BOSTON (AP) — Dennis Seidenberg and Gregory Campbell scored in a 78-second span in the second period and the Boston Bruins within two points of the second playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with a 3-2 victory over the New York Islanders on Wednesday night.
The Bruins, who have clinched the Northeast Division title, have 101 points. The Philadelphia Flyers, the Atlantic Division leaders who were idle Wednesday, have 103. Both teams have two regular-season games left.
Boston is streaking at the right time with a 6-2-1 record in its last nine games before finishing at home against Ottawa on Saturday and at New Jersey on Sunday heading into the playoffs.
New York, already eliminated from playoff contention, lost for the fifth time in six games.
Shawn Thornton gave Boston a 1-0 lead with just a tenth of a second left in the first period. Campbell passed from the right corner of the crease to Thornton, who lifted his career-high 10th goal of the season over Rick DiPietro from the left side of the crease.
The Islanders tied it just over a minute after Bruins goalie Tim Thomas stopped three shots from close range in a 5-second span. Michael Grabner scored on a power play with 3:24 gone in the second with his 32nd goal, breaking a tie with Logan Couture of San Jose for most by a rookie this season.
But Boston soon took a 3-1 lead on those two goals just over a minute apart.
Seidenberg got the first, his seventh of the season, on a blast from the right point that went through a crowd in front of DiPietro at 7:51 of the second. Then Campbell scored his 13th at 9:09 when he came up with a loose puck just to DiPietro’s left and stuffed it in the narrow gap between the goalie’s left pad and the post.
Grabner cut it to 3-2 with a short-handed goal at 14:28. Josh Bailey passed the puck from his own left corner to Grabner near the red line. He collected it a couple of strides ahead of Tomas Kaberle and broke in alone to the right of Thomas. He then shifted to the goalie’s left and scored his 33rd goal.
Notes: Thornton missed the previous three games after sustaining a 40-stitch gash in his face when he was cut by a skate. … The Islanders lead the NHL with 15 short-handed goals, an NHL-high seven by Frans Nielsen and six by Grabner. … Campbell’s goal was the Bruins first of the season in a 4-on-4 situation. Every other team has done that at least once. … Boston’s Mark Recchi played in his 1,651st game, tying Chris Chelios for fourth in NHL history. … Kaberle played his 900th and Bruins forward Nathan Horton his 500th.