Bruins vs. Islanders Preview: TV/Radio Info, Time, Location And More
Event: Boston Bruins at New York Islanders
Date/Time: Saturday, November 18, 2011 - 7 p.m. EDT.
Location: Nassau Coliseum (Capacity: 16,250), Uniondale, NY.
Broadcast Info: Saturday's game between the Bruins and Islanders will be broadcast live on NESN. The game can also be heard on the 98.5 the Sports Hub Radio Network, with Dave Goucher providing play-by-play, and Bob Beers providing analysis.
Last Time Out: The Bruins played the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday in a game that many considered would be a blow out. Instead the B’s barely came out with a victory that game, and it had to go to a shootout for it to happen. The offense was completely shutdown during the game, and Bruins defenseman Adam McQuaid was the only member of the Black and Gold to put up a goal in regulation.
Rich Peverley and David Krejci scored in the shootout and Tuukka Rask put up two saves against Rick Nash and Antoine Vermette to earn his third straight win of the season.
Meanwhile, the Islanders are looking for two straight wins after their tight 4-3 win against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday. Four different goal scorers contributed for the Islanders in that game, including some of the least expected. All four of New York’s goals came in the second period, and they managed to hold on to the lead for the rest of the game. PA Parenteau, Jay Pandolfo, Mark Streit and Matt Moulson each scored within that second frame.
Storyline: The last time these two teams met, both were tied for last place in the Eastern Conference. 11 days later, and the Bruins now sit in 9th and have seven points on the Islanders.
However, the Bruins just finished off a lengthy home stretch, and now will face a three-game road trip before they come home again next Friday. But until then, they will face the Islanders, Canadiens and Sabres--all teams they have faced already this season.
But, Saturday will be a test of endurance. Head coach Claude Julien said his team looked "tired" in Thursday night’s game against another struggling team. But as he mentioned, and Krejci reaffirmed, it’s dangerous going against a struggling team, especially when your team is doing well because they have nothing to lose going into the game.
The Islanders called up goaltender Anders Nilsson from the AHL today due to Evgeni Nabokov suffering a groin injury against the Canadiens. Al Montoya also remains day-to-day with a strained hamstring. However, they will be starting Rick DiPietro tonight.
Players To Watch: Tyler Seguin has cooled down a bit, going without a point in his last two games. In fact, the entire first line hasn’t had a point since the Sabres game last Saturday. Though the Bruins have taken two wins since that game, you can expect that they will try to create some noise tonight, especially with DiPietro in net. DiPietro did earn a win last game against the Canadiens.
Though it’s not definite who will be playing in goal tonight for the Bruins, it will be important to watch them. Boston has a couple of big games coming up this week, including away at Montreal, away at Buffalo and then home against Detroit and Winnipeg. Deciding who will play what game is going to be like an art form. You definitely want to put the right matchups up against each other.
Prediction: Bruins have shown that they can win in blowouts and in one goal games. I think they know what it takes, and I don’t think their winning streak will fall against this team. Final Score: Bruins 4, Islanders 2.