Islanders fall to Bruins in shootout as two-game win streak is snapped

Hands off.

It’s a message the Islanders are sending to any team that messes with Matthew Schaefer, though coach Patrick Roy hopes the No. 1 overall pick starts getting the same protection from on-ice officials that he sees other star players getting.

“I love these guys,” Schaefer said. “I know they always have my back and I will always have theirs.”

Defenseman Nikita Zadorov heavy-handed, double knockdown of Schaefer sparked a wild scrum at 9:18 of the second period of the Islanders’ 4-3 shootout loss to the Bruins on Tuesday night at UBS Arena that otherwise was highlighted by Bo Horvat’s two goals and a second straight strong performance from goalie Ilya Sorokin.

The Islanders (6-5-2) had their two-game winning streak and four-game home winning streak snapped as Sorokin stopped 24 shots behind a solid defensive effort despite the visitors rallying three times from one-goal deficits.

“It’s always a little bit [frustrating] when you have five minutes left and you have them score,” Sorokin said.

Jeremy Swayman made 27 saves for the Bruins (8-7-0), who now have a four-game winning streak as Marat Khusnutdinov tied it at 3-3 at 15:06 of the third period and scored the lone goal in the shootout.

Captain Anders Lee and Anthony Duclair got to Zadorov to lead the instant response after he leveled Schaefer behind the Bruins’ net.

“Saw a big man on our guy there,” Lee said. “Just one of those situations, go in there and have his back.”

“You want to protect your teammate, especially Schaef,” said Duclair, who opened the scoring with his first point in five games at 5:11 of the second period. “It’s no different than any other star player. You want to slow down the best players on each team and we do the same with their star players, whoever we’re playing. Schaef, coming into this league the way he’s playing, teams are going to look at that and try and slow him down.”

Zadorov was assessed a double-minor for roughing and a two-minute interference call while Lee and Duclair each received two minutes for roughing.

Roy implied it could have been called otherwise.

“I felt like the referee had a lot of choices,” Roy said. “He could have called a cross check. He could have called roughing. He could have called interference. Pretty much, we might have been able to have a four-minute power play. But I love how the guys jumped in. The reaction of our guys, that’s what you’re looking for. They’re a tight group.

“Eventually [Schaefer] is going to have the same protection as the star players.”

Roy was then asked, based on his experience, how long that might take.

“I hope not too long,” he said.

Schaefer, who remained in the middle of the melee, sported a cut on the right side of his face.

He was also in the middle of Horvat’s second goal to give the Islanders a 3-2 lead at 5:05 of the third period, taking Kyle Palmieri’s stretch pass at the Bruins blue line after exiting the penalty box and finding Horvat open through the slot.

With the emotions still running high in the second period, Viktor Arvidsson’s shot ricocheted in off Lee after bouncing off Sorokin’s pad to tie it at 1-1 at 12:21. But the Islanders then turned defenseman Henri Jokiharju’s turnover in the neutral zone into a 2-1 lead at 13:06 as Mathew Barzal fed Horvat off the rush.

Tuesday marked the third full game since Roy reunited them on the top line with rookie Cal Ritchie centering the second line instead of Barzal.

“Him and I are familiar with each other and we know each other tendencies out there,” said Horvat, who has a team-leading nine goals. “Pucks are just finally going in. It’s a matter of myself getting in those scoring areas but at the same time bearing down when I have those opportunities.”

Pavel Zacha’s power-play goal tied it at 2-2 at 17:29 of the second period, snapping a streak of 10 straight penalty kills for the Islanders.

Notes & quotes: The first of the Islanders’ three first-period shots didn’t come until Palmieri snapped one off the rush at 14:49 . . . Forward Max Tsyplakov and defenseman Adam Boqvist remained the healthy scratches.

By Andrew Gross

andrew.gross@newsday.comAGrossNewsday

Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.