Bruins at Islanders
After failing to record a win at TD Garden for the fourth time in as many contests (0-3-1), the Boston Bruins look to remain at home on the road when they face the New York Islanders on Friday. Patrice Bergeron celebrated the birth of his son on Wednesday morning and had a goal and an assist later that night, but the Bruins saw a two-goal lead evaporate in the third period en route to a 5-4 overtime loss to Philadelphia.
Bergeron has scored three goals and set up two others in his last two games overall and tallied twice in three meetings with New York last season. The three-time Selke Trophy recipient was given Thursday off to spend time with baby boy Zack and wife Stephanie, but is expected to be on the ice Friday. While the Bruins have struggled at home, the Islanders have won four in a row overall and haven't had any difficulty adjusting to life at the Barclays Center (3-0-1). Jaroslav Halak turned aside all 37 shots he faced in a convincing 4-0 victory over Columbus on Tuesday, but yielded four goals in his lone meeting with Boston last season.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, NESN (Boston), TVA, MSG-Plus (New York)
ABOUT THE BRUINS (2-3-1): Captain Zdeno Chara will play in his 1,200th career game versus the team that selected him with a third-round pick in the 1996 draft. The 38-year-old, who has four assists in his last three contests, will become the second Slovakian-born player in league history to reach the milestone (Stan Mikita). David Krejci notched a pair of assists versus the Flyers to extend his season-opening point streak to six games (four goals, seven assists), becoming the first Boston player to do so since Nathan Horton in 2010-11.
ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (4-1-1): Nikolay Kulemin, Mikhail Grabovski and Brock Nelson have combined for four goals and six assists during the team's four-game winning streak. "I think that line has been one of our best lines if you just look at their offense, their defense and the amount of time they spend in their own end,” coach Jack Capuano told the team's website. Captain John Tavares, who leads the team in goals (four), assists (five) and points (nine), had two tallies and two assists in three meetings with Boston last season.
OVERTIME
1. New York has outscored its foes 18-8 on its four-game winning streak.
2. Bruins LW Zac Rinaldo avoided a suspension from the NHL on Thursday for his hit on Flyers C Sean Couturier.
3. The Islanders have killed off all 10 short-handed situations over the last three games.