Uniondale, NY -- (Sports Network) - Phil Kessel recorded his second career hat trick, as the Boston Bruins ended their regular season with a dominant 6-2 win over the New York Islanders.

Kessel, who also had an assist Sunday, recorded his only other hat on October 12 of last season. Marc Savard had a goal and two assists for Boston, which will go into the playoffs on a winning note.

The Bruins finished the regular season with a 53-19-10 record (116 points) and the top seed in the Eastern Conference. They will take on their bitter traditional rivals, the Montreal Canadiens, in the first round of the playoffs for the second consecutive season. That series starts Thursday at 7 p.m. (et) in Boston.

Last season Montreal had the East's top seed and defeated the eighth-seeded Bruins in seven games. This year the roles are reversed, with Boston hoping to dump the eighth-seeded Canadiens and ruin the club's chances at a championship in their 100th season.

Tim Thomas stopped 32 shots in the win, his 36th of the season, as the Bruins locked up the Jennings Trophy by allowing a league-low 196 goals this season. Minnesota was the next closest team with 200 goals allowed.

"They're a little bit different team than last year, and we're a little bit different team than last year," Thomas said of Montreal. "Every year is its own unique situation, so we got a few days to get ready for it."

Radek Martinek and Doug Weight had the goals for the Islanders, who finished the season on a four-game losing streak and with a 26-47-9 record. Their 61 points were the fewest of any NHL team.

"What's gained was experience," Islanders forward Kyle Okposo said. "We had a lot of guys who didn't have a lot of experience, and who hadn't gone through the ups and downs of the league. We went through quite a bit of down the first half of the year, especially. So you know what? That's something I never want to experience again."

Yann Danis got the start in net for New York, but allowed four goals on 15 shots. Joey MacDonald made 16 stops the rest of the way.

Michael Ryder got the Bruins on the scoreboard just 23 seconds into the game, and Kessel's first goal came with 4:40 left in the first period.

Savard's power-play tally 1:09 into the second period made it a 3-0 contest, the first of three Boston goals early in the middle frame. Kessel scored on the man-advantage at 5:27 and Chuck Kobasew made it a 5-0 game at 7:02.

Martinek got the Islanders on the scoreboard with 1:51 remaining in the second, and Weight got New York within three at 1:27 of the third. Kessel completed the hat trick at 12:53 as Boston cruised to the win.

Game Notes:

The Bruins' 116 points is their best since they finished the 1971-72 season with 119 points and it is the third-most in their history behind their club record of 121 (1970-71) and the 119 in 1971-72...Boston's David Krejci recorded one assist for his 100th point of his career, all of which he's spent with the Bruins...Kessel ended the season with a team-best 36 goals...Savard finished with a team-high 88 points (25 goals, 63 assists)...The Islanders ended 2008-09 with a 17-18-6 home record, while the Bruins ended 24-13-4 on the road.