By: Eamonn McLean | Follow me on Twitter/X @EamonnMcLean44
After suffering the first loss of the Joe Sacco Era at the hands of the Vancouver Canucks last night, the Boston Bruins will have a chance to get back in the win column tonight when they travel to UBS Arena to take on the New York Islanders. After relieving Jim Montgomery of his duties as Head Coach, the Bruins have won two of their previous three games, and have outshot their opponents in all three contests.
Meanwhile, the Islanders enter tonight’s contest with an 8-9-5 record, fifth in the National Hockey League’s Metropolitan Division, most recently falling 4-2 to the Detroit Red Wings on Monday. New York has lost six of their last eight games and will be desperate for a win on home ice.
Scoring Problems
While the Bruins have seen their shot-on-goal numbers improve, they have yet to see the puck hit the back of the net as often as they’d like. They’ve only scored three goals in as many games, but the B’s have had plenty of looks. Boston generated thirteen high-danger chances in last night’s shutout loss. For the Bruins to turn things around, they must start burying some of these opportunities, and the players know it.
“The Dams gonna break at some point,” said Charlie McAvoy postgame Tuesday. “Just hope it’s soon. We’ve just got to keep playing the right way. We’re stressing defense in here, and we’re doing a great job of it, and I think it has helped our offensive game. We just can’t score.“.
Special Teams Matchup
Much has been made of Boston’s power play struggles this season, and for good reason. The Bruins’ 12.4% conversion rate is the worst in the league. However, tonight’s matchup represents an opportunity for the B’s to turn things around. The Islanders penalty kill has only been successful 70.2% of the time this year, the second-worst rate in the league.
Boston got power play goals in both contests in their wins over the Red Wings and the Utah Hockey Club but was scoreless in three opportunities against Vancouver. In order to get a win on Long Island, the Bruins will need to make the most of their opportunities when on the man advantage.
Goaltending Matchup
Ilya Sorokin will get the start between the pipes for the Islanders. A native of Mezhdurechensk, Russia, Sorokin is off to a solid start this season with a .917% save percentage, a 2.52 goals-against average, and a 5-5-3 record. The Bruins have not named a starter for tonight’s game, however with Jeremy Swayman getting the crease in last night’s contest, it seems likely that Joe Sacco will turn to Joonas Korpisalo, who recorded a 22 save shutout in his last appearance against Utah.
All-Time Records
The Bruins’ historical record against the Islanders is 101-60-21-7, and they are 2-3-0 in five matchups at UBS Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 P.M. Eastern tonight, and the game will be broadcast on NESN.
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