Marat Khusnutdinov scored the tying goal in regulation and the winning goal in the third round of the shootout, leading the Boston Bruins to a 4-3 victory over the New York Islanders at UBS Arena. The Boston forward equalized with 4:54 left in regulation after picking up Fraser Minten’s rebound and maneuvering around Ilya Sorokin. Sorokin made 23 saves, while Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman made 27 stops and three more in the shootout against Simon Holmstrom, Bo Horvat, and Jonathan Drouin.
The loss ended the Islanders’ two-game winning streak. Despite missing in the shootout, Horvat remained in top form, scoring twice in regulation, including the go-ahead goal 5:05 into the third period. Anthony Duclair opened the scoring for the Islanders early in the second period.
“He’s got a hot stick,” Islanders captain Anders Lee said of Horvat. “He’s able to create shots on his own, and he can really shoot. Those were big goals for us… When he’s on a roll, it’s huge for our team.”
Duclair, who had not scored in his previous five games, put the Islanders ahead 5:11 into the second period with a surprise spinning wrist shot from the left circle over Swayman’s pads.
“We had good opportunities,” Duclair said. “Our line did its best, communicating with [Casey Cizikas] and [Kyle MacLean] before games, keeping our game simple and tough on the forecheck. We want to be trustworthy.”
Midway through the frame, chaos erupted when Nikita Zadorov tangled with Islanders rookie Matthew Schaefer, leading to a skirmish involving Duclair and Anders Lee. “I felt the referee had many options,” Islanders head coach Patrick Roy said. “Could have called cross-check, roughing, interference. We might’ve had a four-minute power play. But I loved how our guys responded.”
Zadorov received an interference penalty and a double-minor for roughing, but the Islanders didn’t capitalize on the power play.
Viktor Arvidsson’s close-range shot, which rebounded off Lee’s skate into the net with 7:39 left in the second, tied the game, but 45 seconds later, Horvat regained the lead with his eighth goal of the season. “It was bad luck,” Roy said. “Sorokin was great, made crucial saves when needed. I’m happy for him, as he’s playing with confidence.”
The Bruins responded with 2:31 left in the second with a power-play goal from Pavel Zacha, following a Lee cross-check penalty.
Horvat put the Islanders back in front 5:05 into the third period with his second of the night after a penalty kill. Schaefer, exiting the penalty box, assisted Horvat in snapping a wrister over Swayman’s glove.
- SCCG Management. The Gambling Industry’s Global Connector. Access Here.
- Source: SCCGManagement.com