Jan 25, 2013; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman Johnny Boychuk (55) and New York Islanders right wing Kyle Okposo (21) battle for the puck during the first period at TD Banknorth Garden. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

The Boston Bruins will head to Long Island, New York for the last game in this five game road trip to take on the New York Islanders. This will be the second time that the two teams have faced each other this season with the Bruins winning the first game 4-2 in Boston.

The Islanders are in a bit of a struggle lately. They are last place in their division with 17 points and have recently sent goalie Rick DiPietro to their AHL affiliate team, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. The Islanders will now rely on Evgeni Nabokov to be their number one goalie. The Islanders have a 2-7-0 record on home ice and that is worst in the league. Although they are struggling, their one bright spot this season has been forward John Tavares. He has been exceptional scoring 13 goals this season (tied for the NHL lead) and has 25 points (third in the NHL).

The Bruins seem to be on a roll now after having one of the best games of the season against the Florida Panthers on Sunday. The Bruins have won their last three games and will look to win four games out of five on this long road trip. The Bruins have been getting outstanding play from the whole team the past three games. Goaltender Tuukka Rask, has averaged a .937 save percentage over this span and is playing at an elite level. The team has averaged 3.6 goals per game and has killed 9 out of 9 penalties (including 21 straight). And hey, they even scored two power play goals, which is an improved number as of late. The effort and determination is all there and that is why the Bruins are playing so well right now.

After this game, the Bruins will move on to a brutal part of their schedule. They will go through a stretch of games in which they do not have two days off in a row until the end of March! Since the Bruins have played the least amount of games this season of any team in the NHL, I guess it is about time that they caught up with the rest of the league.

The Bruins want to come out once again and make a statement against the Islanders and end this road trip on a good note.

John Tavares is off to a great start for the Islanders. (hockeyworldblog.com)

If Bruins’ fans are wondering what Tyler Seguin could become in the near future, they just need to look a couple of hundred miles south to Long Island and watch John Tavares.

Tavares was the top draft pick of the Islanders in 2009, making the team out of camp. He struggled mightily as a rookie, though he came on at the end of the year to finish with 24 goals and 30 assists – much better than Seguin’s 10-11-21 totals during his rookie campaign. Of course, Tavares did not have to worry about the defensive responsibilities that Seguin was held to by Claude Julien, and he certainly did not have to worry about earning playing time. The Islanders were among the worst teams in the league and eager to get their future star on the ice. Meanwhile, Seguin had to try and crack a lineup that included Patrice Bergeron, Nathan Horton, David Krejci, Milan Lucic, Mark Recchi and Julien Favorite Michael Ryder. (more…)