After slumping late in the regular season and early in the playoffs, David Pastrnak has five goals in his last three games, including three in a 5-2 win Saturday against the Islanders.

Two teams with similar styles and attributes begin the best-of-seven East Division finals on Saturday night.

The Bruins-Islanders series starts Saturday. Boston dropped its first five regular-season games to the Islanders, but after the trade deadline won the next three.

Defenseman Jeremy Lauzon practiced Thursday as the Bruins prepare for the start of their second-round series.

Coach Bruce Cassidy is not concerned with rust or a lack of focus, but thinks the extra time will allow his players to reset and make sure they are healthy.

The Bruins killed off 18 of 21 Washington power plays in the last series, but that also means they allowed 21 power plays – including five penalties by Brad Marchand.

Boston finishes off Washington in five games and awaits the winner of the series between the Penguins and the Islanders.

Patrice Bergeron scores twice, Tuukka Rask makes 40 saves, and Boston wins its fourth in a row, 3-1 over Washington.