Recap: Bruins sweep season-series against Islanders with 6-2 win

The Boston Bruins saw a full team effort tonight as they topped the New York Islanders, 6-2, tonight at the TD Garden and swept their season series against them.

The B’s depth was on full display with contributions coming from secondary scoring, the power play and defense stepping up.

“We always talk about our depth,” Patrice Bergeron told SCOC. “It’s a good example tonight where I thought every line was contributing and playing well.”

Jake DeBrusk registered a goal and assist in his first game since Jan. 2.

Linus Ullmark made 26 saves, earning his 28th win this season.

Here are the highlights. Bergeron’s full comments to SCOC can be found in Game Notes.

First period:

The Bruins opened the scoring at 2:19 of the first period on the power play.

Brad Marchand found DeBrusk skating towards the top of the paint where he put a backhander through Semyon Varlamov’s five-hole. 1-0 Bruins.

The Bruins took a two-goal lead at 9:15 of the first period.

After great work by A.J. Greer along the end boards, he won the puck loose to Nick Foligno who sent a pass to Derek Forbort. The defenseman gave a pass back to Foligno at the top of the left-wing circle where he fired a shot past Varlamov’s glove. 2-0 Bruins.

The Bruins extended their lead at 17:19 of the first period.

Foligno hit McAvoy with a pass that he one-timed towards net that Trent Frederic tipped top-shelf over Varlamov’s glove. 3-0 Bruins.

Second period:

The Islanders cut into their deficit at 6:46 of the second period.

Anders Lee found Kyle Palmieri unmanned as he’s crashing the net to slide a low shot past Ullmark. 3-1 game.

The Bruins regained their three-goal cushion at 8:17 of the second period during 4-on-4 hockey.

McAvoy first tried a close shot on Varlamov. The rebound came out to DeBrusk whose wrist shot bounced off the end boards. Bergeron headed to the goal line to pick up the rebound, tapping the puck out of the air and past Varlamov. 4-1 Bruins.

The Bruins further extended their lead at 11:30 of the second period.

Frederic entered the offensive zone and let a long snap shot rip from the high slot that traveled past Varlamov’s glove for his second goal of the night. 5-1 Bruins.

The Bruins cushioned their lead at 18:31 of the second period.

Charlie Coyle sent Pavel Zacha a pass that he collected from his skates to throw a wrist shot on net that hit off Ryan Pulock’s stick and into the back of the net. 6-1 Bruins.

Third period:

The Islanders added a goal at 13:42 of the third period.

Matt Martin picked up the rebound out front from Pulock’s shot to put one past Ullmark. Final score: 6-2 Bruins.

Game notes

• Bergeron reached the threshold of 20 goals in a season for the 10th consecutive season and 14th time in his career.
• SCOC asked Bergeron after the game about the importance of seeing contributions throughout the lineup, on a night that saw 11 different players — forwards and defensemen— register at least a point and each line impacted the game.
• Bergeron told SCOC: “It’s great. We always talk about our depth. It’s a good example tonight where I thought every line was contributing and playing well. Defensively the same thing, chipping in on offense by the defense, but also closing quickly and giving us the puck back on the attack right away and the transition game so it’s great to have. It’s what you want as a team, to make sure everyone is involved and playing at the top of their game and to their capability so it was great to see.”
• The Bruins’ depth saw the return of DeBrusk tonight. He had been out since injuring himself during the Winter Classic on Jan. 2. In his return, he helped get the team off to a strong and quick start, netting the first goal of the game 2:19 into the first period.
• The goal also came on the power play. DeBrusk’s presence was felt on special teams, not only because of the goal, but how he got the puck moving along with the first unit. Although they only scored once on three power-play attempts, they had better opportunities out front than in recent games.
• It was a big game for secondary scoring and multi-point nights from four players. Trent Frederic, Foligno, McAvoy — and DeBrusk — had two points apiece.
• Tonight was Frederic’s third two-goal game this season. Head Coach Jim Montgomery praised his confidence to make the play on his second goal. Montgomery said he showed great poise and the ability to use a screen out front to his advantage.
• While the Bruins decisively beat the Islanders, New York edged them out, 28-27, in the shot count. It didn’t seem like it, since it was a Bruins’ heavy offensive, but the the Islanders actually outshot the Bruins during the second and third periods. The Bruins only had three shots on net through about 14 minutes of play in the second period. But out of those three shots, two were goals.