NEW YORK _ The Lightning are the best team based on the NHL standings but the Islanders were the better team on the ice on Sunday night.
Three goals in the opening 4:43 and two goals from their fourth line paced the Islanders to a 5-1 win over the league-leading Lightning at Barclays Center, a strong affirmation they'll be able to compete with the NHL's best throughout the playoff push.
"It's a lot of fun," Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield said of facing the Lightning. "I don't think anyone is nervous. These are the games you want to play."
The Islanders (25-15-4), who lost to the Rangers, 2-1, on Saturday afternoon in Brooklyn, have now won 11 of their previous 14, helped Sunday by Thomas Greiss' 38 saves. Fourth-line center Casey Cizikas had a goal and an assist, right wing Cal Clutterbuck added a goal and Matt Martin had two primary assists.
The Lightning (35-9-2) are still 18-2-1 since Nov. 29 and have taken to resting players on a rotating basis as they look ahead to the postseason. Ex-Rangers Dan Girardi and Ryan Callahan, along with Danick Martel, were given Sunday off after Saturday night's 5-3 win at Buffalo.
"The way we've been playing, it's more about the bigger picture than just the next night," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said.
How strange of a game was it for the Lightning? They lost their Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Victor Hedman on the first shift of the second period when he collided with one of the referees and appeared to hurt his face.
Andrei Vasilevskiy made 23 saves for the Lightning but Cooper first pulled him for an extra skater at 10:14 of the third period, though he returned to ice less than a minute later as he changed on the fly with his teammates. He continued to shuttle on and off the ice the rest of the period but Josh Bailey put the finishing touches on the game with an empty-netter with 51.2 seconds left.
The Islanders' first-period barrage marked the fifth time in team history they'd scored three goals in the opening 4:43 of a game, and the first time since 2005.
Brock Nelson, taking a feed from Jordan Eberle in the slot, opened the scoring on the power play at 1:21 after the Islanders were 0-for-6 on the man advantage on Saturday.
Clutterbuck, at the crease, made it 2-0 at 4:27 after Cizikas created a turnover deep in the Lightning zone. Rookie defenseman Devon Toews, off the ensuing faceoff, made it 3-0 16 seconds later with a shot from the left boards for his third NHL goal.
Vasilevskiy did stop Mathew Barzal's breakaway at 17:39 of the first period.
But the fourth line connected again as Martin set up Cizikas at the crease to make it 4-0 at 11:03 of the second period.
Greiss made 21 second-period saves, including power-play stops on Brayden Point's one-timer at 14:26 and Steven Stamkos' hard shot from the left boards at 15:19. But Stamkos did set up Ryan McDonagh's goal to bring the Lightning within 4-1 at 18:12 on their 22nd shot of the second period.
Greiss also robbed Stamkos at 15:27 of the third period with the Islanders protecting a three-goal lead and the Lightning, often skating six on five with Vasilevskiy off for an extra skater, applying constant pressure.
