BOSTON--Boston Bruins coach Pat Burns was upset even though his goal-tender played a brilliant game. New York Islanders coach Mike Milbury was upbeat even though his team remained winless with a 3-0 loss yesterday.

That's because New York had out-played, outshot and outhustled Boston but, for the second straight game, was victimized by a brief lapse.

"We were much better," Milbury said. "We clearly outplayed them for most of this game."

The difference was Bruins goalie Byron Dafoe, who made 28 saves, including three difficult ones in the last five minutes.

"Other individuals on this club are going to have to realize that we can't depend on him every night," Burns said. "We were outworked. There seems to be a lack of urgency in certain things we do."

The Bruins were good enough in a two-minute stretch of the first period to take advantage of Islanders' breakdowns and get goals from Dmitri Khristich at 14:00 and Steve Heinze at 15:18. P.J.

Axelsson finished the scoring with 6:35 left in the game.

"The way the game is being played these days," Heinze said, "the lead is a big thing because everybody's so tough defensively, so getting an early lead really helps."

On Saturday, the Islanders allowed three goals in a 72-second stretch of the first period and lost their season opener to the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3. Milbury is not ready to call it a trend.

"It's early yet," he said. "If we keep doing it, I'll probably commit suicide."

Dafoe, who had a career-high six shutouts last season, started the 1998-99 season with a strong game in Saturday night's 3-3 tie against the St. Louis Blues. Yesterday, nothing got by him while three of Boston's 17 shots passed New York goalie Tommy Salo.

"I definitely had to work for it," Dafoe said. "Some shutouts I had last year I was just going through the motions."

With about five minutes left, he stopped Jason Dawe's point-blank shot from the slot with his left glove, then smothered Sergei Nemchinov's rebound attempt on which, Dafoe said, "I just threw my glove out. He had the whole net. If he goes upstairs, It's in."

With 2:20 remaining, he poked the puck away from Mike Watt on a breakaway.

"We had a pretty good game," New York's Mariusz Czerkawski said. "But we have to be hungry."