The Tampa Bay Lightning made the adjustments they needed to, and it resulted in a 4-2 win for the Lightning to tie up the series at a game apiece.
Now the series shifts to New York and the Nassau Coliseum for games three and four. The coliseum has a reputation for having one of the loudest arenas in the NHL.
The Lightning got three five on five goals and had one power-play goal to take down the Islanders.
The first star of the game, Nikita Kucherov, had three assists to add to his playoff scoring lead.
Jon Cooper talked about the performance of Kucherov after the game and how he continues to impress night in and night out.
“He’s remarkably gifted, does everything with grace. He’s just so smooth in the plays he makes, his vision, and how he can see and make plays. It almost looks effortless. I know it’s not. He works at doing what he does extremely well. But he sure can make plays out of what looks like nothing. And he is fun to watch.”
This was the fourth playoff game where Kucherov had at least three points. The Lightning are now 12-0 in the playoffs after a loss since the 2019 season.
Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 24 of 26 shots to help the Lightning get the win.
Islanders coach Barry Trotz was disappointed in the results, but said his team can play better and will play better on Thursday Night.
Things got a bit chippy at the end of the game as there was a lot of pushing, shoving, and punching in the Lightning offensive zone along the boards as both teams tried to set the tone for game three.
The Lightning are 5-1 on the road this season. They have played some of their best hockey on the road in these playoffs, which should continue tonight.
The Lightning is 6-1 all-time in playoff games on the road against the Islanders.
Jon Copper talked about the team’s success on the road and
why the Lightning has been successful in this playoff run.
“In a weird way, playing last year in the playoffs on the road, even though there weren’t fans there, it probably helped us in a way. But, you need maturity to play on the road. I said this and used this last night about managing your emotions because whether you’re at home or on the road, you have to take the crowd out of it and focus on your game. These last two playoff runs, we’ve done a really good job at that.”
One of the critical factors in helping the Lightning win on the road is the defense’s play. The Bolts are allowing 1.83 goals per game on the road, which has helped them win the last two series.
Victor Hedman talked about the pride that the Lightning takes in their defense. “That’s what we pride ourselves in. In the playoffs, it’s tough to lose two in a row. After you lose one game, you want to get back at it.”
The Lightning will try and get the lead early tonight on the road in a challenging environment. Then, play solid defense the rest of the way and get the win in game three.
