Islanders' third-period woes not over yet as Bruins pull away late on Charlie Coyle's hat trick

BOSTON — Lane Lambert wouldn’t discuss the specifics of why Pierre Engvall was a surprise healthy scratch. But the Islanders coach did acknowledge the reconstituted second line without the speedy left wing did not play well.

 “Well, look it, they’re minus-3, all of them,” Lambert said of Brock Nelson’s trio with Kyle Palmieri and newcomer Anders Lee. “I thought they would be better.”

 That was not the only reason the Islanders’ losing streak grew to three in Thursday night’s 5-2 loss to the Bruins at TD Garden — their third period problems certainly continued, too — but Lambert’s decision certainly seemed to backfire.

 The Islanders (5-4-3) are in an 0-2-1 skid and have lost four of five (1-2-2). They’ve been outscored 10-3 in the third periods of this five-game stretch as the Bruins (11-1-1) scored three times over the final 20 minutes.

 The Bruins went 2-for-3 on the power play, including David Pastrnak’s winner at 3:33 of the third period just 43 seconds after Simon Holmstrom’s shorthanded goal tied it at 2-2.

 “I thought that was a big turning point where they get that one there,” said Nelson, whose power-play goal against the NHL’s top penalty kill as he swatted in the rebound of defenseman Noah Dobson’s blue-line shot tied it at 1-1 at 17:23 of the first period. “I didn’t like the call [tripping on Oliver Wahlstrom].”

 “Penalties at inopportune moments,” Lambert said. “I thought there was potentially a call they could have made on them but they didn’t. Right now, we’ve got to find a way to dig ourselves out a little bit. There’s too many times at that these costly moments where we’re not up to the task in the moment.”

 But Lambert quickly added that’s not because of a lack of belief.

 “I don’t think so,” Lambert said. “It has nothing to do with belief. We were really good in the first couple of periods. We are, right now, having trouble for whatever reason sustaining a 60-minute game and we’ve got to find a way to do that.”

 Ilya Sorokin, who has won just one of his last six starts, made 30 saves. He finished as the Vezina Trophy runner-up last season to the Bruins’ Linus Ullmark, who stopped 27 shots.

 Charlie Coyle’s second goal of the game extended the Bruins’ lead to 4-2 at 9:26. He completed his first career hat trick with an empty netter after his power-play goal at 6:06 of the second period made it 2-1.

 But it was Pastrnak’s power-play goal that really irked the Islanders.

 “We need that kill, it’s a big kill and those are the kind of opportunities we gave them,” said Jean-Gabriel Pageau, whose feed on a two-on-one rush set up Holmstrom’s second shorthanded goal in three games and his third goal in four games. “Sorokin was solid as always and I thought we did a pretty good job in front of him.”

 Trent Frederic, open in the high slot for James van Riemsdyk’s feed, gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead at 14:05 of the first period.

 Nelson’s line sans Engvall was on the ice for that goal as well as the Bruins’ final two tallies. Engvall has six assists in 11 games but had a costly turnover in Tuesday’s 4-2 loss to the Wild at UBS Arena as he was briefly benched in the third period. Lee is now without a point in seven games.

 “I can’t tell you,” Lambert said when asked why Engvall was scratched. “Pierre and I had a conversation and we’ll just leave it at that.”

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.