Thursday night the Bruins welcomed their boogeyman to TD Garden for the first of two meetings in as many nights. The Islanders had found great success this year against Boston, winning all five games between the clubs heading into their sixth clash of season.
But this is a different Bruins team. The additions of Taylor Hall, Curtis Lazar and Mike Reilly have provided Boston with depth, energy and confidence that had been missing prior to the trade deadline.
Brad Marchand scored twice, Taylor Hall and Mike Reilly recorded their first points as Bruins, and Tuukka Rask earned his 300th career win en route to a 4-1 win over the Islanders.
Here are three key takeaways from the game.
1. Dominant first period
From the opening faceoff the Bruins attacked all period long — playing on their toes, relentless forechecking, initiating body contact and putting every puck to the net. Instead of reacting to their opponent, they dictated play and did so with ambition and intelligent decision making.
The strong start began with a battle of the fourth lines, which was clearly won by Boston. Curtis Lazar, Chris Wagner and Sean Kuraly got the puck in deep and were hard on the forecheck, hemming the Islanders in their own zone. While the Isles boast one of the best energy lines in the league in Matt Martin, Casey Cizikas and Cal Clutterbuck, the Bruins were able to counter them for the first time all year and set the tone on the opening shift.
From there, the Bruins' newfound forward depth was apparent as they kept coming in waves with all four lines having consistent offensive zone time.
Mike Reilly recorded his first point as a Bruin and his 20th assist of the season just under two minutes into the game when his point shot deflected off Brad Marchand and in under the crossbar for the 1-0 lead. The goal marked Marchand's 20th of the season and the 10th 20-goal season of his career.
With time winding down in the period, the second power-play unit added to Boston's lead as Craig Smith capitalized on a one-timer from the slot, set up by a hard working shift from Jake DeBrusk and a nifty pass from David Krejci to make it 2-0. Smith now has 16 points in his last 14 games.
The game was far from over, but 23 shots on goal and a two-goal lead was exactly the start the Bruins were looking for — and they earned it through effort and determination.
2. Hall of an insurance goal
While the Bruins dominated the opening period, the Islanders are one of the better teams in the league for a reason and roared back in the second period with strong play of their own, eventually cutting the Bruins lead in half heading into the third.
Momentum was slightly on the Isles' side when Taylor Hall stepped up to the plate and scored his first goal as a Bruin to give them a 3-1 lead.
With Boston's top line on the ice in the defensive zone, Hall changed on for Brad Marchand and received a transition pass from David Pastrnak. Hall exploded down the left wing and used his lower body to shield off a chasing defender before powering to the net and shooting five-hole on Semyon Varlamov.
Prior to the trade deadline, the Bruins had relented late-game leads they mustered against the Islanders so far this season, so it was only fitting that Hall would be the one to join the roster and score the insurance marker that had eluded his new team against the Isles. Hall's goal was also the type of play that reminded everyone why he was selected first overall in the 2010.
Hall looked more comfortable in this game than he did in his first game against Buffalo, but he elevated his game after scoring his third-period goal and really started to display speed and confidence.
If Hall can re-establish his style of play that once made him a league MVP, the Bruins offense can become extremely hard to defend for opponents.
3. Rask earns 300th career win in strong return to lineup
For the first time in over a month, Tuukka Rask played a full game. The last time he started was on March 25 against these same Islanders, but he left after the first period in discomfort.
It was hard to tell Rask missed any time at all after a solid 22-save performance against a dangerous Islanders team.
In typical Rask fashion, he didn't make any flashy, highlight-reel saves because he was positionally sound — which is a strong sign that he's on his game. As well as young Jeremy Swayman played recently, having a healthy Rask back in the lineup is the optimal situation for the Bruins heading into the playoffs.
Thursday night's victory over the Islanders also marked the 300th win of Rask's career, as he became the 15th goalie in league history to reach such a milestone with one team.
While Rask has been subject to criticism over the years for not being able to win a Stanley Cup as a starter, 300 career wins certainly cements him as one of, if not the best goalie in franchise history.
