**BOSTON** — One Islanders goaltender outdueled the Bruins, while another inadvertently sidelined a promising young Boston forward.
The Bruins acknowledged the stellar performance of Ilya Sorokin, who made 37 saves to secure a 2-1 victory for the New York Islanders despite Boston’s edge in shots and overall play. However, frustration arose over backup goalie Jakub Skarek, whose actions led to an unfortunate injury.
During a line change, Skarek left the bench door open, and when Islanders forward Brock Nelson collided with Bruins rookie Matt Poitras, Poitras’ leg struck the sharp edge of the open door instead of the flat boards. Poitras immediately left the game and did not return.
Bruins interim coach Joe Sacco did not have an immediate update on Poitras’ condition, stating, “I don’t have an update. I’ll have something more tomorrow morning.”
David Pastrnak expressed more concern for Poitras than anger toward Skarek. “It’s unfortunate. As a player, you make sure the door is always closed,” Pastrnak said. “You don’t want to see that, and you definitely don’t want to see a guy push him into it. Hopefully, Matty is going to be all right.”
Nikita Zadorov echoed the sentiment, emphasizing the need for caution. “It was the backup goalie opening the door?” Zadorov asked, clarifying the sequence. “You’ve got to be a little more patient. It’s just a hockey play. You hate to see a young guy go down. He’s been playing really well for us.”
The incident cast a shadow over an otherwise hard-fought game, leaving the Bruins hopeful for Poitras’ swift recovery while reflecting on the importance of safety in the fast-paced sport.
Leave a Reply