Islanders' Bo Horvat scores overtime winner to beat Bruins, snap three-game skid

BOSTON — It must start somewhere for the Islanders if they are to make a playoff push.

So Sunday night’s 5-4 overtime win over the Bruins at TD Garden to snap a three-game losing streak — albeit three games in which the Islanders believed they played well — has a chance to be a foundation.

“Yeah, I felt like the past couple of games, we did not get the result we wanted, and tonight we battled. We were the better team for the best part of the night,” Jean-Gabriel Pageau told Newsday after the Bruins forced overtime with two goals in the third period. “It starts with those games. We dug in and we found a way. I’ve always thought throughout my career that good teams find a way to win, find a way to get in and find a way to squeeze in points.

“We all know the position that we’re in in the standings. I saw a lot of guys competing tonight for the full 60, a lot of blocked shots, a lot of sacrifice. I believe if we keep going the same way, things can turn around.”

Bo Horvat added the overtime winner at 3:10 to his momentum-switching shorthanded goal in the first period for the Islanders (15-18-7), who remain in last place in the Metropolitan Division.

“I thought we played a pretty good game,” said Anders Lee, who also scored twice, including lifting a backhander at the crease to make it 4-2 at 3:41 of the third period. “That was a great hockey game. We picked up where we left off from what we felt was some good hockey in the Toronto games. We didn’t deviate. We didn’t try to do too much. We didn’t grip the stick.”

The Islanders scored only four goals in their three-game losing streak: a 3-2 loss in Pittsburgh on Dec. 29, a 3-1 loss in Toronto on Dec. 31 with John Tavares scoring an empty-net power-play goal in the final minute, and Thursday’s 2-1 loss to the Maple Leafs at UBS Arena.

Ilya Sorokin made 26 saves. Joonas Korpisalo stopped 32 shots for the Bruins (20-17-4), who lost to the Maple Leafs, 6-4, in Toronto on Saturday night and have dropped four straight.

“I thought that we put a lot of pucks at the net and I think that gives you some momentum,” coach Patrick Roy said. “I think the more you shoot at the net, the more you feel confidence.

“I feel like the more we play simple, the better we are playing.”

David Pastrnak forced overtime with his two third-period goals at 4:35 and 12:44.

“We knew they were going to push,” Horvat said after getting free for an overtime breakaway. “We made a couple of unforced errors on their goals. Overall, I thought we had a really strong game. Pretty much a full 60 minutes, and to finally get rewarded for the way we played, it definitely feels good.”

“In the third, I make a big turnover,” said Pageau, whose cross-ice backhander in the defensive zone was intercepted to set up Pastrnak’s first goal. “It’s just those little details sometimes.”

The Bruins struck first as Cole Koepke crashed the net to knock in Mark Kastelic’s feed from the wall at 3:01 of the first period. Roy unsuccessfully challenged that Koepke had interfered with Sorokin, placing the Bruins on the power play in a potential pivotal moment in the match.

Instead, Pageau fed Horvat on a shorthanded rush to tie it at 3:22 and the Islanders continued that momentum for a 2-1 lead at 5:33 as defenseman Ryan Pulock connected from distance.

Lee’s first goal came on a rising wrister off the rush from the left circle to give the Islanders a 3-1 lead at 4:11 of the second period. Justin Brazeau’s one-timer off the rush brought the Bruins back within 3-2 at 10:18 of the second period.

Notes & quotes: The game marked the first time Oliver Wahlstrom, selected 11th overall by the Islanders in 2018 but claimed on waivers by the Bruins on Dec. 14, faced his former team. He had two shots in 12:58 while skating on the third line. He has played seven games for the Bruins without notching a point. “I think it was really healthy for sure [to get a fresh start] just to see a different kind of culture,” said Wahlstrom, who now wears No. 71. “It was really beneficial for me. The Islanders, they were so good to me, and I thank them all for everything.” .  .  . Fourth-liner Hudson Fasching exited at 12:22 of the third period after taking a check from Kastelic .  .  . Pulock had a three-point outing .  .  . Defenseman Alexander Romanov had an assist and a team-high six blocks .  .  . Rookie defenseman Isaiah George (suspected concussion) and forward Simon Holmstrom (upper body) remained out. Roy said they remain day-to-day .  .  . Forward Matt Martin stayed a healthy scratch.

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.