Lightning take the Lead in the Atlantic

By on March 26, 2016
lightning_new_altThe last time the Islanders and Lightning met the New York clan rallied from behind to win the game 3-2. The Tampa Bay Lightning came into tonight’s game in second place in the Atlantic Division, two points behind the Florida Panthers.
The Lightning won the first face-off, compliments of Cedric Paquette. They gained possession, but quickly gave it up. The Islanders were the first team to put a puck past a goaltender, only to be waived off by the officials. In the first two minutes of the game, the Islanders managed to get 4 shots on goal.
At 0:44 seconds in the first #5 Jason Garrison commits a two minute minor penalty for holding to put the Islanders on the power play. The Islanders were unable to capitalize on the man advantage, and full strength play resumed. Then at 3:37 the Islanders were kind enough to commit a team penalty of too many men on the ice, and the Bolts would get their first shot at a power play goal. The Lightning had some good chances, but did not score on their first power play.
At 6:50 in the first period, #90 Vladislav Namestnikov committed a two minute minor tripping penalty. This would be the Islanders second attempt to capitalize on the man advantage and put #30 Ben Bishop to the test. Unfortunately about a minute into the Islanders power play, Anton Stralman went down on the ice and had to be helped off, later it would be confirmed it was a broken leg.

When play resumed the Islanders were able to be the first team to light the lamp at 8:54. #29 Brock Nelson scored, with the assist to #17 Ryan Strome and #18 Josh Bailey, the score now 1-0.
The first period was not boding well for the boys in blue. At 10:10 #9 Tyler Johnson committed a two minute minor hooking penalty to test their penalty kill once again. The Lightning were able to stave off the Islanders and at 13:42 in the first period #86 Nikita Kucherov scores a goal and fires the Tesla coils in the “Oil Can.” Assist to #17 Alex Killorn and #62 Andrej Sustr. Then in almost the blink of an eye 9 seconds to be exact another Lightning goal by #90 Vladislav Namestnikov, unassisted. It was Namestnikov’s 14th goal of the season! I think he needs to leave that full face mask on the remainder of the season!
The first period continued to offer excitement as Ben Bishop made a beautiful glove save off of #29 Brock Nelson. And at the other end of the ice Brian Boyle missed a great scoring chance, just seconds before the end of the period. It was a wide open net but his shot went way high and wide. I don’t think the net will be that wide open again tonight.
The first period ends with the Bolts in the lead 2-1.
The second period began and at 5:02 in the second period the Captain #91 Steven Stamkos scores a goal, it’s Hammertime! The assists go to #5 Jason Garrison and #86 Nikita Kucherov. Just 23 seconds later at 5:25 the Islanders light the lamp at the other end of the ice with an unassisted goal by #11 Shane Prince. The Islanders were not going to lay down tonight. The score now Lighting 3, Islanders 2.

The Islanders ##53 Casey Cizikas trips Ben Bishop and gets a two minute minor penalty for goal tender interference. The Bolts would once again be on the power play! Fortunately for the Islanders, the Bolts were not able to get anything going on that man advantage.
At 11:53 #18 Ryan Strome hit #77 Victor Hedman in the face with his stick,  In hockey that will get you a two minute minor penalty for high sticking. The Bolts once again on the power play.
The Bolts being unable to score on the power play, and at full strength the Islanders defenseman #55 Johnny Boychuck rifles a slap shot past Ben Bishop into heavy traffic and scores the third goal for the Islanders. The game was now tied at three.   Unfortunately I think Andrej Sustr helped with the screen against Ben Bishop on that goal.
The third period began all tied at 3. The shots on goal were Tampa 32, Islanders 21. Tough start to the third period, things were getting pretty chippy out there. Nikita Kucherov blocked a shot, and went of the ice pretty gingerly. Hopefully, he will be ok, the Lightning are already down 3 starters. Just as I looked up again, at 6:02 in the third #62 Andrej Sustr ripped a slap shot past netminder #1 Thomas Greiss to fire the Tesla Coils in the Oil Can, Lightning Goal!!!!!! Sustr’s third goal of the season. The assist to #5 Jason Garrison.   As the fans were still celebrating the go ahead goal, #86 Nikolay Kulemin scored a tying goal for the Islanders, with the help of #51 Frans Nielsen and #3 Travis Hamonic at 6:22. All tied up at 4, I guess a fifth goal would be needed to win this game.
In one of the weirdest chain of events I’ve seen this year the Lightning scored their fifth goal at 10:09. Jonathan Marchessault puts a shot on goal the Thomas Greiss get’s a piece of it, it lands on the paint to the side of him, one of the Islanders falls on the puck and #9 Tyler Johnson is there to put the loose puck home. It was Johnsons 13th goal of the season, the assist to #18 Ondrej Palat and #81 Jonathan Marchessault.

Just seconds later at 10:32 #5 Jason Garrison lights the lamp to put the Lightning ahead by 2. The assist from #18 Ondrej Palat and #81 Jonathan Marchessault. Palat and Marchessault were on fire!
With a little more than three minutes left to go in the game the Islanders pull their goalie for a sixth skater. The Islanders did a good job of cycling the puck around and got some great chances, but Big Ben stood his ground! At 18:35 #77 Victor Hedman got the clear, and it went in the net for a goal!  The Lightning win 7-4.
The Lightning take on the Florida Panthers tomorrow night right here at the Oil Can, and they will be without #6 Anton Stralman, unfortunately he broke his leg in the first period.  Big shoes to fill for the defense, but according to Coach Cooper, the other defenseman will step up.
New York Islanders Time On Ice Faceoffs
Player G A +/- SOG MS BS PN PIM HT TK GV SHF TOT PP SH EV FW FL %
J. Bailey LW 0 2 -1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 21 15:47 2:01 0:38 13:08 0 0 00.0
J. Boychuk D 1 0 0 3 0 1 0 0 6 1 0 24 19:56 0:04 3:09 16:43 0 0 00.0
C. Cizikas C 0 0 -2 0 0 0 1 2 0 1 0 19 11:46 0:06 1:52 9:48 9 9 50.0
C. Clutterbuck RW 0 0 -2 0 0 2 0 0 4 1 0 18 11:53 0:06 2:59 8:48 0 0 00.0
C. de Haan D 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 4 21 17:26 0:04 2:58 14:24 0 0 00.0
T. Hamonic D 0 1 -2 2 1 2 0 0 1 0 1 23 23:40 0:02 4:33 19:05 0 0 00.0
T. Hickey D 0 0 -1 2 0 1 0 0 1 0 2 22 17:19 1:39 1:20 14:20 0 0 00.0
N. Kulemin LW 1 0 -1 2 0 0 0 0 2 1 1 21 16:02 0:00 2:51 13:11 0 0 00.0
N. Leddy D 0 0 -2 2 0 3 0 0 2 0 2 21 24:22 4:17 0:00 20:05 0 0 00.0
A. Lee C 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 22 17:19 3:17 0:10 13:52 0 1 00.0
M. Martin LW 0 0 -2 1 1 0 1 10 4 0 0 13 8:36 0:06 0:00 8:30 0 0 00.0
B. Nelson C 1 0 2 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 21 13:54 2:01 0:00 11:53 4 8 33.3
F. Nielsen C 0 1 -1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 22 21:03 3:53 3:30 13:40 10 11 47.6
K. Okposo RW 0 0 -1 5 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 19 17:59 3:53 0:00 14:06 0 0 00.0
S. Prince C 1 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 19 12:49 0:00 0:00 12:49 0 0 00.0
R. Pulock D 0 0 -1 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 20 14:00 2:37 0:00 11:23 0 0 00.0
R. Strome C 0 1 -1 1 1 1 1 2 0 0 0 20 15:20 2:01 0:00 13:19 1 0 100.0
J. Tavares C 0 1 -2 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 20 17:21 3:53 0:00 13:28 10 11 47.6

New York Islanders Scratches

Player Detail
E. Boulton Scratched
J. Halak Groin
B. Strait Scratched
M. Zidlicky Upper Body
S. Bernier Scratched
M. Grabovski Upper Body

Tampa Bay Lightning

Time On Ice Faceoffs
Player G A +/- SOG MS BS PN PIM HT TK GV SHF TOT PP SH EV FW FL %
M. Blunden RW 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 10 2 0 0 12 7:06 0:00 0:00 7:06 0 0 00.0
B. Boyle C 0 0 1 6 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 20 13:39 2:58 1:15 9:26 10 4 71.4
J. Brown RW 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 21 15:07 0:00 2:15 12:52 0 0 00.0
M. Carle D 0 1 -1 1 1 3 0 0 0 1 1 29 24:27 2:11 1:06 21:10 0 0 00.0
B. Coburn D 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 29 18:08 0:00 2:32 15:36 0 0 00.0
E. Condra RW 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 15 10:14 0:00 1:21 8:53 0 0 00.0
J. Garrison D 1 2 3 1 0 1 1 2 1 0 0 30 20:58 0:00 1:27 19:31 0 0 00.0
V. Hedman D 1 0 3 2 0 1 0 0 3 1 1 28 25:36 2:47 2:53 19:56 0 0 00.0
T. Johnson C 1 0 1 2 0 1 1 2 1 0 1 20 14:59 2:26 0:00 12:33 8 6 57.1
A. Killorn C 0 1 1 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 21 19:37 3:01 0:00 16:36 0 4 00.0
N. Kucherov RW 1 1 1 3 2 2 0 0 0 1 5 20 18:26 3:34 0:00 14:52 0 0 00.0
J. Marchessault C 0 2 0 4 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 19 13:24 2:59 0:00 10:25 0 0 00.0
V. Namestnikov C 1 0 0 2 0 1 1 2 0 0 0 20 15:09 3:01 0:00 12:08 0 0 00.0
O. Palat LW 0 3 1 8 1 2 0 0 2 0 1 20 17:20 2:35 3:01 11:44 1 0 100.0
C. Paquette C 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 19 13:18 0:00 1:44 11:34 11 8 57.9
S. Stamkos C 1 0 1 3 3 2 0 0 3 0 2 25 23:00 3:25 2:24 17:11 10 12 45.5
A. Stralman D 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 5 3:34 1:02 1:53 0:39 0 0 00.0
A. Sustr D 1 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 26 19:58 0:01 2:09 17:48 0 0 00.0

Tampa Bay Lightning Scratches

Player Detail
N. Nesterov Scratched
V. Filppula Upper Body
R. Callahan Lower Body Injury

Goaltending Summary

New York Islanders Goaltending

Player SA GA Saves SV% TOI PIM
T. Greiss 41 6 35 .854 57:28 0

Tampa Bay Lightning Goaltending

Player SA GA Saves SV% TOI PIM
B. Bishop 31 4 27 .871 60:00 0
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