Bruins at Islanders
THE STORY: The Boston Bruins are certainly having a November to remember. After winning just three of their first 10 games in October, the reigning Stanley Cup champions have righted the ship by winning all seven contests this month. Claude Julien's club has found its offense during this stretch, outscoring the opposition by a 36-14 margin. The New York Islanders had the misfortune of tangling with the Bruins nearly two weeks ago, ultimately falling 6-2 on Nov. 7. The setback was the first of four straight for New York, which finally snapped the skid with a 4-3 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday. "It's a step in the right direction. I wouldn't say it's the end all. There still a lot of work to be done," franchise goaltender Rick DiPietro said. "You could see it coming in that Rangers game (a 4-2 loss on Tuesday) when we started to put things together a little bit. But at the end of the day, this team isn't going to settle for mediocrity. We are not gonna be happy winning one game and then losing a couple before we win another one." New York will have a chance to put a rare winning streak together when it hosts Boston on Saturday.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, NESN, MSG+
ABOUT THE BRUINS (10-7-0): Home cookin' has been kind for Boston, which began the season by playing 13 of its first 17 games at TD Garden. The Bruins, who are 2-2-0 on the road, will now begin a three-game stretch away from Beantown. Although Tuukka Rask got the call in Thursday's 2-1 shootout win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, Tim Thomas will be in net on Saturday. The reigning Vezina Trophy winner boasts a 9-5-1 career mark with a 2.07 goals-against average versus the Islanders.
ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (5-8-3): DiPietro stopped 24 shots in relief of Evgeni Nabokov, who will be sidelined for as long as a month with a groin injury, according to New York Newsday. DiPietro is expected to start on Saturday. Matt Moulson extended his point-scoring streak to five contests with the game-winner on Thursday. Moulson, who began the streak with a goal and an assist against Boston, has four tallies and two helpers during the stretch.
OVERTIME:
1. Boston has yielded a power-play goal in each of its last four contests.
2. Talk about being patient. Veteran Jay Pandolfo collected his 100th goal of his 14-year NHL career on Thursday. His last NHL goal came on Jan. 2, 2010 as a member of the New Jersey Devils.