from Mollie Walker of the New Tork Post,

While the second-round series between the Islanders and Bruins has gotten nastier and nastier on the ice each game, the jabs have carried over to the postgame press conferences.

Following the Islanders’ 5-4 victory over the Bruins at TD Garden on Monday night, a game in which the Isles capitalized on three of their four power plays, Boston head coach Bruce Cassidy had some pointed words for the visiting team.

“It’s a very well-respected management and coach staff over there,” Cassidy said. “But they sell a narrative over there that they’re the New York Saints rather than the New York Islanders.”

While NHL referees continue to struggle with setting a precedent for penalties at the start of games, the Bruins evidently felt spurned by the black-and-white stripes in Game 5. Boston only received two man-advantage opportunities, with David Pastrnak scoring his second of the night on one to make it a two-goal game in the third period.

There have been an abundance of cross-checks throughout the series that the referees haven’t called, in addition to lots of post-whistle activity that have been let go. As a result, the series has gotten increasingly more physical.

contued