Islanders at Bruins
After averting a season-high losing streak in dramatic fashion, the New York Islanders will be out for revenge when they visit the Boston Bruins on Saturday in the second matchup between the teams in 10 days. A 5-2 setback to the Bruins on Jan. 29 triggered a three-game skid for the Islanders, who got back on track with a come-from-behind victory over Philadelphia in a shootout on Thursday. New York has won its past three visits to Boston, including a 3-2 victory on Oct. 23.
The resurgent Bruins had a four-game point streak halted with a 3-2 loss at the New York Rangers on Wednesday, a defeat that continued a trend in which they were outshot by four of the past five opponents. The Islanders had no shortage of chances in last month's loss to Boston, forcing netminder Tuukka Rask to make a season-high 43 saves. “We've got to be willing to put the work in when it’s required,” coach Claude Julien said. “I don’t think we had the right mindset (Wednesday) ... and that’s why we didn't get that many scoring chances.”
TV: 7 p.m. ET, MSG Plus 2 (New York), NESN (Boston)
ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (33-17-1): Cal Clutterbuck was the unlikely hero in Thursday's victory over the Flyers, scoring the tying goal in the third period before notching the decisive tally in the seventh round of the shootout. Clutterbuck, who is in his second season with New York, ended a 19-game drought with his first goal since Dec. 13. “It’s not my primary objective, but you want to help the team, especially when the team is on a bit of a streak here,” Clutterbuck said. “For me, it was nice to get the monkey off the back a bit, it was good.”
ABOUT THE BRUINS (21-17-7): Rugged forward Milan Lucic got off to a rocky start, managing only three goals and 10 assists over his first 22 games. Lucic was dealing with a flu bug that forced him to miss Tuesday's practice and Wednesday's morning skate, but he scored against the Rangers to give him five goals and 11 points in his last 11 games. “You've got to keep things even — not get too high, and there were times when, earlier in the season, things got pretty low,” Lucic said. "It’s been a lot more fun playing the right way and playing together."
OVERTIME
1. Last month's loss dropped Islanders G Jaroslav Halak to 8-4-0 versus Boston.
2. Lucic has 24 points in 24 games against New York.
3. The Islanders are 5-0 in overtime and 7-1 in shootouts.