The NHL regular season is not yet 20 percent complete.
But if the early state of the highly competitive Eastern Conference is any indication, even early November games could have postseason implications for the New York Islanders and Boston Bruins.
The Islanders and Bruins will each look to remain hot Tuesday night, when New York hosts Boston in Elmont, N.Y.
The Bruins have been off since Saturday, when they held off the visiting Carolina Hurricanes, 2-1. The Islanders earned a dramatic win Sunday afternoon, when the hosts scored twice in the final 67 seconds of the third period to stun the Columbus Blue Jackets, 3-2.
Recent winning streaks for the Bruins and Islanders have allowed them to bank points in the competitive Eastern Conference, where 12 of the 16 teams entered Monday with either 13 or 14 points.
Seven Eastern Conference teams had as many wins as losses entering Monday — including the Bruins, who have won three straight to improve to 7-7-0, and the Islanders, who are 6-5-1 following consecutive victories.
The three-game winning streak is the second of the season for Boston, which also endured a six-game losing streak from Oct. 13-23. The Bruins’ current run began Oct. 28 with a 5-2 win over the Islanders in which they collected the final five goals after New York scored twice in the first five minutes.
The Bruins haven’t trailed in either of their last two wins. After edging the Buffalo Sabres 4-3 in overtime last Thursday, Casey Mittlestadt snapped a scoreless tie 1:27 into the third period Sunday. Viktor Arvidsson scored the game-winner fewer than four minutes later to back goalie Jeremy Swayman, who made 28 saves.
“We wanted to end this homestand the right way and we played a complete game today, which is something we can really build on,” Swayman said. “It’s good to have momentum with three (wins) now and feeling good about our game and moving forward.”
The Islanders have also run hot and cold during the first month of the season. New York opened the season with three straight regulation losses before earning four consecutive wins.
The Islanders ended a three-game losing streak (0-2-1) Friday, when they beat the Washington Capitals 3-1. New York outshot Columbus 39-22 Sunday but appeared headed for a hard-luck loss before defenseman Matthew Schaefer, the reigning NHL Rookie of the Month, scored a 6-on-5 goal with 1:07 left.
Simon Holmstrom then scored off a Blue Jackets’ turnover with 38 seconds remaining for the Islanders, who won in regulation after trailing in the final two minutes for just the second time in franchise history. New York edged the Winnipeg Jets, 5-4, on Mar. 28, 2019.
The comeback win was the fifth of the season for the Islanders.
“It’s nice to be rewarded when you play a good game, especially knowing that we could come back in games like this,” Islanders head coach Patrick Roy said. “That could be also a positive thing for us.”
