It took three days since the matchup was official, but the NHL finally released the full schedule for the second round 2021 East Division playoff series between the Boston Bruins and New York Islanders, just minutes after the Black and Gold won Game 1 Saturday night at a jam-packed TD Garden.
The series is expected to be a long one on the ice as the two teams do battle, but both teams will benefit from an extra day of rest this upcoming week. While the first-round series for both teams had just one day break in between games, that’s not the case in Round 2.
Here is the complete schedule.
Game 1 – Saturday, at Boston, 8 p.m.
Game 2 – Monday, at Boston, 7:30 p.m.
Game 3 – Thursday, at New York Islanders, 7:30 p.m.
Game 4 – Saturday, at New York Islanders, 7:15 p.m.
*Game 5 – June 7, at Boston, TBA
*Game 6 – June 9, at New York Islanders, TBA
*Game 7 – June 11, at Boston, TBA
*If necessary
Following tomorrow night’s Game 2 in Boston, both teams will get an extra day before the series shifts to the Nassau Coliseum for Game 3 Thursday night. After the two teams square off in Game 3, the series goes back to the normal every other day schedule.
David Pastrnak‘s hat trick Saturday night powered the Black and Gold to a 1-0 series lead with a 5-2 victory over the Isles. If Boston continues to be as physical as they were in Game 1, then they would enjoy the extra days off this week.
With the Bruins, who were seeded third in the East Division and the Islanders, the fourth seed, both winning their first-round series, it gives Boston the home-ice advantage for the series. For the first time since March 7, 2020, the Bruins played a home game in front of a sold-out TD Garden and it looked to give them more energy for the game.
With the schedule finally released, the Bruins look to take a 2-0 series lead Monday night in Game 2 in Boston before heading to New York for Games 3 and 4.