National Hockey League
BOXSCORE | RECAP
NY Islanders 5, Boston 3
When: 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Where: TD Banknorth Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Referees: Rob Martell, Brad Meier
Linesmen: Lonnie Cameron, Mark Wheler
Attendance: 17565

Islanders 5, Bruins 3: Captain John Tavares collected two goals and two assists as New York overcame a two-goal deficit to end Boston's eight-game home winning streak.

Frans Nielsen also scored twice while Kyle Okposo netted a tally and set up two others to extend his point streak to seven games. Thomas Vanek notched two assists to increase his point streak to six games, defenseman Andrew MacDonald also set up a pair of scores and Evgeni Nabokov finished with 35 saves for the Islanders, who posted a 3-1 victory over Boston on Nov. 2.

David Krejci scored his 100th career goal to extend his overall point streak to five games and his run at home to nine. Patrice Bergeron and Daniel Paille tallied 25 seconds apart in the second period for the Bruins, who lost in regulation at TD Garden for the first time since a 4-3 setback to New Jersey on Oct. 26 (13-1-2).

After overcoming a three-goal deficit in Sunday's 5-4 victory over Minnesota, New York scored a pair of late goals in the second period to forge a 3-3 tie. Tavares kept the momentum going 32 seconds into the third by wristing a shot from along the end line that caromed off the glove of Tuukka Rask (26 saves) and into the net. The captain provided insurance from the left faceoff circle during a power play with 6:43 remaining in the session.

A pair of quick strikes gave the Bruins a 3-1 lead, but Nielsen trimmed the deficit by cleaning up a loose puck and Okposo knotted it up when his sharp-angle shot deflected in off the skate of Boston's Brad Marchand with three seconds left in the second.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Krejci has collected three goals and three assists during his overall point streak and five and seven, respectively, on his home stretch. ... Bergeron's one-timer from the inner edge of the right circle with 7:27 remaining in the second period gave Boston a 2-1 lead before Paille deflected captain Zdeno Chara's shot from the left point shortly thereafter. ... New York nearly forged a 1-1 tie with 4:35 remaining in the first period, but RW Cal Clutterbuck's apparent goal was denied after officials lost sight of the puck and whistled the play dead.
Top Game Performances
 
NY Islanders   Boston
John Tavares 4 Points Patrice Bergeron 1
John Tavares 2 Goals Patrice Bergeron 1
John Tavares 2 Assists Zdeno Chara 1
Frans Nielsen 2 Power Play Goals Patrice Bergeron 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Evgeni Nabokov .921 Save Percentage Tuukka Rask .839
Evgeni Nabokov 35 Saves Tuukka Rask 26
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
NY Islanders 31 5 4-8 2-3 8 31
Boston 38 3 1-3 4-8 28 42
Upcoming Games
  • Boston will play their next game at home against Nashville. The Bruins have a W/L % of .593 after a win and .769 after a loss.
  • NY Islanders will play their next game at home against Chicago. The Islanders have a W/L % of .231 after a win and .357 after a loss.