Two goals from Bruins winger Alex Steeves, along with a career-high 44 saves from Jeremy Swayman, allowed the Bruins to salvage a four-game road swing Wednesday night by way of a 3-1 final over the Islanders.
The win was Boston’s third in as many head-to-heads with the Isles this season, giving the B’s a season sweep over New York for the first time since 2022-23, and the fifth time in the last 11 seasons overall.
Down 1-0 behind a Mat Barzal goal at the 4:41 mark of the first period, Steeves and the Bruins responded just 1:42 later on what was Boston’s first shot of the evening against Islanders netminder Ilya Sorokin.
Even at 1-1 through 20 minutes, the Bruins jumped out to a 2-1 lead behind a top-shelf snipe from winger Tanner Jeannot at the 43-second mark of the second period. The goal was Jeannot’s third of the season, and his first since the game-opening tally in a loss to the Golden Knights back on Oct. 16.
The Bruins then doubled their lead in the third period behind a Steeves shorthanded marker, while Swayman finished strong with a perfect 23-for-23 line in the Boston crease in the third period. The 44-save performance was Swayman’s first 40+ save performance since last January against the Panthers, and continued what’s been a strong run for Swayman since absorbing that ugly beatdown from the Senators back in Ottawa.
The Bruins did suffer an in-game loss in this one, though, with Matej Bliumel suffering a lower-body injury on the shift that ended with the Barzal goal.
Up next, the Bruins will host the Black Friday matinee at TD Garden against the Rangers. It will be the first game of a back-to-back at home ice that’ll see the Red Wings come to town the very night night.