Marchand scores in overtime, Bruins beat Isles in Game 3
UNIONDALE, N.Y. » Brad Marchand scored 3:36 into overtime and the Boston Bruins beat the New York Islanders 2-1 Thursday night in Game 3 to take the lead in the second-round playoff series.
In the extra period, Charlie McAvoy brought the puck up ice along the left side and passed to Marchand, who skated along the boards and fired a sharp-angle shot into the top right corner past Islanders goalie Semyon Varlamov.
Craig Smith also scored for Boston, and Tuukka Rask stopped 28 shots — including five in overtime, as the Bruins took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Mathew Barzal scored the tying goal late in the third period for New York, and Varlamov — making his second straight start after Ilya Sorokin went in four straight games — finished with 39 saves.
Game 4 is Saturday night at Nassau Coliseum.
Boston got its first power play 1:38 into the third period and mustered five shots on goal during the
advantage, but couldn’t beat Varlamov.
Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo was helped off the ice after a hard hit by Cal Clutterbuck near the end boards to Rask’s right a little more than six minutes into the third. It left Boston with five defensemen.
Jets’ Scheifele suspended
NEW YORK » Winnipeg Jets forward Mark Scheifele was suspended for four games by the NHL
for a crushing late hit on Montreal’s Jake Evans in Game 1 of the second-round series.
Evans was taken off the ice on a stretcher with 57 seconds left Wednesday night in Montreal’s 5-3 victory after being hit in the head and shoulder area an instant after tucking in an empty-net goal. Evans chased down the puck behind the net, tightly circled back around the goal cage and scored just before Scheifele’s hit sent him crashing to the ice.