Lightning’s Uninspired Effort Leads to Game 1 Loss

Coming off a fairly easy five-game series win over the Carolina Hurricanes, the Tampa Bay Lightning entered the semifinals with ample rest. That turned out to be a bad thing, as a largely uninspired effort gave the New York Islanders a 2-1 win in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Semifinals.

Game Flow

Period 1:

Right from the get-go, these teams were mixing it up. Matt Martin hit David Savard into the boards behind the play and after a save by Semyon Varlamov, the two teams started pushing and shoving. The officials quickly took control, sending both Martin and Barclay Goodrow off for unsportsmanlike conduct.

With two minutes of 4-on-4 hockey, both teams got a couple of chances but couldn’t generate any grade-A chances. That gave the Islanders confidence, as they came in allowing opponents to score early and late in periods.

They went into their pressuring style, smothering the Lightning into making quick decisions with the puck. Anthony Cirelli misplayed the puck in the defensive zone, allowing the Islanders a great chance. Ryan McDonagh made a nice play to thwart a golden opportunity by Jean-Gabriel Pageau but was called for tripping. That gave the Isles a power play which the Bolts penalty killers shut down.

After the successful kill, Tampa Bay tried to get something going but struggled to break into the offensive zone. The Islanders were that good defensively.

Nearly halfway through the period, Goodrow was sent to the box for roughing Kyle Palmieri. The Islanders started their second power play asleep, giving the Lightning a good look shorthanded. However, they made a couple of adjustments midway through the man advantage and got a couple of great chances to break the ice. It didn’t happen though, so the two teams remained scoreless through 20 minutes.

Period 2:

Heading into the second period, the Lightning needed to handle the puck better and play more disciplined. Both goals weren’t accomplished, though the team showed more discipline than they did in the game’s first 10 minutes.

Turnovers continued to haunt the Bolts as well, with the Islanders missing on a couple of breakaways to keep things scoreless.

Captain Steven Stamkos made the first noticeable blunder by either team, attempting a cross-ice pass at the blue line. Josh Bailey picked it off and sent a perfect pass up to Mathew Barzal who slid the puck between the legs of Andrei Vasilevskiy. That made it 1-0 Islanders.

Facing a deficit for the first time in over a week, Tampa Bay tried to mount an attack. They got a few looks at Varlamov but couldn’t break through.

A tripping penalty by Erik Cernak then zapped any momentum the team had been building. The penalty kill got the job done, holding the Islanders off the scoreboard, but New York regained momentum.

It didn’t last long, however, with Palmieri penalized for interfering with Cernak late in the middle frame. The Lightning power play got a look or two before the intermission but Varlamov was locked in, swallowing up anything that came his way.

Period 3:

Entering the final frame, the Lightning needed to play with more intensity and take advantage of what was left in their power play. The Islanders denied them zone entry though, making it difficult for them to set up. That led to an easy kill, allowing New York to regain momentum.

Minutes later, Ryan Pulock’s shot from downtown beat Vasilevskiy through the wickets to give the Islanders a 2-0 lead.

From there, the Islanders went into shutdown mode defensively. They controlled the puck and gave the Bolts nothing until late.

With Vasilevskiy off for the extra attacker, Brock Nelson’s high stick on Nikita Kucherov gave the Lightning their second power play. They finally broke through, as Brayden Point scored with under a minute remaining to make it 2-1.

The Bolts pushed for the tying goal late, but it wasn’t enough.

Game Notes

• Nikita Kucherov got his league-leading 19th point of these playoffs, with an assist on Point’s late power play goal.
• Mathew Barzal is heating up at the right time, scoring four goals in his past five games.
• Semyon Varlamov made 30 saves on 31 shots, out-dueling Andrei Vasilevskiy who made 29 saves on 31 shots.
• This is the first time all playoffs that the Lightning find themselves trailing in a series.

Next Up

The Lightning look to tie this series up in Game 2 on Tuesday night. Puck drop is scheduled for 8:00 PM EST.