Hope may be all that’s left for the Islanders this season but they certainly clung to it on Thursday night with a throwback performance.
A balanced, four-line effort evolved into a dominant third period as the Islanders topped the Bruins, 4-1, at UBS Arena to snap a three-game losing streak.
The Islanders (18-20-6) moved within 16 points of the Bruins (27-17-4) for the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spot.
They also improved to 4-16-2 against teams holding a playoff position — including two wins over the Bruins — though they’ve been outscored 72-40 in those games.
Defenseman Noah Dobson’s wrist shot from the right point gave the Islanders a 2-1 lead at 5:50 of an entertaining third period as the Islanders sustained offensive-zone pressure and both teams played more physically.
Ilya Sorokin (26 saves) maintained that one-goal lead with a lunging blocker save on Craig Smith’s power-play try from the right at 12:12.
Mathew Barzal then scored a crucial insurance goal from the left to make it 3-1 at 13:32 after Linus Ullmark (25 saves) stopped two shots by Kieffer Bellows.
These Islanders have gotten used to winning and having a chance in the playoffs and this season certainly started with Stanley Cup-or-bust expectations after back-to-back berths in the NHL final four. Thursday’s performance recalled the best of the Islanders from those seasons.
"It’s tough," defenseman Ryan Pulock said before the game. "Guys know what’s at stake and we know we have to be better. We need to find our game right now to give us a chance. There’s no give up in this locker room. There’s no quit. Guys are mad at how we’ve been playing and we’re going to dial it in to find a way to take steps in the right direction here."
They completed a discouraging, 1-3-0 road trip with a 6-3 loss in Buffalo and talk of turning things around has been going on for a while. But the Islanders’ on-ice performances haven’t backed up the words.
And they aren’t sure why.
"If I knew, I think we would all change it right away," Pulock said. "It’s hard to really answer that other than we need to understand that. Find a way to put some wins together. Get that confidence up. Confidence comes with winning and once you can get on a streak, you never know what can happen and we’ve done that here before."
Jean-Gabriel Pageau’s power-play goal at 11:30 of the second period tied the game at 1 as he rushed to the crease to knock in the rebound of Dobson’s one-timer. The Islanders held an 11-2 shot advantage in the period at that point as they improved their passing, forecheck and wall play to sustain pressure in the offensive zone.
Sorokin started the game making 12 straight strong saves, seeing the puck well through traffic. But the Islanders lost some momentum after a so-so power play produced one shot as Anton Blidh was called for interference against Kyle Palmieri at 14:18 of the first period.
Taylor Hall then gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead at 17:26 of the first period on a soft goal, rushing up the left wall and banking the puck in off Sorokin to the short side from a sharp angle.
It marked the 10th time in 11 games the Islanders have allowed the first goal.
Sorokin kept the game tied at 1 with back-to-back kick saves on defenseman Brandon Carlo and then Hall on the rebound from the slot.
Hall also hit the crossbar at 18:47 of the second period.
Brock Nelson added an empty-netter to cap the scoring at 18:47 of the third period.
