New York Islanders vs. Boston Bruins [Game #15 Thread]

Ryan Strome is in Bridgeport and today's lineup has one more shock: Josh Bailey has been scratched in favor of Taylor Beck.

Beck, who logged 62 (8-8-16) games with Nashville last season, was originally recalled when John Tavares fell ill. But this will be his first game in an Islanders uniform. He'll wear #56.

Strome goes down to the AHL in part because he can, still being waivers exempt; Bailey, who once experienced the same on the even of his waiver exemption expiring, sits because he is one of the guilty but not untouchable. Both moves can be classified as the ol' "lighting a fire under someone's (and anyone's) ass," though garik16 earlier detailed just how ineffective Strome has been thus far.

"It could have been a few different guys," coach Jack Capuano said, this time in relation to Bailey but previously in relation to Strome.

Beck will line up with Brock Nelson and Mikhail Grabovski, per Arthur Staple of Newsday. Jaroslav Halak starts in goal again.

Islanders (7-4-3) vs. Bruins (6-6-1)
5 p.m. EST | MSG+, radio everywhere
Brooklyn's [ingloriously sponsored] Center
Weather calls for warm soup: Stanley Cup of Chowdah

The Bruins are off to a stronger-than-expected start, judging by conventional wisdom, but they still have six regulation losses to their name. The most painful of thotse may have been last night in Montreal, when they had their red-hot division rival down 2-1 before giving up the equalizer halfway through the third and the winner with just over a minute remaining.

The culprit: penalties..

"That’s two nights in a row where we blew games, or we lost games because of a lack of discipline," coach Claude Julien said afterwards.

So look for Boston to at least try to stay out of the box, like an addict, or a Flyer trying to avoid foolish things.

Minus the penalty issue, the Islanders' last game was similar: Hang tough with the Canadiens into the third, then fall behind and have an empty netter erase all evidence of a decent night's work.

One of the Isles' four regulation losses, and one of the Bruins' six wins, was Boston's 5-3 win over the moribund Isles in Boston on Oct. 23. Though the Isles managed three goals in that one, and totalled seven goals over the two games that followed, they've now gone five games in a row without managing more than two goals.

Which, in a nutshell, does not quite describe all of their ills but does indicate why Strome and Bailey are not where they want to be this afternoon.