Fresh off an inspiring performance against the Carolina Hurricanes, the Tampa Bay Lightning have a date set with the surging New York Islanders for later this evening. While the Lightning eye a playoff spot from afar, the Islanders sit within the top eight largely in part to an impressive run that has seen them go 5-1-1 in their last seven contests. With the Lightning boasting a record of 3-0-1 since Guy Boucher’s dismissal, it’s fair to say that both of these clubs are getting hot at the right time.

The Bolts and Islanders have already met twice this season, with the Islanders winning both of those tilts. Recent history between these clubs has not been overly kind to the Lightning as the Bolts haven’t picked up a victory at the Nassau Coliseum since 2010. On the one hand, that’s fairly discouraging. On the other hand, the law of averages dictates that the Bolts are poised for a breakthrough. Either way you cut it, the Lightning are going to need a solid performance from top to bottom in order to grab two points this evening.

After stopping 45 of 45 shots directed towards him in the Lightning’s 5-0 win over the Hurricanes, Ben Bishop will make his second consecutive start. Having been plagued by inconsistency in the crease for years, the Lightning are looking for Bishop to give them some much needed stability. The big netminder was more than solid in his debut and will get to face one of the league’s most dangerous snipers in John Tavares tonight. He had better be ready.

The Lightning team that will take to the ice tonight is much different than the one the Islanders saw earlier this season. New head coach Jon Cooper spoke about his teams having a certain ‘swagger’ out on the ice, and through three games of his tenure it’s mighty apparent that this is a changed group. The systems are better, the team defense is better, and the overall atmosphere is better. This is a resilient bunch full of heart, soul, and dedication; it would behoove the Islanders to treat the Lightning as a serious threat.

If the Lightning are to win tonight, they are going to have to do it without Victor Hedman. After being injured in the team’s last game, Hedman has confirmed that he will not suit up either tonight or tomorrow against the Capitals. Losing Hedman creates a big hole on the Lightning blue line, and as a result the team has called up Matt Taormina from Syracuse. With the Bolts’s number one defender out, everybody on the back end is going to have to do just a little bit extra.

With that piece of bad news out of the way, it should be noted that Nate Thompson will return to the line-up after serving his two game suspension. Thompson's defensive prowess and knack for creating timely offense was missed while he was out. Adding him to a now surprisingly deep center core will only make this Lightning group that much better.

With two of the league’s most potent and exciting clubs taking to the ice tonight, fans should be in for a real treat. A win tonight would boost the Lightning’s chances in the playoff race and give them a real shot at completing a rather miraculous comeback. A loss tonight would be a pretty large setback. If the team can exert the same sort of effort seen through Cooper’s short stint, it’s hard not to like their chances. This 2013 season is far from over, and the dream is very much alive.

As always, thanks for reading. Predictions?

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