After keeping up his scoring touch to help Tampa Bay get a big road victory their Stanley Cup semi-final series, Brayden Point was especially proud of the Lightning’s defensive effort.
Point on Thursday scored the tiebreaking goal late in the second period and Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 27 shots as the Lightning beat the New York Islanders 2-1 to take a 2-1 series lead.
The Islanders outshot the Lightning 8-5 in a tight third period, but could not tie it.
Photo: Andy Marlin-USA Today
They pulled goalie Semyon Varlamov for an extra skater with about 1 minute, 48 seconds remaining, but could not manage a shot on goal.
“They had some control late, something to look at,” Point said. “We still had guys sacrificing, blocking shots and all that good stuff. We’ll take the win for sure.”
Yanni Gourde also scored to help Tampa Bay improve to 6-1 on the road in the playoffs.
“We kept the game really simple,” Gourde said. “We managed the game for most part of the game and that was the key, especially in the third period. We closed the ice pretty well and we got the puck deep whenever we got the chance. I think that was very important for us.”
Cal Clutterbuck scored for the Islanders, while Varlamov finished with 23 saves.
Game 4 is today at Nassau Coliseum, with Game 5 back in Tampa on Monday.
“Tampa’s good all around,” New York’s Matt Martin said. “They’re the defending Stanley Cup champions and they know what it takes to win... They know what they have to do in their D zone.”
Both teams had chances in a fast-paced second period.
The Islanders had some sustained pressure in the offensive zone midway through, but could not beat Vasilevskiy. The goalie denied a shot by Adam Pelech with six minutes to go and Mathew Barzal hit a goalpost seconds later. Vasilevskiy then denied Barzal’s attempted tip.
“We have to get more pucks, we have to get inside,” Islanders coach Barry Trotz said. “We had some chances. Vasilevskiy made a couple of key saves. They didn’t have a lot tonight, I thought we were pretty good defensively as well.”
The Islanders tied it late in the second.
Off a scramble for the puck in front of Vasilveskiy, Lightning defenseman Eric Cernak attempted to push the puck into the goalie. Clutterbuk and several players whacked at the puck, and it went through Vasilevskiy’s feet and in with 2:22 left.
The Lightning regained the lead just four seconds after their power play expired in the final minute of the second. Point got the rebound of a point shot by Victor Hedman and whipped it in past Varlamov as he was falling to the ice with 18 seconds remaining.
It was Point’s 11th of the post-season and extended his goals streak to six games. He has eight goals in the past nine games.
“I didn’t really take a look at it on the replay, but I think I just kind of got knocked down, and the puck just kind of got on my stick and I slammed it into the net,” Point said. “I’m not sure how it went in. One of those lucky ones we needed tonight.”
Point’s streak is the longest in the playoffs since Ottawa’s Martin Havlat also scored in six straight in 2006. Claude Lemieux (1997), Joe Sakic (1996), Mario Lemieux (1996), Pat LaFontaine (1992) and Mario Lemieux (1991) are tied for the most in the past 30 years with seven straight.
The Lightning outshot the Islanders 9-7 in the first period and got on the scoreboard first midway through.
Blake Coleman’s shot from the left circle was stopped by Varlamov, but Coleman got the rebound and sent a backhand pass across the front of the goal from behind the line. Gourde knocked it in from the right side for his third of the post-season with 9:55 left.
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