BOSTON — For the second time in four days, the Islanders had a two-goal lead and looked in control of a game on the road.

And for the second time in four games, they failed to walk out of the building with two points in hand.

This time, with the Bruins coming off a blowout loss the night before, after which their coach questioned the team’s buy-in, was all the more inexcusable as the Islanders frittered away a strong start to lose 5-2 to the Bruins at TD Garden, going 0-for-5 on the power plays in the process.

Sean Kuraly celebrates after his second-period goal during the Bruins’ 5-2 win over the Islanders on Oct. 28, 2025. NHLI via Getty Images

“It’s early, but you can’t let that linger,” Ryan Pulock said, choosing his words carefully after being asked whether he had bigger-picture concerns over the past two games. “Because it gets late fast.

“So, look, I think there’s been good things in the last couple games. Tonight I thought there was some really good things, and then there’s little areas we have to clean up that are costing us. This group in here is confident and we know we’re fine. But we just have to look at it, talk about it, figure it out and get back to work.”

The Islanders had every chance to grab hold of the game for a second time with the Bruins leading 3-2, including a double-minor high-sticking penalty on Hampus Lindholm at the end of the second.

After having scored on a delayed penalty early in the game, though, the Islanders could come up with nothing on the four-minute power play that spanned either side of the second period. In fact, they came up with nothing at all over 10 minutes total at five-on-four, including two more power plays in the third period on which they desperately needed a goal.

“We had enough power plays to put in more than we did, that’s for sure,” captain Anders Lee told The Post. “No doubt about it. Power play’s gotta be better than that.”

The Bruins could say no such thing. When Adam Pelech slashed Nikita Zadorov at 4:51 of the third, Morgan Geekie made the Islanders pay with a one-time blast from atop the left circle, extending the lead to 4-2.

Emil Heineman (51), left wing Jonathan Drouin (29), center Bo Horvat (14) and defenseman Matthew Schaefer (48) celebrate a goal make by Horvat during the first period of the Islanders’ loss to the Bruins. AP

That made it the fifth time in seven starts this season that Ilya Sorokin has given up four goals, with the netminder stopping 17-of-21 shots on Tuesday.

Sorokin, though, did not hold much of the fault for this one. That fell mostly on the power play and on the Islanders taking their foot off the gas after leading 2-0.

The Islanders dominated the first 20 minutes, looking every bit the superior team, then came out flat in the second, and never fully regained momentum.

They took two consecutive penalties in the opening minutes of the second, with Elias Lindholm scoring on the second of those to cut a 2-0 lead in half.

Less than three minutes later, it was erased altogether when David Pastrnak beat Ilya Sorokin as the Islanders futzed around defensively.

Another minute later and the Bruins led 3-2 after Charlie McAvoy threw a puck at the net, which ricocheted off Mikey Eyssimont and in.

Viktor Arvidsson tries to deflect a shot on Ilya Sorokin during the second period of the Islanders’ loss to the Bruins. Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

“I see it as a learning process,” said coach Patrick Roy, who called timeout after Eyssimont’s goal. “I’m not saying we changed our game, but the two penalties at the start of the second gave them some life and some momentum.”

The Islanders, so precise in their breakouts and so good on the dirty areas in the opening period, when Bo Horvat and Kyle Palmieri had both scored within the game’s first five minutes, were suddenly struggling to manage the puck and to get past the red line.

Just like in Philadelphia, where they coughed up leads of 2-0 and 3-2 before losing in a shootout, it would cost them here in Boston.

Marshall Warren (left) and Tanner Jean fight during the first period of the Islanders’ loss to the Bruins. Getty Images

And, encouraging as the past couple of weeks have been for the Islanders — fun as it has been to watch them — these are the dropped points that haunt a team at the end of the season.

The Islanders, or at least those Islanders who have been around for the past few seasons, are well familiar with that.

“I think if you want to win on the road, you can’t take those penalties,” Roy said. “I think that gave them life and at the same time, hurt us.”