TAMPA, Fla. — The Lightning’s most tightly contested series of the past two postseasons took a wild turn Monday night at Amalie Arena.
With their semifinal series with the Islanders tied at two games each, the Lightning needed to rebound on home ice in a series that had become a best-of-three.
The Lightning didn’t just beat the Islanders in Game 5, they dismantled them in an 8-0 rout. The Lightning’s final tally was their most goals in 27 postseason games — since an 8-2 Game 1 win over the Islanders in last year’s Eastern Conference Final.
Now the Lightning are one win from their second straight Stanley Cup Final. They can close out the Islanders and end their run at Nassau Coliseum on Wednesday night in Long Island.
The Lightning continued their remarkable streak of rebounding after a loss, improving to 12-0 when coming off a defeat over the past two postseasons.
They opened the night with what might have been their most overpowering period of the postseason, running out to a three-goal lead, dominating puck possession and utilizing eight odd-man rushes.
A three-goal second, which included two power-play goals, extended the domination. The Lightning had three power-play goals on the night. They had just two over the first four games of the series.
The Lightning’s second line entered the night without a goal in these semifinals, but sparked Tampa Bay out of the gate as forwards Steven Stamkos and Alex Killorn each scored twice.
The Islanders went into the first intermission shell-shocked. Each of the Lightning’s first-period goals was a result of New York turnovers.
Stamkos scored his first goal in six games, putting in a rebound off Killorn’s shot from the slot inside the far post.
Islanders defenseman Ryan Pelech turned the puck over in the neutral zone, and the puck landed on the stick of Anthony Cirelli, who passed to Stamkos along the left circle. Stamkos turned down the initial shot, instead feeding a trailing Killorn approaching through the slot, and was to the left side of the goal when the rebound kicked out to him.
Blake Coleman took the puck away from Islanders forward Leo Komarov near the New York blue line, giving the Lightning a 2-on-1 rush with the puck on Yanni Gourde’s stick. Gourde faked a cross-slot pass to Barclay Goodrow and put a shot on net that hit off Islanders defender Andy Greene and past goaltender Semyon Varlamov.
Killorn deflected the Lightning’s third goal into the net in traffic off defenseman David Savard’s shot attempt from the right point, sending Varlamov to the bench for a goaltender change. Varlamov, who allowed two goals a game through the series entering the night, allowed three goals in the first 15:27 of Game 5.
Stamkos scored again 5:42 into the second, burying a one-timer from the left circle high stickside past Ilya Sorokin.
The Lightning added two more goals in the second period. Ondrej Palat deflected Savard’s shot on net with 4:17 left in the period, and Killorn netted his second score, deflecting Victor Hedman’s puck on net on the power play with 2:07 to play.
Brayden Point wouldn’t be denied in the rout, scoring 1:59 into the third on the power play after Islanders forward Mathew Barzal was given a five-minute cross-checking major and game misconduct at the end of the second period for his hit on Lightning defenseman Jan Rutta.
Point’s score, his league-leading 12th of the postseason, gave him goals in eight straight playoff games, which is the second-longest streak in NHL history. Philadelphia’s Reggie Leach scored in 10 straight in 1976.
Luke Schenn, who was playing for injured defenseman Erik Cernak, put the Lightning up 8-0 with 7:55 left in the third.
Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy had 20 saves for his fourth career postseason shutout, and third of these playoffs.
