TAMPA, Fla. — The Lightning’s first visit from the New York Islanders since the do-or-die Game 7 win in last season’s NHL semifinals brought back memories of one of their hardest-fought games during the Stanley Cup run.
For a team that’s not in the same division, the teams — as Lightning coach Jon Cooper said — “know each other inside and out.” The Lightning ousted the Islanders in each of the past two seasons to advance to the Cup final.
“Probably one of the best hockey games I think I’ve played in since I’ve been with the Lightning,” Alex Killorn said about that playoff meeting. ”I remember how loud the crowd was and how tight the game was and how it could have went either way.”
And Monday night’s game met expectations, from the first fists thrown between Pat Maroon and Zdeno Chara right after the puck drop to the end of a fast, physical game between two of the league’s heavyweights.
The Lightning’s two playoff series wins over the Islanders were defining defensively, and that’s how Tampa Bay beat New York on Monday night at Amalie in a 4-1 win.
The Lightning (8-3-3) withstood a persistent Islanders charge in the final two periods to earn a point in their eighth straight game (6-0-2).
Anthony Cirelli gave the Lightning a 2-1, scoring with 37.3 seconds left in the opening period. Playing in front of the net, Cirelli collected the puck as Ondrej Palat’s shot hit off Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov and into the low shot. Cirell snapped a shot through traffic and past Varlamov gloveside.
The Lightning allowed a goal just 2:53 into the game when a Victor Hedman turnover gave Islanders forward Mathew Barzal a breakaway.
But Tampa Bay answered on the next shift, with Mathieu Joseph scoring just 23 seconds after Barzal. Killorn’s pressure by the near boards forced a bad pass from Sebastian Aho that went untouched to the top of the right circle. Joseph snagged it, circled around into the high slot and beat Varlamov gloveside with a wrister.
Cirelli went off with 7:04 left in the second after fighting with Islanders forward Brock Nelson after Nelson came charging at Killorn against the end boards. After landing several right-hand punches, Cirelli was given two-minute instigator penalty, a five-minute fighting major and a 10-minute game misconduct.
The Lightning, meanwhile, killed off two big Islanders power plays in the second period. And the period ended with the pushing and jawing that we’ve all seen in these teams’ playoff meetings the past two seasons.
In the third period, the Lightning added goals from Brayden Point and Steven Stamkos, the latter on the power play, inside the final seven minutes, which also saw rookie Boris Katchouk engage the 6-foot-9 Chara in a fight, wrestling him to the ice despite giving up 7 inches and 46 points to Chara.
