National Hockey League
NY Islanders 4, Boston 3
When: 7:00 PM ET, Thursday, March 25, 2021
Where: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Referees: Tom Chmielewski, Wes McCauley
Linesmen: Ryan Daisy, Matt MacPherson
Attendance: 2191

Anthony Beauvillier scored 21 seconds into overtime to cap a frantic final few minutes of action Thursday night as the visiting New York Islanders overcame a two-goal first-period deficit to edge the Boston Bruins, 4-3.

Bruins goalie Jaroslav Halak deflected a slapshot from Nick Leddy, but the puck bounced into the crease and Halak could not recover before Beauvillier swooped in and tucked home the rebound.

It was the second straight overtime game-winner for Beauvillier, who scored in the extra session Monday to lift the Islanders to a 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored in the second, Josh Bailey collected the game-tying goal in the third and Oliver Wahlstrom gave the Islanders a brief lead by scoring with 2:56 left in the third as New York won its third straight and for the 12th time in 14 games (12-2-0).

Goalie Semyon Varlamov recorded 29 saves.

Karson Kuhlman and Steven Kampfer each scored their first goals of the season in the first period for the Bruins and Anders Bjork forced overtime by scoring 54 seconds after Wahlstrom for the Bruins, who hadn't played since March 18 due to coronavirus protocols.

Halak made 17 saves after replacing starter Tuukka Rask following the first period. Rask, who missed the previous six games with an undisclosed injury, made six saves.

Kuhlman scored his first goal since Feb. 4, 2020, when his odd angle shot sailed past Varlamov, who was screened by Leddy and Scott Mayfield as well as Boston's Charlie Coyle, with 7:18 left in the first.

Kampfer scored with three seconds left on the power play to extend the Bruins' lead to 2-0 with 2:25 left in the opening period. The goal was the first for Kampfer since March 23, 2019.

The Islanders killed off a four-minute penalty assessed to Mayfield for high sticking early in the second. He leaped off the bench and accidentally helped cut the lead in half. A pass from Leo Komarov glanced off Mayfield's skate and to a rushing Pageau, who scored at the 7:21 mark.

Bailey tied the score 4:33 into the third before Wahlstrom backhanded a point-blank shot past Halak with 2:56 left. But Bjork quickly tied the game by swooping past Casey Cizikas and beating Varlamov with another close-range shot.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
NY Islanders   Boston
Jean-Gabriel Pageau 3 Points Anders Bjork 2
Jean-Gabriel Pageau 1 Goals Anders Bjork 1
Jean-Gabriel Pageau 2 Assists Charlie McAvoy 2
N/A Power Play Goals Steven Kampfer 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Semyon Varlamov .906 Save Percentage Tuukka Rask 1.000
Semyon Varlamov 29 Saves Jaroslav Halak 17
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
NY Islanders 27 4 0-1 3-4 8 28
Boston 32 3 1-4 1-1 2 35
Upcoming Games
  • Boston will play their next game at home against Buffalo. The Bruins have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .583 after a loss.
  • NY Islanders will play their next game on the road against Pittsburgh. The Islanders have a W/L % of .714 after a win and .500 after a loss.