The Bruins (21-7-8) are 1-4-3 in their past eight games since an eight-game winning streak. They earned a point in the standings after Torey Krug scored from high in the left face-off circle during a 5-on-3 power play to tie it 2-2 at 7:24 of the third period.
"Well, clearly we got to our game in the third [period] in terms of urgency to win puck battles, races, go to the net, put pucks at the net so people to go to the net," Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said. "At the other end, I thought we had a little bit more conviction in front of our net. … We didn't do enough of that in the first and second period, tried to address it at the start of the third and we were good."
Anders Bjork gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead at 1:58 of the first period. Charlie Coyle stripped the puck from Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock in the New York zone and passed it to Bjork, who beat Varlamov with a wrist shot from the left circle.
Boychuk tied it 1-1 with a one-timer from the right point at 3:26 of the second period.
Varlamov preserved the tie, first reaching across the crease to make a glove save near the right post on Bjork's a one-timer at 16:24, then stopping Jake DeBrusk on a breakaway at 17:54.
"To be honest with you, I only had the chance to reach with my glove and then he [shot] right at my glove," Varlamov said of making the save against Bjork. "The net was like wide open. Just one of those days when the puck went into the glove. You shoot like 10 more times, you're probably going to score nine out of 10."
