5 Takeaways: Islanders Fall to Bruins 5-2 in Game 1

The New York Islanders dropped their second round series opener on Saturday night, as they fell 5-2 to the Boston Bruins in front of 17,400 fans at TD Garden.
David Pastrnak was the difference, as he scored a hat trick for the Bruins, who took a 1-0 series lead and snapped the Islanders three-game winning streak in the process. Anthony Beauvillier and Adam Pelech scored for the Islanders, while Charlie McAvoy was credited with the game-winning goal and Taylor Hall sealed it with an empty-netter. Ilya Sorokin stopped 35 of 39 in the loss, while Tuukka Rask turned aside 20 of 22 in the win.

"The further you're going to go in the playoffs, the harder the games are going to get and the harder it will be to win," Beauvillier said. "They obviously have a lot of firepower up front… It's going to be our job to defend better and create more offense."
Here are five takeaways from a full house in Boston.

ISLES OUTSHOT BY BRUINS:

The Islanders were expecting a stiff challenge in the Bruins and they got it in Game 1.
Buoyed by a boisterous crowd, the Bruins were aggressive from the drop of the puck, outshooting the Islanders by a two-to-one margin for most of the night, though the Islanders felt the quality was relatively even, if quantity was not.
"We're not too worried about that. I know it looks like a big number, but through the first two periods it felt like scoring chances were pretty equal, pretty even or close," Andy Greene said. "They are a volume-shooting team, they shoot from a lot of bad angles and try to create havoc, and traffic in front. It's something we can do a bit better, but we're not too concerned about it."
ISLES-BRUINS GAME 1
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Beauvillier's PPG
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Postgame: Greene and Leddy
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Postgame: Trotz
KINGER'S CALLS
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Pelech's Clapper
The Islanders were able to use their power play to take a 1-0 lead and briefly tilt the momentum in the first period, with Beauvillier deflecting a Noah Dobson point shot in the high slot through a screen and Rask at 11:48. The goal extended Beauvillier's point streak to five games (4G, 3A).
The Bruins, who outshot the Islanders 18-8 in the opening period, got it back before the end of the frame on their first power-play opportunity. David Krejci's shot caromed out to Pastrnak who was patient enough to not put it back on net immediately, but took a few strides towards the slot and beat Sorokin with 24 seconds to play in the period.
The shot discrepancy continued in the second period, as the Bruins worked towards a 12-4 shot advantage and a 23-5 shot attempt edge. Pastrnak scored his second of the game in similar fashion, finding a soft area and scooping a Patrice Bergeron rebound off Sorokin's pad at 11:08.
The Islanders were able to answer quickly, as Pelech blasted his first of the playoffs past Rask from the point at 12:34. Pelech's goal saved a good sequence for the Islanders, as Mathew Barzal couldn't connect with a Leo Komarov cross-ice feed on the preceding play.
While Pelech's goal tied the score 2-2, it was also the Islanders final shot of the period, as they didn't put another puck on net for the remaining 7:26, and were outshot 30-12 after 40 minutes.

BRUINS BREAK AWAY WITH THREE-GOAL THIRD:

Despite the skewed shot clock, the Islanders found themselves in a 2-2 tie heading into the third period. While the shot totals in the period were an even 10-10, Boston pulled away with three tallies to take a series lead.
"I didn't think we were that bad in the third, they just had a couple of opportunities and capitalized on them," Greene said. "We just have to create a bit more there… It looks a little lopsided on the scoresheet, but I don't think it was as bad as it looks."
The Islanders had a golden opportunity to pull ahead with Boston taking a too many men penalty early in the third, but could not convert. After a dicey sequence in the Islanders' zone to end the power play, Boston rode the momentum of a successful penalty kill, scoring 18 seconds after the Islanders power play expired.
On the winning goal, the Bruins worked the puck loose deep in the Islanders zone and fed McAvoy at the point and the defenseman beat Sorokin through traffic at 6:20. That seemed to jolt the Islanders, who had a grade-A look from Kyle Palmieri in the slot, but the winger put his chance over the net.
Pastrnak delivered the dagger with 4:10 remaining, making a nice move around Josh Bailey before putting his third of the night through a screen and Sorokin. Hall iced the game with an empty-netter on the power play at 18:35, giving Boston a 2-for-2 man advantage on the evening.
As disappointing as the result was, the Islanders turned the focus to Game 2 immediately after the game.
"The playoffs comes down to a chip-in, or a shot, but you just have to stay on top of them and play the way that we know got us here, execute when we can," Jordan Eberle said. "We're a veteran team, we're going to regroup from this and get ready for Game 2."

PERFECTION LINE PROVES TO BE A HANDFUL:

Pastrnak's hat trick was the exclamation point on the night, but the Perfection Line of Brad Marchand, Bergeron Pastrnak lived up to its billing in Game 1.
The line combined for six points (3G, 3A) and 19 shots on goal in series opener. Bergeron assisted on Pastrnak's first two goals, while the trio all came together on Pastrnak's second. Bergeron had a game-high eight shots on goal, while Pastrnak was second with seven.
Containing the line will be a top priority when the teams meet again on Monday.
"We've got to challenge them a little bit more," Head Coach Barry Trotz said. "We backed off. They're going to make plays through you. We've to tighten up there and we need more from our lines. I really felt that I only had probably one line that was on top of their game. The other lines had spurts. We're going to have to be - right through our whole lineup - we're going to have to be much better."

CAPACITY CROWD IN BOSTON:

Saturday marked the largest crowd the Islanders had played in front of since March 10, 2020, with 17,400 Bruins fans hooting, hollering and waving towels.
TD Garden was hostile, the type of atmosphere seen in Nassau Coliseum during the First Round, just not in the Islanders favor. One long delay for hat throwing aside, the Islanders didn't seem to be fazed by the noise, though Trotz did speculate that for the Bruins aggressive start.
It'll be near-capacity crowds from here on out, as the Coliseum announced plans to welcome in 12,000 fans for the remaining games. Both buildings should be rocking.

CRAIG SMITH LEAVES GAME:

Craig Smith left Game 1 in the second period with a lower-body injury and did not return. Smith is one third of the Bruins' effect second line with Hall and Krejci and has three points (1G, 2A) in six games this postseason.

NEXT GAME:

Game 2 goes on Monday night at 7:30 p.m. Games 3-7 were announced following the Montreal Canadiens-Toronto Maple Leafs game and can be found here.