Jeremy Lauzon saved his worst mistake for last in Game 2 overtime loss

Game 2 was a night to forget for Bruins defenseman Jeremy Lauzon.

On the ice for three of New York's four goals in a series-tying 4-3 overtime loss to the Islanders, it was Lauzon's decision on the Casey Cizikas overtime winner that left just about everybody shaking their head in frustration. With the puck on his stick, and with the Bruins looking to mount some more offensive-zone pressure on Semyon Varlamov and the Isles, Lauzon whipped a no-look pass at Charlie Coyle's feet at light speed, and helped spring Cizikas towards Rask without a Bruin in sight.

"Well, I mean, we made a play that obviously was ill-advised and they scored on a breakaway," Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy said after the loss. "That's what I saw on the overtime goal."

It was the capper on a night that saw the 24-year-old Lauzon put one in his own net off his skate for the Islanders' first goal of the evening and outright lose Kyle Palmieri for their second goal of the evening.

And it was a frustrating finish when considering the context of Lauzon's attempt versus his other options available, as well as where the Bruins were at in that overtime and in that game to that point.

"His partner wasn't there, so he just has to look," Cassidy said when asked about Lauzon's miscue. "I mean, you have to survey the ice. Any time you have the puck, i's a fluid hockey game, and there are set plays for us that we run. But there has to be a player there. So you have to look and usually you look first and that's some of the learning curve for younger guys. Take a look before the puck gets to you, recognize what's going on, because his partner wasn't there. He was recovering back out.

"So Charlie was trying to stay high in his spot. So obviously, the cross-ice pass wouldn't be there in that particular case. If it gets by [and] doesn't hit Charlie's foot, it's a foot race for their winger and our D that maybe chip it back down, but that's one that had to go back down the wall or towards the net."

Lauzon, who has now been on the ice for a team-high seven goals against this postseason, knew that he screwed up.

A smashed-to-bits lefty Bauer stick said as much.

But the Bruins made sure they had his back after the loss.

"At the end of the day, you learn from it," said Cassidy. "We did some good things in the third up top and overtime we started spreading them out better, led to some offense. Unfortunately, that one did not."

"Yeah, I mean, shit happens," B's alternate captain Brad Marchand said. "He's a great player for this. He competes very hard and he's out there every night working his butt off and competing for the group. And we all make mistakes. We've all been there. It's tough when it happens to you but we're going to bounce back. It's not the end of world. It's 1-1. And we just got to worry about that next one. So it's all about how we regroup in here and move forward.

"That the thing about playoffs. You got to have a quick memory and just worry about the next day."

The Bruins and Islanders will reconvene for Game 3 on Thursday night at Nassau Coliseum.

The Bruins had some bad luck with bounces in their Game 2 loss to the Islanders. But there's also a lot from their game that they can clean up themselves heading into Game 3.

That's the overarching theme of this Bruins postgame podcast, hosted by Matt Dolloff and Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub. Among the topics discussed after Boston's loss to the Isles: the Bruins' poor second period; Jeremy Lauzon's bad night and overtime turnover; the up-and-down play of each of the four forward lines; depth and talent issues facing the Bruins on the defense; and the play of Tuukka Rask.

Ty Anderson is a writer and columnist for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Yell at him on Twitter: @_TyAnderson.