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The Boston Bruins, off to one of their hottest starts in franchise history, rebounded from a heartbreaking overtime loss to the New York Rangers to beat their Empire State counterpart, the New York Islanders, by a 4-2 margin.  With the win, the Bruins move to 3-1-0 and continue to fight the Ottawa Senators for an early lead in the Eastern Conference.
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The Islanders applied heavy pressure and forced the Bruins to commit several missed passes and errors. Yet, Boston struck five minutes into the game, as rookie defenseman Dougie Hamilton fired a slap-shot from 57 feet, which deflected right towards winger Shawn Thornton, who flicked it in the back of the net. 
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Tensions then began to rise, and in the first fight of the night, Boston winger Milan Lucic and New York forward Matt Carkner threw down their gloves. Although Carnker got the first few punches in, Lucic knocked Carkner to the ground.
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"He got the first two punches in on my head, but that's what helmets are for I guess," Lucic joked. "Luckily I was able to retaliate and I saw an opening."
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Despite the momentum swing in Boston's favor, the Islanders tied the game minutes later. New York forward Andrew McDonald drew out Boston goalie Tuukka Rask out of position with a precision pass right outside of the crease to forward Keith Aucoin,  who fired it into the back of the net. In an incident towards the end of the period, forward Shawn Thornton received a ten-minute misconduct, and after an offset penalty and a Bruins' power play, Boston had its chance to strike. However, they were unable to capitalize, leaving it tied at the half.
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Early in the second period, Bruins defenseman Zdeno Ch??ra tripped and fell on top of an Islander, resulting in an interference penalty. The Islanders weren't able to make anything of the power play, but the Bruins created a chance, as left wing Daniel Paille had a short-handed breakaway. However, he wasn't able to shoot the puck in time, and the chance was lost.
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The Islanders took the lead, though, as a deflected shot skidded right in front of right wing Keith Aucoin, who ripped a shot to the top shelf, making it 2-1 in favor of the Islanders. Minutes later, the Bruins were given a third play for a hooking call against the Islanders. And though they failed to score on that particular time, they tied the game up when a deflected shot from Hamilton fell right in front of center Gregory Campbell, who flicked it into the net.  This marked Hamilton's first multiple point night of his career.
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"It's a great system and the guys make it so much easier to do my job," commented Hamilton on how his teammates help his play. "They're really supportive on and off the ice." 
Coach Claude Julien has also been impressed with the play of the 19-year-old, who, despite being new to the National Hockey League, has seemed to adjust to the level of play quite quickly. "It's only once in a while that you see a young guy so poised and skilled at his age," he said. "Plus, he's got some professional experience from playing overseas during the lockout." 
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The period ended with a well-placed pass from Lucic to forward Tyler Seguin, setting the 20-year-old up for an opportunity. However, Seguin couldn't get the shot off, and the game remained tied at two goals apiece.
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Despite the fact that the first two periods were close-run affairs, the Bruins blew the game open in the third period. The Bruins scored what would be the game winner when Lucic passed back to Chara, who ripped a 60-foot slapshot in the bottom corner of the net past Islanders goalkeeper Rick DiPietro. Center Patrice Bergeron sealed the deal when left wing Brad Marchand sent him on a breakaway with a brilliant pass, which allowed Bergeron to score a finesse goal.
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The Bruins resume action tonight at home against the New Jersey Devils at 7 p.m.