After back-to-back overtime losses, the Boston Bruins look to bounce back when they host the New York Islanders on Thursday night to conclude a three-game homestand out of the 4 Nations Face-Off break.
The Bruins entered Wednesday in a three-way tie for third place in the Eastern Conference wild-card race with the Ottawa Senators and New York Rangers, with the Columbus Blue Jackets holding a two-point lead for the final spot.
A crucial point slipped away Tuesday, though, as the Toronto Maple Leafs overcame 3-0 and 4-3 deficits to beat Boston 5-4 in overtime. Captain Brad Marchand knows such a letdown en route to a fourth straight loss (0-2-2) cannot happen given the current position in the standings.
“If we play like that every night, we’re going to win a lot of games,” Marchand said. “We can’t give points up right now, and we gave one away.”
There were, indeed, some encouraging signs despite the Toronto loss. The Bruins piled up 36 shots and scored multiple power-play goals for the second time in their last six games.
Interim coach Joe Sacco liked what he saw for most of the night.
“We were ready to play. I thought we had a great start to the game. For the first 40 minutes, I really liked what we were doing in the hockey game,” Sacco said. “If you give (a team like Toronto) a little bit of life … they start to push.”
Star winger David Pastrnak, who is coming off a two-goal, one-assist performance to move his NHL season-high point streak to 15 games, hopes that one win can help his team turn the tide.
“We’ve gotten two out of four points since the break, but haven’t got the W,” Pastrnak said. “We need to put some games together to get that mojo because it wasn’t a bad game on our side (on Tuesday).”
The Islanders arrive in Boston having lost a season-high four consecutive games in regulation, including a 5-1 home defeat to the rival Rangers on Tuesday. The loss dropped them five points back of the Bruins.
While Boston remains much closer to the hunt, hopes on Long Island are slimming as the regular season nears its final full month.
“At this point, the next game’s huge,” Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock said. “We’re kind of fighting for our life here, so we have to learn here and we have to be ready for the next one.”
The Islanders had netted three goals in three straight games prior to Tuesday. Alexander Romanov’s goal made it a 1-1 game in the first period, but it was not enough as the Rangers scored on five of their first 10 shots against Ilya Sorokin.
“It was not his best game. There (were) a few bad bounces, so I know he will bounce back,” Islanders coach Patrick Roy said. “He’s a character person. … I know we can count on him, there’s no doubt in my mind.”
Roy delivered some good news leading into Thursday’s game, as defenseman Noah Dobson is expected to return from an 11-game absence due to a lower-body injury. With the Islanders’ top scorer from the back end returning, Scott Perunovich is expected to be the healthy scratch.
“What I want to see from (Dobson) is controlling the puck, jumping in the rush, defending well, doing things he’s been doing very well since he’s been here,” Roy said.
Forward Hudson Fasching (upper body) could also return, having practiced on a line with Kyle MacLean and Massachusetts native Marc Gatcomb on Wednesday. Fasching has not played since Jan. 5, when the Islanders earned a 5-4 overtime win in Boston.
–Field Level Media
