Marat Khusnutdinov tied the game late in the third period and collected the only goal in the shootout Tuesday night for the visiting Boston Bruins, who edged the New York Islanders 4-3 in Elmont, N.Y.
Viktor Arvidsson and Pavel Zacha also scored for the Bruins, who have won four straight and five of six (5-1-0). Goalie Jeremy Swayman made 26 saves, including two during the Islanders’ power play in the last minute of regulation, before stopping all three New York attempts in the shootout.
Boston’s streak started with a 5-2 home win over the Islanders one week ago.
Bo Horvat had two goals and Anthony Duclair also scored for the Islanders, who had their two-game winning streak snapped and lost for the fourth time in six games (2-2-2). Goalie Ilya Sorokin recorded 24 saves in regulation and overtime, including a point-blank stop of Charlie McAvoy in the final 20 seconds of the extra session.
Duclair snapped the scoreless tie 5:11 into the second period following an offensive zone faceoff win by Kyle McLean.
The Bruins tied the score at the 12:21 mark on what amounted to an own goal by the Islanders. Arvidsson’s shot from near the left post sailed through the crease before bouncing off Anders Lee’s skate and trickling into the net.
Horvat put the Islanders ahead just 45 seconds later following a turnover by the Bruins. Emil Heineman got a piece of Morgan Geekie’s pass in the neutral zone before Mathew Barzal picked up the puck, raced up the right side of the ice and dished to Horvat, whose shot bounced off the left post and into the net.
Zacha started and finished the sequence resulting in the game-tying goal with 2:31 left in the period. The center intercepted Kyle Palmieri’s pass in the neutral zone before he headed towards the slot, where he buried a rebound of McAvoy’s shot.
Horvat capped an end-to-end sequence 5:05 into the third to give the Isles their third lead of the game. Palmieri passed through the neutral zone to Matthew Schaefer, who waited a beat before dishing to Horvat. With Nikita Zadorov standing in front of him, Horvat controlled the puck and beat Swayman gloveside.
Khusnutdinov tied the game in impressive fashion with 4:54 left, when he reached around Horvat and Tony DeAngelo, dove and put back the rebound of Fraser Minten’s shot past a sprawled Sorokin, who’d lost his stick.
–Field Level Media
