Teammates surround Casey Cizikas after he scored the winning goal for the Islandersl in overtime of Game 2 against the Boston Bruins on Monday in Boston to tie the series, 1-1. Winslow Townson/Associated Press
Boston defenseman Jeremy Lauzon was at the heart of three plays that changed the game when the New York Islanders tied their best-of-seven series with the Bruins with a 4-3 win in overtime on Monday night.
The first was wrong place, wrong time on the Islanders’ first goal when Josh Bailey’s shot from the sideboard caromed off his leg and into the net to make it 1-1. But with Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask pulled too far to his right, less than two minutes into overtime, Lauzon stopped Bailey’s shot, likely keeping the game alive.
Then with 5:12 left in the first overtime, Lauzon didn’t look when he tried to send a pass across the point. It caromed off Charlie Coyle’s skates right to Casey Cizikas, who took off on a clear breakaway and scored the winning goal.
“We made a play that was ill-advised,” Bruins Coach Bruce Cassidy said. “(Lauzon’s) partner wasn’t there. He has to look. Any time you have the puck you have to survey the ice. … That’s one that had to go back down the wall or toward the net. At the end of the day you learn from it.”
Marchand said nobody was pointing fingers after the game.
“He’s a great player. He competes very hard,” Marchand said. “We all make mistakes. We’ve all been there. It’s tough when it happens to you, but it’s 1-1. It’s not the end of the world. We’re going to bounce back.”
Boston goaltender Tuukka Rask, who makes a save against New York’s Leo Komarov during Game 2, has been dealing with nagging injuries, according to his coach, but should be ready for Game 3 on Thursday. Winslow Townson/Associated Press
CASSIDY ACKNOWLEDGED that Rask isn’t 100 percent healthy.
Cassidy also doesn’t expect it to affect his Rask’s ability to play as the Bruins and Islanders prepare to shift the best-of-seven series to Long Island for Game 3 on Thursday. The Islanders tied the series, 1-1, with a 4-3 win in overtime on Monday night.
“He’s been dealing with some injuries all year. He’s obviously good enough to play. They’re nagging. Not unique to just Tuukka,” Cassidy said. “I’ll have a better update on if there’s going to be an issue down the road, but right now he’ll go in and get his treatment and be ready to go … unless I hear differently. Right now I don’t believe there’s any reason to think he won’t be able to go Thursday.”
In Monday’s overtime loss, Rask allowed four goals, the most he’s given up in the postseason this year, but Cassidy pointed to factors beyond his goalie’s health.
“They did a better job getting to the front of the net and crashing the top of his crease. The second goal was a good example of that. That’s playoff hockey. That’s on us. We need to do a better job boxing out to let him see those pucks and freeze those pucks. But that’s something goalies deal with as you get farther along in the season,” said Cassidy, who circled back to Rask’s health. “As far as his injury goes I don’t believe they’ll be anything to worry about, but if there is, obviously we’ll have to sort through that.”
Rask, who made 13 saves in the third period and eight in overtime, acknowledged himself that he’s battling through aches and pains last week.
“Game feels good. Health is OK,” the 34-year-old goalie said in a radio interview Friday. “I’ve been playing. It’s not as good as I want it to be, but I’m out there. That’s all that matters.”
Rask has a 2.06 GAA and a .930 save percentage in seven playoff games, are both are better than his overall (2.27/.921) and postseason (2.19/.926) career marks. Rask, who has been largely durable throughout his career, was out with an undisclosed injury from March 7 to March 25. He returned for one period, but left with discomfort after not giving up a goal. He didn’t play again until April 15.
THROUGHOUT THE regular season and into the playoffs, the Bruins have been among the most reliable penalty-killing teams in the NHL, erasing 6 of 7 opponent man advantages in the first six playoff games (83.3 percent) after finishing at 86.0 percent in the regular season, second-best in the NHL.
But the Islanders had two of their three second-period goals on the power play Monday night as the Bruins’ looked more vulnerable than normal.
“They got a couple lucky bounces early in the game on special teams and it changes the momentum,” said Marchand.
The Islanders were just 20th in the league in regular-season power-play percentage. But they’ve scored six times on 22 chances in postseason.
KARSON KUHLMAN, who stepped in the Bruins’ reshuffled lineup with Craig Smith out, had an assist but was minus-1 in the game. He played on the third line with Coyle and Nick Ritchie and played 12 minutes, 51 seconds, all at even strength.
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