Islanders vs Bruins preview: Isles look to shut down red-hot Bruins

The New York Islanders take on the Boston Bruins tonight at the Nassau Coliseum. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. eastern time.

The Islanders are coming into this game after dropping a tough one on Thursday night to the Penguins in a shootout.

For the first time this year, the Bruins are playing back-to-back games in back-to-back days. Last night Boston beat the Rangers 1-0 at Madison Square Garden.

The New York Islanders look to shut down the red-hot Boston Bruins at the Coliseum.

At this stage of the season, the Bruins may be considered the best team in the National Hockey League. They are currently on a five-game winning streak and have the highest points percentage in the league.

In fact, Boston has only lost one game in regulation this season. That was back on January 18, in the Islanders home opener, when the Islanders shutout the Bruins 1-0.

It is interesting to note that the Islanders are on a little bit of a streak themselves. The blue and orange come into this game currently on a five-game point streak (2-0-3).

Tale of the Tape

Betting Odds

The Islanders come into today as the underdogs, courtesy of the Action network.

It is no surprise that the Islanders are the underdogs here. The blue and orange haven’t exactly matched up well against the Bruins in recent times. I expected tonight to be a close encounter.

Look for the Isles to assert themselves early, as the Bruins just played the night before. The Islanders’ first-period performance could be the difference tonight.

Projected Lineups

All signs indicate to the Islanders making one change to their lineup tonight. Leo Komarov was sent to waivers yesterday and we may see Anthony Beauvillier return to the lineup after missing the past couple of weeks due to injury.

Trotz already stated that Beauvillier is a game-time decision tonight, so if Beauvillier is unable to play we could see Austin Czarnik back in the lineup.

The Isles are not projected to make any changes on defense and Semyon Varlamov is projected to get the start in goal.

The Islanders are projected to lineup like this:

Lee-Barzal-Eberle
Beauvillier*-Nelson-Bailey
Bellows-Pageau-Wahlstrom
Martin-Cizikas-Clutterbuck

Pelech-Pulock
Leddy-Mayfield
Greene-Dobson

Varlamov (Sorokin)

*- Game Time Decision

The Bruins are not expected to make any changes from their lineup from yesterday at MSG. There is a chance we could see Matt Grzelcyk back in the lineup after missing the last game injured.

If Grzelcyk returns, expect him to replace Connor Clifton on the Bruins’ second defensive pairing. Other than that, Boston’s lineup is not projected to see any other changes.

Tuukka Rask is projected to be named starter tonight after Halak played last night and shutout the Rangers.

The Bruins are expected to lineup like this:

Marchand-Bergeron-Pastrnak
Ritchie-Krejci-Smith
DeBrusk-Coyle-Bjork
Frederic-Kuraly-Wagner

Lauzon-McAvoy
Clifton-Carlo
Zboril-Miller

Rask (Halak)

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Where to Catch the Game

TV: MSG+, NESN

Radio: 88.7FM 103.9FM 1050AM

*All Stats Provided by the NHL*