The Bruins mounted a two-goal third-period comeback to force overtime, but then lost, 4-3, when Casey Cizikas beat Tuukka Rask on a breakaway 14:48 into the extra session to tie the series at a game apiece.
The winning goal came off a bad turnover at the offensive blue line, as Jeremy Lauzon whipped a pass off Charlie Coyle's skates right along the line that deflected out to center ice and sprung Cizikas on the breakaway.
The Bruins struggled mightily earlier in the overtime period, with the Islanders getting seven of the first eight shots on goal. Rask stood tall, though, and the Bruins had seemed to be turning the momentum before the winning goal.
Here are three key takeaways:
1. Bergeron line finally breaks through after quieter game
After a Game 1 in which David Pastrnak had a hat trick and the Patrice Bergeron line outshot the Islanders 17-3 at five-on-five and created 16 scoring chances, one of the keys to Game 2 was going to be how Barry Trotz and his team adjusted.
For much of Game 2, the Islanders got the win for their adjustments. Through two periods, the Bruins were actually being out-attempted 9-7 and out-scoring chanced 4-3 when the top line was on the ice.
They turned up the heat in the third, though, and finally broke through to cut the Islanders’ lead to 3-2 when Brad Marchand fed Bergeron for a one-timer from the high slot.
Then they struck again on the power play to tie the game with 4:54 left in regulation when Marchand found himself with acres of space in the left circle and rifled a shot past Semyon Varlamov.
2. Brutal second period puts Bruins in hole
The first period of Game 2 started much like Game 1, with the Bruins dominating possession and chances and carrying a 1-0 lead into the intermission.
The second period was a very different story. The Islanders came out flying and were the much more aggressive team, with the Bruins looking unprepared to handle the push-back. Penalty trouble didn’t help either.
After Pastrnak went to the box for goaltender interference, the Islanders tied the game when Josh Bailey’s centering pass deflected off Jeremy Lauzon’s skate and in.
The Islanders dominated the next several minutes and took a 2-1 lead with 9:00 left in the period when Kyle Palmieri jammed the puck past Tuukka Rask at the near post after collecting a shot that had gone wide.
The Bruins finally started to find their game in the next few minutes after that, but then another avoidable penalty cost them again. Brandon Carlo went after Leo Komarov after the whistle and while he didn’t appear to do anything more than some typical pushing and shoving, the refs sent him to the box. It was a bit of a soft call for sure, but there was also no reason for Carlo to initiate anything at all.
Once again, the Islanders made Boston pay when Anthony Beauvillier fed a wide-open Jean-Gabriel Pageau at the back post for a tap-in goal.
3. Krejci line everywhere but the score sheet
Another key for Game 2 was going to be how the Bruins’ second line looked with Jake DeBrusk moving up to replace the injured Craig Smith. In Game 1, that line created a bunch of good chances with Smith in the game, but then really struggled after he left.
The Hall-Krejci-DeBrusk trio looked much better in Game 2, as they generated the most offensive-zone time and shot attempts of any Bruins line for much of the game. With those three on the ice at five-on-five, the Bruins had an 18-9 advantage in shot attempts and 10-3 edge in scoring chances through the end of regulation.
Krejci had a team-high six shots on goal in regulation, while Hall and DeBrusk chipped in three more. The only thing they didn’t do, of course, was score.
That will obviously have to be the next step for that line if Smith misses more time, but it was at least encouraging that they looked good as a trio and that DeBrusk brought the effort to complement Krejci and Hall and not slow them down.