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ISLANDERS 4, BRUINS 2
On island of lost opportunities, New York deals them a frightful setback [ Game summary ]
At the start of the year, even the beginning of training camp, there was plenty of optimism surrounding this team. Goalie Byron Dafoe seemed to be healthy after two knee surgeries. Jason Allison was in great shape and spirits after thumb and wrist surgery. And defenseman Paul Coffey said he was healthy, rested, and rarin' to go.
Whatever scenario you want to put forth regarding how well things were supposed to go, none has come to fruition.
Instead, the Bruins are risking the confidence of a 20-year-old goalie (Andrew Raycroft) who isn't ready for the duty he's been given in the absence of Dafoe (out with a hamstring injury). Backup John Grahame is out until the new year. Pivotal defenseman Kyle McLaren is on the shelf with a knee injury. And a perfectly fine coach (Pat Burns) is unemployed.
And, yes, the Bruins lost again last night, 4-2, to the New York Islanders. New coach Mike Keenan, now 1-2-0-1, is charged with the tough job of having to audition players from Providence while trying to evaluate the talent he had on his roster when he took the job.
Were there good signs last night? Sure. Boston never quit, and battled back to within a goal on Joe Thornton's strike at 18:53 of the third period. But it was too little, too late.
Yes, the Bruins skated better. Yes, the Bruins were more organized and dependable in their own end.
Yes, they generated the lion's share of offensive chances (34 shots to 13 for the Islanders) but they were denied by the stellar play of Islanders goalie John Vanbiesbrouck. And yes, last night's effort was worlds better than Sunday's 5-1 debacle in Manhattan against the Rangers.
But there are holes to plug in this lineup, and they need to be plugged sooner rather than later.
''We got some pressure,'' said Allison, who after the game was covered practically from head to toe in ice bags. ''We made a couple of mistakes and that was that.
''[Vanbiesbrouck] played well, I don't want to take anything away from him. He didn't make any mistakes, but we didn't finish.
''It's tough right now. We have all those guys out right now. They're a big part of our team. You just have to work hard, hope we can stay in games, and try to get some points. Guys just have to make sure we're jumping and working hard. We have to get some points. There's no excuse not to win any games.''
Through two periods, Boston outshot the Islanders by a whopping 25-11 but trailed, 3-0, as a result of three New York strikes in the second.
In the first period, the Bruins poured 16 shots on Vanbiesbrouck to only four for the home team. Despite all those bids, four of which were by center Joe Thornton, the visitors failed to cash in any.
The wheels fell off in the middle period as the Islanders tallied a pair of goals 1 minute 29 seconds apart before adding another in the late going.
With Boston forward Mikko Eloranta in the penalty box for holding, defenseman Kenny Jonsson made it 1-0 on the power play. Jonsson, in the right circle, fired a shot over the left shoulder of Raycroft at 3:11.
The Islanders' next two goals came at even strength. Center Tim Connolly, sprinting down the right side, dropped a pass to right wing Mark Parrish. Parrish fed it through the slot for left wing Oleg Kvasha, who beat Raycroft at 4:39 for the 2-0 lead. It was only the seventh shot for the Islanders.
The killer came at 14:36 when Bruins center Shawn Bates had a breakaway down the slot and Vanbiesbrouck stopped his forehand shot. Just 21 seconds later, the Islanders made it 3-0 on a goal by center Dave Scatchard, who beat Raycroft through the five-hole from the right circle at 14:57.
The Bruins finally got on the board at the 25-second mark of the third period when left wing Sergei Samsonov tallied his fourth goal of the season. Samsonov cut over the blue line, bombed down the right side into the circle, cut through the slot, and beat Vanbiesbrouck with a backhander. Defenseman Paul Coffey picked up an assist, his first point in seven games as a Bruin.
After Thornton's goal buoyed the Bruins, Brad Isbister closed it out on an empty-netter with 32.3 seconds remaining.
Keenan had a lot of praise for his team and its effort.
''We can't criticize anyone about the effort or the way we played with passion and commitment,'' said Keenan. ''We made a couple of crucial mistakes that resulted in goals for them. But anytime you keep an opponent down to 13 shots for an entire game, you probably deserve better results.
''We have to take the positives from this game. John was the difference in the game. If it wasn't for Beezer, they would have lost the hockey game. I think they would probably admit that as well.''
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NIONDALE, N.Y. - Nightmare on Elm Street. Friday the 13th. How about Scream 1, 2, or 3? Take your pick. In honor of Halloween, call this Bruins season anything you want.