Andrei Vasilevsky recorded 33 saves en route to his 39th win of the season against the New York Islanders on the road, Saturday night.
First Frame:
The first period got started off with a bang. 32 seconds in, Jean-Gabriel Pageau recorded his 18th goal of the year, getting the New York Islanders on the board very quickly with a tip-in. The Islanders played very fast with six shots in five minutes.
In the middle of the period, Steven Stamkos scored his 40th goal of the year, serving as the equalizer to make it 1-1 with 10 minutes to play in the frame.
Second Frame:
As the second period got underway, the first five minutes saw little offense. Thus far, it was a very defensive game with time moving very fast. At 9:35 in the second frame, Kieffer Bellows scored his sixth goal of the season to give the Islanders the lead.
The Islanders would soon go on the power play with a chance to extend their lead. With two minutes left in the period, Josh Bailey cashed in on the man advantage to give New York their first multi-goal lead of the night. Tampa would go on the power play to end the period thanks to a tripping minor from Jean Gabriel Pageau.
Shots were dead even at 11 as little offensive production paid off for the Islanders thus far.
Third Frame:
The Lightning needed an answer being down 3-1, and they get one quick. Just a minute and 19 seconds into the third period, Corey Perry netted his 19th goal of the year to cut the Lightning deficit to one. Approaching the midpoint in the period, Tampa Bay had most if not all of the momentum. Ryan McDonagh scored a huge goal, his fourth of the season, to tie the game at three.
At this point, the Lightning had 30 shots on net, certainly getting the looks they were expecting. Tampa Bay would run away with this one with a blast from Zdeno Chara and an empty-net goal from Brandon Hagel, making it 6-4 Bolts.
What’s Next?
The regular season is now over; your Bolts are headed to the Playoffs!
The Tampa Bay Lightning will be playing the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs.