Rask makes 25 saves, Bruins shut out Islanders

UNIONDALE, N.Y.-- Tuukka Rask made 25 saves and the Boston Bruins got their 10th straight win playing at the New York Islanders, 4-0 at Nassau Coliseum on Saturday.

Charlie McAvoy, native of Long Beach, New York, had a goal and two assists for the Bruins (41-13-12), who haven't lost to the Islanders on the road since New York won 3-1 at the Coliseum on Nov. 2, 2013.
"He's a Long Island boy, so coming home he was probably a little more excited to play, and good for him," Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said of McAvoy.
Boston leads the Atlantic Division by seven points over the Tampa Bay Lightning. The teams play Tuesday.
WATCH: [All Bruins vs. Islanders highlights]
Semyon Varlamov made 25 saves for New York (35-21-8), had their four-game point streak end (2-1-2) and failed to tie the Pittsburgh Penguins for third place in the Metropolitan Division.
The Islanders, who went 0-for-6 on the power play, were shut out for the third time in nine games and fifth time this season.
"When we had our looks, we didn't have second looks," New York forward Anders Lee said. "We did a great job of creating some initial shots; it's that second opportunity that we just didn't find tonight on some of the power plays, and then a couple of others we had nothing going. The ones we did have going, we just didn't have that secondary opportunity to put it in."
David Pastrnak's NHL-leading 47th goal gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead at 4:30 of the first period.

Matt Grzelcyk made it 2-0 at 13:10 of the first when his shot from the left point went off Islanders defenseman Johnny Boychuk in the slot.
"We want to start on time; I think that's been a trademark of this team for a few years now," Cassidy said. " … Especially on the road, if you can sort of set the tempo and put them on their heels, it's an advantage."
Boston outshot New York 12-4 in the second period.
"They don't give up much," Lee said. "They're smart with the puck, so most of the time we have to go 200 feet. There's not a lot of turnovers in their game. We can take a page out of their book and play a little bit more like that, that's for sure."
Rask preserved his fourth shutout with a left-pad save against Jordan Eberle at 2:38 of the third period.
Brad Marchand put a wraparound between Varlamov's skates at 11:06 of the third to make it 3-0. The forward has a nine-game point streak (four goals, 10 assists).

McAvoy scored on a one-timer for a power-play goal with 3:34 remaining for the 4-0 final.
The Bruins lead the NHL with 94 points. The Islanders lost 3-2 in overtime to the St. Louis Blues, who are second in the League with 86 points, on Thursday.
"We didn't have all our men on board, some guys played a little less than they needed to, and you can't do that against these teams," New York coach Barry Trotz said. "They don't beat themselves. … We don't play through people, and that's not how you win this time of year and that's not how you win championships. … But we're not that far off."

They said it

"When you play solid defensively, you get more chances offensively not only for us, but for the forwards. You get the puck in the right spot and you push it up to the forwards, and then you're able to be the second wave of attack. I think we all just focused on our end of the ice first and we were lucky to contribute on the other end." -- Bruins defenseman Torey Krug
"They have a good team. I think the biggest thing is you dig yourself into a hole, it's hard to get out of. They shut it down, they had sticks through the middle. They have a really good team. I think our last two games have probably been against the two of the best teams. I think it's good for us. The silver lining is that we see what it takes. They're ready for playoffs and they're pretty much in already, so we see what it takes and we've got to get to that level." -- Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield

Need to know

The Islanders announced they will play all home games in the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and all home games next season, at the Coliseum. They're scheduled to move into a new arena at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York for 2021-22. … Islanders forward Cal Clutterbuck played 10:08 in his first game since Dec. 19, when his left wrist was cut by the skate blade of Bruins center Patrice Bergeron at TD Garden. … New York is 23-9-2 with Clutterbuck and 12-12-6 without him. … Islanders defenseman Andy Greene returned after missing one game with an undisclosed injury. … New York retired center Butch Goring's No. 91 before the game. … Pastrnak, who was plus-3, has nine points (five goals, four assists) in his past six games.

What's next

Bruins: At the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday (7:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN, SNE, SNO, SNP, TVAS, NHL.TV)
Islanders: Host the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday (Barclays Center, 7 p.m. ET; MSG+, TSN2, RDS, NHL.TV)