It was all about the youth and the veterans in Boston, as 40-year-old goalie Dwayne Roloson and young gun teen John Tavares played their hearts out.  Unfortunately, neither of the two wears a Bruins uniform, and the B’s fell 4-1 to the Islanders in another lackluster offensive performance.  The Bruins never held a lead in the game, gaining momentum for just two brief instances.  In the first period, with the B’s already down 1-nil 10:15 into the game, the Bruins’ Shawn Thornton tussled with Tim Jackman of the Isles, eventually knocking him to the ice.  This elicited rioutous applause.  Another penalty gave the Bruins a 5-on-3 chance.  However, they were unable to convert, and they failed to score on any of their power play opportunities in the game.

The second momentum swing came on a Daniel Paille tip-in goal, as the net was dislodged upon impact, 14:56 into the second period.  This goal evened up the score at 1 and livened up the crowd for the final time, really.  Only four minutes later, Matt Moulson scored his second goal of the game, giving the Isles a lead they would never relinquish.  Moulson later scored a phantom third goal, giving him a fake hat trick.  The goal was then awarded to John Tavares, ruining my chance of seeing a hat trick.  Screw you, accurate official scorer!

Tavares is the real story of the Islanders’ season thus far.  He is a bonafide rookie of the year candidate, and it was a treat to see him in action.  He extended his points scored streak to 5, and now has 9 goals and 10 assists just shortly into his rookie year.  On the other end of the spectrum, Roloson dove and stretched like a much younger man, making athletic sprawling saves so often that I continued to go, “Whaaa?!?” (It’s true, it’s in my game notes.  I did it several times.).  He saved 28 in all, taking away the B’s advantage in shots on goal (29-21) by saving, in fact, the vast majority of shots on goal.

On the other hand, Bruins’ goalie Tuukka Rask (that is, P-Bruins legend Tuukka Rask) looked very human.  He didn’t see that many shots, and let a few slip by quickly.  He said after the game that he “wasn’t 100% there tonight.”  I believe him.  At times, however, he looked brilliant, so don’t fret, Bruins fans.  He’ll be OK.  Plus, there’s always the actual starter Tim Thomas to soothe your jangled nerves.

This was a tough one for the Bruins.  Home losses against Eastern Conference teams that you should beat hurt you.  One can only hope the Bruins’ offense picks it up before the return of Marc Savard.  They’ve got Atlanta on the road Thursday; that’s a solid spot for a rebound.

Starting Lines:

Shawn Thornton- LW             Steve Begin- F             Byron Bitz- RW

                                Andrew Ference- D        Mark Stuart- D

G: T. Rask

Interesting Notes from Around the TD Banknorth Garden:

-David Ortiz dropped the first puck.  I later stalked him around the press box trying to get a private interview.  No dice.  Whatever.

-When the Islanders entered, the “Evil Empire” music from Star Wars was played.  Taking the Yanks/Sox rivalry a little too far?

-Guest of the Game: A Youth Group called the “Yankee Clipper Council” (Hey, small children?  Yankees suck!)

-The refs continued to fall over throughout the entire game.  The.  Entire.  Game.  They were like a bunch of five-year-olds wobbling around the edges of the rink in their starfish costumes (Just me?  Nobody else?  OK.).

-Good God, the Bruins Helmet Shuffle game is impossible.

-At 12: 58 in the third period, a Kevin Youkilis look-alike lifted up his Bruins jersey so that everyone in the stands could see his gut (or as he liked to call it, his gift to the human race).  Needless to say, Youk has REALLY let himself go.

-JLoad