Boston, MA (My Sportsbook) - Holders of the Eastern Conference's best record, the Boston Bruins seek their fourth consecutive victory tonight when they welcome the New York Islanders to the FleetCenter.

The Bruins will take on a New York club that will be joined by its captain, Michael Peca, tonight. Peca, who suffered a torn ACL during last spring's playoffs, returned to the ice for a motivational first shift on November 2 against St. Louis, but sat on the bench the remainder of the game. This evening's appearance, however, will be legitimate, and Peca is expected to be back for good.

Boston, which stands at 10-2-2-1, has reeled off successive wins over Ottawa, Edmonton and Buffalo during its tear, and is 4-0-0-1 in the last five games overall. On Tuesday the Bruins escaped Buffalo with a 4-3 victory, paced by a pair of goals from captain Joe Thornton.

Marty McInnis, Thornton and P.J. Axelsson busted open a 1-1 contest with a goal apiece in the first 8:38 of the second period, and the B's withstood a late Buffalo rally attempt to hold on.

Thornton is seemingly headed for a career season, as his eight goals, 13 assists and 21 points lead the team, and he's currently third in the NHL scoring race. The 23-year-old carries a five-game points streak into this evening's match, having contributed five goals and five assists during the tear.

On the milestone watch, Boston defenseman Don Sweeney will skate in his 1,000th NHL game tonight, all of which have been played in a Bruins sweater. Sweeney, who broke in with Boston in 1988, will become just the fourth player in team history to skate in 1,000 games for the B's. He'll join Ray Bourque (1,518), John Bucyk (1,436) and Wayne Cashman (1,027) in the exclusive club.

Boston, 4-1-1 on friendly ice, will begin a two-game road trip Saturday in Philadelphia.

The Islanders, meanwhile, had a two-game winning streak snapped with Tuesday's 5-3 loss to Ottawa at Nassau Coliseum. Adrian Aucoin, Arron Asham and Eric Manlow all scored in the losing cause, as New York attempted a third-period comeback and drew within a goal midway through the frame. Chris Osgood finished with 22 saves.

The Isles continued to struggle on the penalty kill, surrendering two power- play goals on six chances. They rank 29th in the NHL with a 77.1 percent penalty killing success rate.

New York, 1-3-1 on the road, kicks off a five-game swing tonight. The trek will resume Saturday in Pittsburgh.

The Islanders went 2-1-1 against the Bruins last season, and are 8-6-1 in the last 15 clashes. They have won in two consecutive trips to Beantown.