Bruins vs Islanders: Tuukka Time vs Johnny Rockets

Just the Facts:

Game Time: 7:00 PM, TD Garden.

TV Broadcast: NESN.

Radio Broadcast: 98.5 The Sports Hub

Rival SB Nation Site: Lighthouse Hockey

Season Record: Bruins: 4-4-0, 5th in Atlantic Division | Islanders 4-2-0, 2nd in Metropolitan Division (I know...what?)

Islanders Lines:

Cory Conacher - John Tavares - Kyle Okposo

Nikolai Kulemin - Brock Nelson - Cal Clutterbuck

Josh Bailey - Frans Nielsen - Ryan Strome

Matt Martin - Casey Cizikas - Colin McDonald

Nick Leddy - Johnny Boychuk

Thomas Hickey - Travis Hamonic

Calvin de Haan - Brian Strait

Goaltenders: Chad Johnson (hi), Jaroslav Halak

IR: Mikhail Grabovski

Bruins Lines:

Milan Lucic - David Krejci - Seth Griffith

Brad Marchand - Patrice Bergeron - Reilly Smith

Chris Kelly - Carl Soderberg - Loui Eriksson

Daniel Paille - Gregory Campbell - Simon Gagne

Zdeno Chara - Dougie Hamilton

Dennis Seidenberg - Torey Krug

Adam McQuaid - Matt Bartkowski

IR: Kevan Miller

Goaltenders: Tuukka Rask, Niklas Svedberg

Game Notes:

A 5-3 victory over the Sharks and I can finally exhale. Bruins hockey is back. What we saw Tuesday night wasn't a sloppy win or a win against the Sabres. The Bruins decisively defeated the San Jose Sharks, number 3 in the Pacific Division. Power plays were working, Tuukka Rask was starting to actually resemble Tuukka Rask (in the last 5 minutes, at least). Even if the Islanders were at full strength, I'd feel confident about the Bruins tonight.

Despite losing their last two games, the Islanders are good this year. Seriously, this is not a drill. With Grabovski on IR for "concussion-like symptoms," though, they've had to mess around with the lines. He's still out tonight so we can expect altered lines that may not mesh well together. But really...the Islanders are good this year.

It's obvious that Johnny Boychuk is a huge contributor to Islanders success, tallying six points so far. Although he gets to play defensive star for the Islanders, he realizes how hard his return to Boston will be. "[Expletive]," he said, staring into space for a moment before continuing. I'm also saying an expletive, staring into space for a moment before continuing.

You should be excited about Seth Griffith's first goal. Our rookie is finding his place as a Bruin. After stressful trades and transactions, a solid win against a damn good team is restoring some optimism. I expect productive offense and the Bruins defense we know tonight.

NEVER FORGET:

Is 10 am too early for Tequila shots? I'll take five.

Last Game in Fancy Stats:

Prevailing late in the game? The Boston Bruins? Never.