By: Liz Rizzo | Follow me on Twitter @pastagrl88
In the second game of a back-to-back, the Boston Bruins did not skip a beat, and the star of the night: rookie goaltender Jeremy Swayman. As the Islanders poured on the shots, the young netminder never looked anxious in net as he kept his composure tracking the puck. With the 3-0 victory over the Isles, Swayman records his first NHL shut-out and has a 4-1-0 record with a 1.78 goal against average (GAA).
GAME BREAKDOWN
Some early looks came the way of Islanders in the opening moments of the first period as they missed an open Bruins net. There was a panicked moment as the Islanders had a breakaway chance however Jeremy Swayman shut down the attempt. There was no lack of energy from both teams, however, the Islanders had a better start to the period compared to last night’s game. The Bruins had a tougher time staying down Isles’ zone as they were looking to get their first shot on goal. Boston drew their first power play of the night as Matthew Barzal got called for hi-sticking against David Krejci. An attempted short-handed goal was thwarted by Swayman who came up with two huge saves. Despite the man advantage, no goal for the Bruins.
A loose puck down the Islanders net was quickly covered as Boston started to gain rhythm in their gameplay. A frustrating few moments in the last five minutes saw the Bruins scrambling down in their own zone. A loose puck in the Islander’s net saw the boys in Black and Gold buzzing around Ilya Sorokin but were unable to score. The Isles drew their first power play of the night for a slashing penalty call against Sean Kuraly for a questionable slashing on Noah Dobson. There was a wild moment as the Islanders peppered the puck at Swayman who made a highlighted dive bomb save. With mere seconds left to the period Boston struck first as David Pastrnak scored his 17th goal of the season. Mike Reilly and Patrice Bergeron were credited with the assists.
SCORE END OF FIRST PERIOD: BOS-1, NYI-0
SHOTS ON GOAL: BOS-8, NYI-10
Boston wasted no time in the first few moments of the second period as they continued to rush towards the Islanders net. A perfect pass from David Krejci allowed Taylor Hall to score his second goal as a Bruin making it 2-0.
Pastrnak had another close chance to score however Ilya Sorokin was able to block the shot. The action was non-stop as each team missed some golden opportunities to score. Boston would go on the power play for the second time as Jordan Eberle was called for elbowing Charlie McAvoy. Fresh out of the box, Eberle drew a penalty against Nick Ritchie that gave the Isles a man advantage.
Shortly after, Matt Martin was called for tripping on Charlie McAvoy (which did not bode well with Martin) giving the Bruins their third power play of the night. Despite some promising sequences, Boston was unable to score. The Islanders’ Kyle Palmieri had a dangerous potential breakaway chance, however, Swayman stone-walled the puck. With under a minute left to the period, Sean Kuraly would be called for a delay of game penalty. New York would start the third period with a little over a minute left with the man advantage.
SCORE END OF SECOND PERIOD: BOS-2, NYI-0
TOTAL SHOTS ON GOAL: BOS-12, NYI-6
The third period opened up with the Islanders finishing off their power play with no goal on the scoreboard. Brad Marchand got called for slashing against Oliver Wahlstrom, however no score for the Islanders. The Bruins continued to put pressure on the Isles as they kept hold of game momentum. Sean Kuraly once again would go to the penalty box for boarding against Noah Dobson. Marchand had a potential short-handed goal but was stopped by Sorokin. Boston was able to kill off the power play as Swayman continued to track the puck successfully. In the final minute of the game, Curtis Lazar netted his first goal as a Bruin on an empty Islanders net, making the final score 3-0.
FINAL SCORE: BOS-3, NYI-0
TOTAL SHOTS ON GOAL: BOS-28, NYI-25
NEXT GAME: Sunday, April 18th against the Washington Capitals, puck drop at 12:00pm
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