So holding on for a 2-1 victory over the Bruins on Thursday night at TD Garden and snapping a four-game losing streak — thanks to goalie Ilya Sorokin’s bounce-back performance — was a step toward keeping their faint playoff hopes alive.

Ilya Sorokin stopped 38 shots and Alexander Romanov and Kyle Palmieri scored to lead the New York Islanders to a 2-1 win over the Boston Bruins.

The Rorschach test that is Islanders hockey offered on Thursday night the same sort of picture it’s been giving ahead of the trade deadline.

Ilya Sorokin dominated between the pipes to help the New York Islanders snap a four-game skid with a 2-1 victory against the Boston Bruins at T.D. Garden on Thursday night.

But they were frustrated with Islander backup Jakub Skarek. Nobody thought the play was intentional, but Skarek opened the door for a line change with the play close to the bench. Because of that, when Brock Nelson hit Matt Poitras, the Bruins forward’s leg slammed into the corner of the open door-mouth instead of the flat boards.

Despite a wide edge in play, the B’s spotted the Islanders a 2-0 lead and only David Pastrnak could beat Ilya Sorokin (37 saves) midway through the third period as the B’s took their fifth straight loss (0-3-2). The Isles hung on for the 2-1 win.

New York’s Brock Nelson shoved him toward the boards at the Islander bench. However, the door was open and Poitras smashed chest first into the opening.

New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin stopped 38 of the 39 shots he faced en route to defeating the Boston Bruins on Thursday evening. The Islanders were heavily outshot in this contest but Sorokin was able to lead the way.

Ilya Sorokin stopped 38 shots and Alexander Romanov and Kyle Palmieri scored to lead the New York Islanders to a 2-1 win over the Boston Bruins on Thursday night. Boston’s lone goal came from ...