when Tavares notched the final power play goal at 13:17.

There would be no comeback for the Bruins as Milan Lucic was called for the stupid trio of penalties: boarding, unsportsmanlike conduct and 10-minute game misconduct. With that, people headed out to their silly New Year's parties and overpriced bars. The B's will be back in action on Thursday (7, NESN) vs. Nashville (18-18-4). It'll be a new year and they'll look for new results after the Islanders snapped their 15-game point streak (13-0-2) at the Garden and kickstarted a two-game losing streak.

UPDATE 1/1: Bruins sent Nick Johnson back to Providence. Carl Soderberg and Dougie Hamilton are expected back in the lineup tomorrow night (weather-permitting) vs. Nashville.

UPDATE 1/2: Bruins recalled goaltender Niklas Svedberg and he's expected to get his first career NHL start tonight vs. Nashville. And yes, as of now the game is still on.

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Four Goals In The 3rd Period Leads To A Bruins Win On The Island

Any time that Tim Thomas gets a game off, it's a good thing for the Boston Bruins. If they can also win, that makes it even better since the playoffs begin in less than two weeks and he'll probably start every game.

Marty Turco (19 saves; 2-1-1) did enough and the B's (46-28-4) scored four goals in the third period as they beat the New York Islanders (33-34-11) 6-3 this afternoon at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

The pro-Bruins crowd enjoyed a monster game from Boston's second line as Brad Marchand (1 goal, 2 assists), Tyler Seguin (1 goal, 2 assists) and Patrice Bergeron (1 goal, 1 assist) combined for eight points. Five different Bruins scored and Chris Kelly became the sixth Bruin to score 20+ goals this season.

The regular season finish line is a week away and Boston is playing like a determined team (6-1-1 in their last 8) with big expectations for another deep playoff run.

Krejci (22nd of the season) gave the B's a 1-0 lead at 18:11 of the first period thanks to a fine assist from Milan Lucic (2 assists). Andrew Ference had the other assist.

Turco allowed his only soft goal as Kyle Okposo (21st of the season) tied it 29 seconds later with a wrist shot that he should have gloved.

Gregory Campbell and Michael Haley fought early in the second period. It wasn't a classic bout but it seemed to get both teams into it, a tough thing to do with an early afternoon game on a Saturday.

Kelly picked up his career-high 20th goal on a sweet individual move and a hard shot that crossed Al Montoya (21 saves) up at 4:58 of the second period.

P.A. Parenteau (17th of the season) tied it at 2 with a nifty assist from the underrated John Tavares (2 assists) at 14:26. Matt Moulson (2 assists) had the other helper.

Marchand (27th) and Seguin (27th) matched each other with goals to start the third period. Parenteau made it interesting, with his second goal at 14:53.

Bergeron (21st of the season) and Krejci (career-high 23rd) iced it with a pair of goals 24 seconds apart. Bergeron's was off a rebound and Krejci once again benefited from Lucic moving his skates and looking up.

Thomas will be back in goal tomorrow night as the Bruins play at Madison Square Garden against the Rangers who are still the Eastern Conference's top team. Yes, it doesn't mean much since both teams are assured of getting a high seed (B's need 5 more points to win the Northeast Division and get the No. 2 seed) but New York is 3-0 so far against Boston. The B's need to at least play well if not grab two points to give themselves some piece of mind that the Rangers aren't unbeatable.

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Islanders Beat Bruins 3-2 But More Importantly, Tuukka Rask Might Have Been Seriously Hurt

So today could have gone better for the Boston Bruins. Not only did they lost to one of the NHL's bottom feeders-the New York Islanders-at home, but even worse goaltender Tuukka Rask might be out for a while after leaving early in the second period with a "lower body injury."

The B's (38-22-3) fell 3-2 to the Islanders (27-29-9) this afternoon at TD Garden and Rask didn't make the trip with Boston to New York for tomorrow's game against the Rangers after landing awkwardly when he tried to make a save. Plus, he won't be with them in Toronto either.

As a further kick in the balls, John Tavares (26th of the season) scored a shady goal for the game-winner at 15:21 in the third period. The play appeared to be dead when the Islanders seemingly touched the puck for an icing call on the Bruins. Boston's players stopped for a second but there was no whistle. Tavares was able to get an advantage but truthfully, his tip-in (from Matt Moulson and Andrew MacDonald) still should have been stopped by Tim Thomas (11 saves).

Daniel Paille also went down with what looked like a shoulder injury in the third period and he didn't return either. After the loss, the Bruins recalled goaltender Michael Hutchinson and forward Lane MacDermid from the Providence Bruins.

Boston hasn't won two straight since January 10 & 12 and now they've dropped five of eight. Every time they picked up a good win in the last month and a half, they follow it up with a poor effort like this. It's easy to blame injuries (Nathan Horton, Rich Peverley) but it's more than that. At least Johnny Boychuk returned today from his minor concussion so he's ok.

Milan Lucic (22nd of the season) gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal at 15:10 in the first period from Brian Rolston (facing his former employer) and Joe Corvo.

Josh Bailey (10th of the season) tied it at one a little over two minutes later. Boston's defense was caught watching the puck and he was able to slip through them and wrist a pass from Frans Nielsen. David Ullstrom had the other assist.

Moulson (28th of the season) inched closer to his third straight 30-goal season when he scored at 15:35 in the second on a snap shot. It was a power-play goal with Nielsen and Tavares notching assists.

Tyler Seguin (22nd of the season) electrified the usual quiet Saturday afternoon Garden crowd with a sick backhander past Evgeni Nabokov (32 saves) at 7:29 in the third. It was all thanks to a sweet indirect pass off the boards from Zdeno Chara that sprung Seguin. David Krejci had the second assist.

The Bruins lead the season series over the Islanders 2-1, it'll wrap up March 31 in Long Island.

Boston hits the road for two: at New York tomorrow afternoon and Tuesday night in Toronto. The Rangers and Bruins are the top two teams in the Eastern Conference but New York won the first two meetings, both in Boston, including the most recent contest 3-0 on Valentine's Day. Banged up or not and playing back-to-back afternoon games, the B's need to prove they can beat the Rangers. Otherwise, they'll go into the playoffs with a psychological disadvantage.

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Bruins fist pump their way to a lop-sided win on the Island

For once this season, the Boston Bruins played well in front of Tuukka Rask and they jump-started their pivotal six-game road trip with a 6-3 thumping of the New York Islanders last night at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

It was a prototypical Bruins (32-19-7) victory with six different players notching goals (from all four lines) while Rask improved to 6-11-1 with 34 saves. They also snapped a three-game losing streak.

The Islanders (21-30-7) are still one of the absolute worst franchises in the NHL but there's been a little hope lately as they came in riding a four-game winning streak. John Tavares scored twice for New York but that was their only highlight since their goaltending situation is nothing short of a nightmare.

Blake Wheeler, the subject of constant trade talk, increased his value with a goal at 1:52 of the first period to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead. It was a weak shot that he just threw at the net and Islanders goaltender Nathan Lawson (13 saves) showed why you've never heard of him. Tyler Seguin and Andrew Ference assisted on Wheeler's 11th of the season.

Nine seconds later, Zenon Konopka tried to fire up the home crowd and his teammates by fighting Adam McQuaid but I'd say it didn't really work since the Bs added two more goals in the first period.

At 7:03 Mark Recchi scored his 11th of the season after the puck inadvertently deflected in off his skate (no kicking motion). Patrice Bergeron and Johnny Boychuck assisted.

Just over two minutes later, Gregory Campbell put a shot on goal that appeared to bounced off an Islander stick. It was Campbell's ninth of the season, unassisted.

The second period featured five goals as Boston scored twice more and New York got on the board with a pair.

David Krejci scored his ninth of the season 55 seconds into the frame, from Nathan Horton and Milan Lucic.

Tavares, the former No. 1 pick in 2009, finally got the Islanders a goal (his 22nd) less than a minute later from Blake Comeau.

Seguin notched his 10th of the season at 2:48 from Shawn Thornton and Wheeler. Like Wheeler, it was nice to see Seguin find the back of the net since those times have been few and far between lately. With that, Lawson was done and Al "Don't call me Aldo" Montoya (15 saves) went between the pipes for New York.

Josh Bailey cut it to 5-2 (from Comeau and Radek Martinek) but Lucic sealed it with his 24th of the season (on the power play) from Krecji and Zdeno Chara.

Tavares had the only goal of the third period (from Jack Hillen and Matt Moulson) but by then, the Bruins were doing what any sane person would do: they were dreaming about getting off Long Island.

Boston is right back at it tonight, taking on the Ottawa Senators. Expect Tim Thomas in net and the newest Bruin Chris Kelly (who's had mysterious Visa problems) should be in uniform to make his debut for the Bs against his old team.

a statement win in October

After pointing out in my last Bruins post how irrelevant the NHL is right now, I am going to do a 180 and tell you what a big win it was last night over the Islanders.

Boston (2-2-0) was completely lifeless at the Garden and faced a 3-0 deficit in the third period before they tied it up with three goals in a little over five minutes. The B's kept the good vibes going as they outscored the Islanders (0-0-3) 2-1 in the shootout.

Looking for a spark, Bruins head coach Claude Julien started talented backup goalie Tukka Rask. It wasn't really his fault as New York scored three goals in the second period.

Jon Sim scored on a power-play goal, Radek Martinek tallied a goal and No. 1 draft pick John Tavares rounded out the scoring for what is expected to be one of the NHL's worst teams.

At 11:59 in the third period, Marc Savard finally got the B's on the board with a goal from Zdeno Chara and Milan Lucic. Byron Bitz cut it to 3-2 with a pretty spin and shot that deflected off an Islanders defenseman's skate, past goalie Dwayne Roloson. Steve Begin and Matt Hunwick assisted on the goal.

Through four games, Boston's best line by far has been the fourth which consistently brings energy and pressure.

Less than two minutes later Hunwick tied it with his wrist shot that went top shelf through a ton of traffic in front of Roloson (27 saves). The Garden crowd went nuts as the Bruins had improbably come back from a seemingly insurmountable hole.

Blake Wheeler scored first in the shootout and Rob Schremp answered for New York. Savard was the last shooter to score as the Islanders last two shooters missed the net.

Rask finished with 35 saves in his first win of the '09-'10 season. It should be the first of many this season as along with Tim Thomas, the Bruins possess one of the best goalie tandems in the league.

Boston hosts Colorado tomorrow afternoon in a Columbus Day matinee at the Garden.