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TAMPA — The Lightning took what seemed to be a comfortable four-goal lead into the third period Saturday against the Islanders, and given the way they’d played defensively in their previous two games it certainly seemed that would be enough.
But there was something different about the Lightning’s game. They didn’t protect the middle of the ice as well. They weren’t quite as careful with the puck, and in the third period some of those poor habits came back to haunt them.
“We were kind of teetering from the start of the game,” said defenseman Ryan McDonagh.
Before they knew it, the Lightning found themselves trying to hold on to a one-goal lead as the clock ticked down after New York scored three goals in a two-minute, 49-second stretch of the third.
Still, Tampa Bay was able to recover to get two points, extending its winning streak to three games with a 5-3 victory at Amalie Arena.
The Lightning outscored their opponents 19-4 during their three-game homestand and now head out on the road for a four-game trip that begins with a rematch with the Islanders Tuesday in Long Island.
“They’re a really hard-working team, so we knew that,” Lightning center Brayden Point said. “I think maybe a little bit in the decision-making, you know, (we were) trying to look for more offense sometimes rather than just making the smart play. ... There’s things to learn, and we definitely got some lessons (Saturday).”
With two more goals, Point has four over the past three games. Nikita Kucherov’s four points gave him nine on the homestand and 109 for the season, briefly giving him sole possession of the NHL scoring lead. (He was later tied by Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon.)
Lightning goaltender Jonas Johansson, making his first start in 16 days, stopped the first 27 shots he faced before the Islanders’ third-period rally. He finished with 35 saves on 38 shots.
The Lightning jumped on their opponent for the third straight game, taking a three-goal lead into the first intermission. Kucherov opened the scoring just over two minutes into the game with his 33rd goal of the season. Nick Perbix doubled the lead about 5 ½ minutes later, jumping on a long rebound.
Kucherov set up both of Point’s goals with some beautiful passing. On one, he faked a one-timer from the right circle, drawing goaltender Ilya Sorokin to his side, then threaded a pass though the slot between two defenders, giving Point a wide-open net.
At that point, the Lightning had scored 12 straight goals dating back to Thursday’s 8-0 rout of Utah.
But something was amiss.
“If I’ve got to be honest, we probably didn’t deserve that 4-0 lead,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “We had a bunch of really skilled players that made some really nice plays and shot pucks in the net.”
Though they didn’t score in the first two periods, the Islanders had 30 chances, including 18 high-danger opportunities. Their expected goals number was 4.67. But Johansson stopped them all.
The game changed at 4:40 of the third period, when Anthony Cirelli challenged Alexander Romanov after the Islanders defenseman upended Brandon Hagel as he pursued the puck across the blue line. Cirelli was penalized for roughing, and New York’s last-in-the-league power play scored at 5:58 on Ryan Pulock’s shot from the right point.
“I obviously didn’t like it,” Cirelli said of Romanov’s hit.
The sequence opened the door for an Islanders team fighting for its playoff life.
Less than two minutes after Pulock’s goal, Johansson’s rim pass to Hedman jumped off the defenseman’s stick and to Marc Gatcomb, who skated to the right dot and wristed a shot past Johansson.
One minute later, with the Islanders pressuring the front of the net, Tony DeAngelo jumped on a rebound and beat Johansson from a tight angle below the right circle to make it one-goal game with more than 11 minutes still to play.
The Lightning settled their game, but there were still some uneasy moments after the Islanders pulled Sorokin for an extra attacker.
Kucherov turned the puck over in the defensive zone, gift-wrapping a scoring chance in front for Bo Horvat that nearly tied the game. Kucherov then passed up two shots at the empty net, turning the puck over on the first before finding Jake Guentzel for a goal with 14 seconds left to seal the game.
“You try to play close to 60 minutes every night,” McDonagh said. “It’s not going to be perfect. But there’s a standard we hold ourselves to, and work ethic is definitely one of them. Playing winning hockey, as we like to call it, managing the puck well and being tough in our own zone.
“We did it at times, but at times we relied too much on our goalie, and thankfully for him, having not played in so long, that’s the big story (Saturday).”
• • •
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But there was something different about the Lightning’s game. They didn’t protect the middle of the ice as well. They weren’t quite as careful with the puck, and in the third period some of those poor habits came back to haunt them.
“We were kind of teetering from the start of the game,” said defenseman Ryan McDonagh.
Before they knew it, the Lightning found themselves trying to hold on to a one-goal lead as the clock ticked down after New York scored three goals in a two-minute, 49-second stretch of the third.
Still, Tampa Bay was able to recover to get two points, extending its winning streak to three games with a 5-3 victory at Amalie Arena.
The Lightning outscored their opponents 19-4 during their three-game homestand and now head out on the road for a four-game trip that begins with a rematch with the Islanders Tuesday in Long Island.
“They’re a really hard-working team, so we knew that,” Lightning center Brayden Point said. “I think maybe a little bit in the decision-making, you know, (we were) trying to look for more offense sometimes rather than just making the smart play. ... There’s things to learn, and we definitely got some lessons (Saturday).”
With two more goals, Point has four over the past three games. Nikita Kucherov’s four points gave him nine on the homestand and 109 for the season, briefly giving him sole possession of the NHL scoring lead. (He was later tied by Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon.)
Lightning goaltender Jonas Johansson, making his first start in 16 days, stopped the first 27 shots he faced before the Islanders’ third-period rally. He finished with 35 saves on 38 shots.
A lead not like the others
The Lightning jumped on their opponent for the third straight game, taking a three-goal lead into the first intermission. Kucherov opened the scoring just over two minutes into the game with his 33rd goal of the season. Nick Perbix doubled the lead about 5 ½ minutes later, jumping on a long rebound.
Kucherov set up both of Point’s goals with some beautiful passing. On one, he faked a one-timer from the right circle, drawing goaltender Ilya Sorokin to his side, then threaded a pass though the slot between two defenders, giving Point a wide-open net.
At that point, the Lightning had scored 12 straight goals dating back to Thursday’s 8-0 rout of Utah.
But something was amiss.
“If I’ve got to be honest, we probably didn’t deserve that 4-0 lead,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “We had a bunch of really skilled players that made some really nice plays and shot pucks in the net.”
Though they didn’t score in the first two periods, the Islanders had 30 chances, including 18 high-danger opportunities. Their expected goals number was 4.67. But Johansson stopped them all.
Holding off a comeback
The game changed at 4:40 of the third period, when Anthony Cirelli challenged Alexander Romanov after the Islanders defenseman upended Brandon Hagel as he pursued the puck across the blue line. Cirelli was penalized for roughing, and New York’s last-in-the-league power play scored at 5:58 on Ryan Pulock’s shot from the right point.
“I obviously didn’t like it,” Cirelli said of Romanov’s hit.
The sequence opened the door for an Islanders team fighting for its playoff life.
Less than two minutes after Pulock’s goal, Johansson’s rim pass to Hedman jumped off the defenseman’s stick and to Marc Gatcomb, who skated to the right dot and wristed a shot past Johansson.
One minute later, with the Islanders pressuring the front of the net, Tony DeAngelo jumped on a rebound and beat Johansson from a tight angle below the right circle to make it one-goal game with more than 11 minutes still to play.
The Lightning settled their game, but there were still some uneasy moments after the Islanders pulled Sorokin for an extra attacker.
Kucherov turned the puck over in the defensive zone, gift-wrapping a scoring chance in front for Bo Horvat that nearly tied the game. Kucherov then passed up two shots at the empty net, turning the puck over on the first before finding Jake Guentzel for a goal with 14 seconds left to seal the game.
“You try to play close to 60 minutes every night,” McDonagh said. “It’s not going to be perfect. But there’s a standard we hold ourselves to, and work ethic is definitely one of them. Playing winning hockey, as we like to call it, managing the puck well and being tough in our own zone.
“We did it at times, but at times we relied too much on our goalie, and thankfully for him, having not played in so long, that’s the big story (Saturday).”
• • •
Sign up for the Sports Today newsletter to get daily updates on the Bucs, Rays, Lightning and college football across Florida.
Never miss out on the latest with your favorite Tampa Bay sports teams. Follow our coverage on Instagram, X and Facebook.
Continue reading...
