Recap: Rask, Donato’s deke lead Bruins to 2-1 win over the Islanders

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After an unusual 8:08 puck drop following the Rick Middleton retirement ceremony, the Bruins came out flying, posting 5 of the first 6 shots on goal.

However, the Islanders regained traction, drawing a penalty and scoring on the delayed call. 1-0 Islanders.

The Islanders held the lead going into the locker room. Midway through the second frame, the Bruins drew a penalty of their own as David Backes went down due to a high stick from the Islanders’ Nick Leddy.

David Pastrnak connected with Brad Marchand to tie the game up. 1-1 tie.

That would be all the scoring we saw in regulation. In overtime, Tuukka Rask was immense, stopping breakaways from Jordan Eberle and Mat Barzal.

Rask would also stop all of the Islanders’ shots in the shootout, but he was matched at the other end by Robin Lehner until the recent call-up came calling.

Bruins win! 2-1 final.

Quick thoughts

• This was a weird game. It seemed like each team had a stretch where it dominated, whether that domination was with physicality or speed. When it looked like one team was going to run over the other, the roles reversed.
• The Islanders were noticeably trying to play a heavy game, which makes sense when your coach is Barry Trotz. They took the body at every opportunity, but the Bruins appeared to be up for the challenge.
• Poor Jake DeBrusk took a beating tonight. He crashed into the boards twice, took a big hit and ended up face-down in his own crease in overtime. He hung in there, however, and played a decent overall game.
• It’s too early to say Tuukka Rask is “back,” but he’s certainly well on his way. Rask has looked rock-solid since returning from his leave of absence, and is pretty much the only reason the Bruins even had a chance to earn a point tonight. The overtime stops on Eberle and Barzal were the big saves that certain segments of the fanbase say he never makes, which should go a long way toward boosting his confidence. No, a November game against the Islanders isn’t a spring game in Toronto, but it’s a start.
• Speaking of taking a beating, I don’t know how David Backes keeps playing. The poor guy seems to be limping or bloodied every other game, as he took a stick to the face in tonight’s game. The points haven’t been there, but there’s certainly no denying his effort.
• Hard to argue with the waved-off Islanders goal in overtime. One could try to claim that DeBrusk’s trip is what led the Islander to fly into Rask, but that’d be dubious at best. When an opposing player is flying into the top corner at the same time as the puck, it’s hard to count that as a goal.

The Bruins are back at it at home on Saturday night against Detroit.