Tampa Bay Lightning Head Home With 3-1 Series Lead Over Islanders

The Tampa Bay Lightning snatched a victory out of the hands of the New York Islanders as Jason Garrison buries the puck in overtime, bringing the series back to Tampa.

The Tampa Bay Lightning put on quite a show on Tuesday night when the Lightning were able to snatch the victory right out of the hands of an expectant New York Islanders team at the Barclays Center and take the lead in the series 2-1. Unfortunately, the Tampa Bay Lightning had no time to celebrate their win. Instead, they had to prepare to take on an even hungrier Islanders team looking to tie things up in their house.

The Islanders wasted no time in putting the pressure on the Tampa Bay Lightning. Just over two minutes into the game, the Islanders would crash the Lightning net. As the Lightning attempted to push back against the Islanders, it ended in a dogpile in front of the net with Ben Bishop at the bottom. Bishop would take a stick to the head from Islanders right wing Steve Bernier.

It was clear from the look on his face when he made his way back to his skates that Bishop was a little shaken up on the hit. Unsurprisingly, it would be the New York Islanders who would come out of the chaos with the first power play opportunity of the night. This would open the door for the Islanders to capitalize and take the early lead with a goal from Islanders right wing Kyle Okposo.

Ben Bishop reached for the puck with everything he had, but he simply couldn’t make it in time as the puck sailed past his glove and into the back of the net. Given the way the Tampa Bay Lightning’s system has played out lately, Bishop needed to shake things off and get his head back into the game if the Lightning want to bring the series back to the Sunshine State with a 3-1 lead.

Unfortunately, when the buzzer sounded to end the first period of play the Tampa Bay Lightning would enter the tunnel down by a goal. There is no doubt they are frustrated, not only with the way the refs seem to have lost their glasses tonight but the fact they are not playing to their full potential. Much like Game 3, the Islanders outshot the Lightning 16-6 in the first period.

You would think the Tampa Bay Lightning would have come out in the second period of play with a little more fire in their skates; especially after the way they were pushed around in the first 20 minutes of play. Regrettably, the Lightning played with a clear lack of urgency and allowed the Islanders offense to easily stroll right into the zone with little to no coverage. This is not the kind of play you expect to see from a team who is looking to send the series to 3-1 before heading home.

There are a few positive things to come out of the second period of play. The most prevalent are the Tampa Bay Lightning were able to keep the Islanders out of the back of the net. The second, and almost equally as important, is the Lightning managed to keep themselves out of the penalty box. The Islanders are not the best team in the league on the power play, but it’s useless to continue to give them opportunities to increase their standing.

Another positive emerging from yet an otherwise bleak period is the Tampa Bay Lightning finally made Thomas Greiss work for his money. The Lightning were able to outshoot the Islanders 11-6 in the second period for a two-period total of 22-17. As most of you know by now, we have always been a proponent of quality over quantity; however, when you are down like this the only way to overcome is to barrage the net.

When the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Islanders took the ice for the third period, it seemed as if the Lightning had been handed an early Christmas present. The third period would not start as scheduled thanks to a piece of the boards that somehow became dislodged during the intermission. According to the NBC Sports Network broadcasters, the damage was done by the Zamboni.

The good news is, this delay seemed to derail all the momentum the Islanders had coming into the third period. Even better news is the Tampa Bay Lightning were finally ready to capitalize on their opportunity.

There was a lot of back and forth between the Lightning and Islanders in the third period, but despite everyone’s best efforts neither team was able to find the back of the net. Maybe it’s just us, but every time the Islanders would enter the offensive zone we would break for impact and listen hard for the buzzer.

Then…it happened. Just before the halfway point in the period, the Lightning would play the puck into the Islanders zone. Alex Killorn and Nick Leddy would get tied up along the boards as everyone seemed to collapse on the net. Through all the bodies on the ice, Killorn is able to fire the puck out in front of the net.

Nikita Kucherov, who is clearly the clutch player on the team, was positioned at the point with next to no coverage on him. Lightning center Tyler Johnson would see this and send the puck flying towards Kucherov, who in turn would fire the puck past Thomas Greiss and into the back of the net to tie things for the Tampa Bay Lightning. The New York Islanders must have felt a serious case of déjà vu at this point in the game.

Both sides would battle for the upper hand in regulation, but just like Game 3 this game would be headed to overtime. This is the moment the Tampa Bay Lightning, and their fans watching at home, have been waiting all night for. The Lightning had reached their do-or-die moment for the night. They could make their move and send this series back to Tampa with a 3-1 lead or allow the Islanders to kill their momentum.

It would take a mere 1:34 before Tampa Bay Lightning fans would get their answer. The Tampa Bay Lightning would bring the pressure to the Islanders in the offensive zone. Jason Garrison released one of his patented bombs from the blueline, which was quickly turned away by Greiss. Ondrej Palat would get control of the puck and play it out to Lightning defenseman Andrej Sustr.

Sustr looked across the ice to Jason Garrison, who surprisingly was left completely open. Andrej Sustr passed the puck to Garrison who wasted absolutely no time in releasing another bomb. This time, the puck would sail past Greiss and into the back of the net to bring home yet another overtime victory for the Tampa Bay Lightning in Brooklyn.

Much like Game 3, this was not the best game the Tampa Bay Lightning has played this season, whether it’s regular or postseason. The glaring difference is the Tampa Bay Lightning did a better job of staying out of the box and limited the scoring chances they allowed the Islanders to have.

Another key for the Lightning tonight was the penalty kill. When the Tampa Bay Lightning were faced with a four-minute penalty kill for the ridiculous call made against Lightning alternate captain Ryan Callahan, the penalty kill was able to stand strong and keep the puck away from Ben Bishop and more importantly out of the net.

Despite their shortcomings in the game, the important thing is the Tampa Bay Lightning was able to overcome their obstacles and get the job done when it mattered the most. In the postseason, the time for excuses is over and the one thing the Lightning have been able to accomplish is to own their mistakes, learn from them, and move on.

Next: Steven Stamkos and the Impending Free Agency

The Tampa Bay Lightning have another prime opportunity in front of them. The series is now headed back to the Amalie Arena here in the Sunshine State. This means the Lightning will have an opportunity to close out their series with the New York Islanders right here in front of their hometown crowd. There is still a lot of work to be done, but if there is any team in the league we trust to get the job done, it’s the Tampa Bay Lightning.

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