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Tonight's Officials
Referees Francis Charron (6), Chris Lee (28)
Linesmen Steve Barton (59), Lonnie Cameron (74)
Ntl. Anthem Amanda Kaletsky
WAYBACK MACHINE
BOSTON vs NEW YORK, LIFETIME SERIES
The Bruins and Islanders are meeting for the 163rd time in their histories with the Bruins having an 83-54-21-4 record and a 551-465 scoring advantage in those games.
The Bruins are 39-30-10-2 in their 81 road games of this lifetime series with a 266-253 scoring edge in those contests.
The Bruins have lost the 1st 2 games of this season’s series with a 4-2 loss in Boston on 12/20 & 4-0 home setback on 1/16 … That followed a 5-game win streak vs. New York & they are now 15-7-1in their last 23 games vs. the Islanders … They have won their last 4 games in New York with their last road loss to the Islanders a 3-1 setback on 11/2/13 & they are 12-2-1 on their last 15 visits to New York.
TONIGHT’S GAME
The Bruins visit the Islanders tonight in the 3rd & final game between these teams and the Bruins’ lone visit this season to Barclays Center … The Bruins are 38-29-6 thus far this season with a 19-14-6 mark on the road … They are 8-9-5 vs. Metropolitan Division opponents and are 24-18-6 vs. Eastern Conference teams this season.
The Bruins are 12-7-0 in the 19 games since Bruce Cassidy was named as interim head coach on 2/7, including season-high 4-game win streaks from 2/9-19 & 3/8-15
They have lost their last 4 games, which is their longest losing stretch since they went 0-3-1 from 1/16-22 & is their longest in regulation since a 5-game stretch from 3/15-24 of last season.
MILESTONES APPROACHING
Colin Miller is playing his 100th NHL game tonight.
Zdeno Chara is 1 point shy of his 600th NHL point.
Drew Stafford is 3 points short of his 400th NHL point.
INJURIES (145 total man-games lost)
Tim Schaller – Lower body injury suffered 3/8 vs DET; Has missed 7 games.
Tuukka Rask - Lower body, day-to-day
https://link.nhl.com/static/gamenotes/public/20162017/[email protected]?1490448969000
Two teams vying for the same thing but going in opposite directions will square off in one of the biggest games of the NHL season Saturday night when the New York Islanders host the Boston Bruins at Barclays Center.
The Islanders and Bruins enter Saturday tied for the second and final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. New York created the deadlock Friday night when it outlasted the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3 in a shootout.
It was the second straight win over a playoff-bound foe by the Islanders, who were three points out of the second wild card entering Wednesday's 3-2 win over the New York Rangers.
"That's four points against two really good teams," interim Islanders coach Doug Weight said on the team's postgame show Friday night. "We've got two more to chase (Saturday)."
The Bruins' chase is becoming increasingly desperate. Boston has lost four straight, including a 6-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday, to fall out of third place in the Atlantic Division and into the wild card free-for-all.
"We all have to look at ourselves in the mirror and we can't point fingers," Bruins center David Krejci told Comcast Sports New England after Thursday's loss. "Everyone has to step up and if every guy is going to do their job, including myself, then the rest will follow, you know?"
The burgeoning collapse is beginning to seem familiar in Boston. The Bruins missed the playoffs after late fades in each of the last two seasons, but defenseman Torey Krug said earlier this week he was confident history would not repeat itself.
"It's a different feeling this year," Krug told Comcast Sports New England on Tuesday. "(A collapse) is not going to happen this year. I know we've got a lot of pride in this room."
The Islanders, meanwhile, are looking to complete a remarkable turnaround -- they were last in the NHL in points through Thanksgiving weekend -- by reaching the playoffs for the third straight season for the first time since qualifying for the postseason from 2002 through 2004.
"They're all big (games) now, but especially when you play a team that's part of the group that's battling for positioning, they're amplified a little bit more," Islanders center John Tavares told reporters Friday night.
Two No. 1 goalies will likely be in net Saturday night. Thomas Greiss, who started 10 of the Islanders' previous 11 games before Jaroslav Halak picked up the win Friday night, should return to the lineup in the second game of a back-to-back set.
Struggling Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask, who has started 11 of the last 13 games and every game in the losing streak, didn't practice Friday. Interim coach Bruce Cassidy said he wouldn't name a starter until Saturday.
The Islanders are looking to complete the series sweep of the Bruins, whom they beat 4-2 on Dec. 20 in Boston and 4-0 on Jan. 16. The latter was the last game coached by Jack Capuano, who was fired a day later and replaced by Weight.
