They don't lose edge vs. Islanders

[ Game summary ]

By Nancy Marrapese-Burrell, Globe Staff, 12/23/2001

NIONDALE, N.Y. - The strategy when playing the second of back-to-back games is often to attack early, get an early goal, and then play a conservative style so that by the end of the third period, there is still some gas left in the tank.

That's what the Islanders attempted to do last night against the Bruins after an emotional victory over the Rangers in Friday's battle of New York.

But the Bruins declined to cooperate. Goaltender Byron Dafoe (24 saves) made some spectacular stops, defensemen chipped in with three points, and the Bruins skated off with a 4-2 victory at Nassau Coliseum.

''They put a burst on,'' said Bruins coach Robbie Ftorek. ''I know we played pretty steadily. We started to chip it in a little bit and we started to work them down low a little bit more and the puck stayed in so it worked out well for us. From their perspective, I'm sure they wanted to get one early and then try to play a little more patient, a little bit safer, but it worked out well for us.''

The Islanders had the game's first five shots and carried the play at the start. From the 4:24 mark on, Boston outshot New York, 15-3, in the first period.

Former Bruin Shawn Bates, who has been moved from center to wing on a line with Alexei Yashin, gave the Islanders the lead early in the second period. Yashin picked it off a pass from Jozef Stumpel and dished a pass to Bates, heading for the net. Dafoe came out and Bates cut around him, sliding a forehander into the cage at the 38-second mark.

But the Bruins roared back with three straight second-period goals, all set up by defensemen.

With the Bruins shorthanded, Kyle McLaren fired a shot that deflected off Rob Zamuner and past Chris Osgood. It was Zamuner's fourth goal of the season and third in two games. It was the eighth shorthanded goal of the season for the Bruins.

Right wing Glen Murray put Boston ahead to stay at 5:07. McLaren intercepted a clearing pass a fired a slap shot from the left point that Murray redirected past Osgood.

Just more than two minutes later, the Bruins had a two-goal lead. Sean O'Donnell collected a failed clearing attempt by Islanders captain Michael Peca and skated the puck through the left circle. Islanders defenseman Marko Kiprusoff neglected to cover O'Donnell, who mov ed toward the net. O'Donnell fed a pass to Brian Rolston, who chipped a backhand shot from the edge of the crease past Osgood for a 3-1 lead.

The Bruins converted a two-on-one break in the third period to boost the advantage to 4-1. Sergei Samsonov raced up the right side with center Joe Thornton to his left and only defenseman Adrian Aucoin between them and the net. Samsonov, in the right circle, fed a pass to Thornton, who buried a shot from the slot at 4:31, his 13th goal of the year.

The Islanders got one back at 8:19 during a power play. With Hal Gill off for hooking, right wing Mark Parrish, positioned down low, passed the puck up the boards to Yashin. Yashin dished it to Roman Hamrlik, whose one-timer from the left point beat Dafoe.

McLaren went to the dressing room for a time in the third because of an ailing wrist but returned to the game. He said he had X-rays and they were negative. He believes his right wrist is sprained but said he will be in the lineup against Ottawa on Wednesday.

''I was behind the net with [Steve] Webb and I got tied up,'' said McLaren. ''The way I went in the boards, it kind of tweaked my wrist a little bit. It's nothing major. It's just going to take some time to heal. Three days off is good enough for me. I'm playing [Wednesday].''

This story ran on page C4 of the Boston Globe on 12/23/2001.
© Copyright 2001 Globe Newspaper Company.