Islanders: What you need to know for Boston Bruins series

After eliminating the Pittsburgh Penguins, the New York Islanders booked a ticket in the second round to face off against the Boston Bruins.

The Bruins aren’t new to the Islanders, of course, both sides have played each other eight times over the 2021 regular season. But here’s what you need to know about the Bruins.

Things like how they’ve done in the regular season (specifically after that big trade), how they’ve done in the postseason, a few players to watch, and the schedule for the second round (sort of).

Preview of New York Islanders second-round matchup

Regular Season Matchup

In the eight games the two teams played this season, the Islanders hold a 5-2-1 record with a +2 goal differential. Great, right? Well, all five of those wins came before April, the last full month of the season. The three losses (one in OT) came after the trade deadline, you know when the Bruins acquired Taylor Hall.

In those last three games, the Bruins are 3-0-0 and hold a +7 goal differential against the New York Islanders. So recently, the B’s have been pretty darn good against the Isles.

In fact, since the Islanders acquired Taylor Hall at the deadline, the Bruins have gone 12-4-1 and outscored their opponents with a +31 goal differential. They’re averaging +1.8 goals-for per game. The Bruins have been on a tear since they acquired the former Hart Trophy winner.

Playoffs

On their way to the second round, the Bruins eliminated the second-place Washington Capitals in five games. Two of the Bruins wins were in overtime, including a 3-2 Game 3 win that went to double OT.

It was a feisty series with a ton of penalties handed out. The two sides accumulated 118 penalty minutes in five games. The Bruins accounted for over half of those with 56 penalty minutes.

In six games between the Isles and Penguins, a total of 92 minutes were handed out. The Isles had 42 of those.

The Bruins will have been off nearly a week from their last game before they face the Islanders on the 29th. That could be an advantage for the Islanders who’ll only have three days off or so before Game 1.

Individuals to Watch

Tuukka Rask

The Finnish veteran netminder has been downright elite when facing the Islanders this season. He’s averaged a 1.86 GAA and 0.925SV%. His career numbers against the Isles aren’t any more encouraging.

In 29 games against the Isles, he holds a 19-7-1 record with a 0.936SV% and 1.88GAA. The Isles will have to step up their game because they won’t have the same advantage of playing against Tristan Jarry.

David Krejci

The acquisition of Taylor Hall has brought the Bruins second-line center new life. In the 35 games before Hall, Krejci had a respectable 23 points. Since Hall, Krejci has 21 points in 16 games.

With Hall, the Bruins now have a lethal top-six that’s absolutely clicking.

Second-Round Schedule

Oddly we know when Game 1 will be, but we have no idea what the rest of the schedule looks like.

Game 1 will go down at 8 PM in Boston this Saturday.

I assume we’ll know the rest of the second-round schedule soon enough.