For the first time since Jon Cooper took over as head coach, the Tampa Bay Lightning laid an egg. On Saturday night, the New York Islanders outworked, outplayed, and simply outmatched the Bolts. The Lightning desperately needed a win and instead they did everything in their power to guarantee a loss.

For a team that had shown so much promise through three games of Cooper’s tenure, the loss was incredibly discouraging. In fact, according to Sports Club Stats, the Lightning’s chances of making the playoffs have been cut in half thanks to Saturday’s result. Simply put – it was a bad loss at the most inopportune time.

Right from puck drop, it was pretty apparent that it just wasn’t going to be the Bolts’s night. There was a lot of lunging for pucks, a lot of standing around, and a lot of watching the puck. Ask anyone with knowledge of the game and said person will tell you that’s not a recipe for success. The Islanders really looked like they wanted the two points more than the Lightning. The Isles were fast, they moved the puck well, and they stunted the Lightning’s attack on nearly every breakout.

That hard work was rewarded as Michael Grabner converted on a Nate Thompson turnover to give the Islanders a 1-0 lead with five minutes left in the first period. Thompson, back after serving his two game suspension, gave the puck up right at the blue line to one of the purest snipers in the league. To state it bluntly – that’s just unacceptable. Grabner’s slap shot found its way past Ben Bishop, and the Islanders never looked back.

Early in the second, despite being ridiculously outworked, the Lightning tied the game when Vincent Lecavalier made a stunning backhand pass to Richard Panik who made no mistake roofing his second of the season. The tie game didn’t last long, however, as only minutes later Kyle Okposo crafted some nifty stick work and found Josh Bailey who backhanded the puck past Bishop to give the Isles a 2-1 lead heading into the second intermission.

Despite all that went wrong on Saturday night, the Lightning did what they have done so many times this season – they battled back. Four minutes into the third, Matt Carle gathered a Steven Stamkos rebound and flicked the puck past Evgeni Nabokov to tie the game. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to propel the Lightning to victory. Just past the midway point of the period, Matt Martin fired a shot that somehow found its way through Ben Bishop. That third Islanders goal, which turned out to be the game winner, is certainly one that Bishop would like back. It was a weak one, to say the least.

Andrew MacDonald would add an empty net tally to cap the Islanders’s victory margin at 4-2. The Lightning were simply outmatched by a superior opponent in nearly every facet of the game. The effort level from the group didn’t indicate any desire to chase down the Southeast Division crown. In fact, it did exactly the opposite. Turnovers, weak passes, and a lot of reaching aren’t things that help to get the job done at the National Hockey League level.

A lot of people will point to Big Ben's mistake on the third Islanders goal as the breaking point, but the reality is that this game would have been over in the first period were it not for Ben Bishop. He kept the team in this one early, and deserved a much better effort from the guys in front of him. While Martin's weak goal might have hurt up on the scoreboard, the Lightning really didn't deserve victory.

The Bolts have to regroup quickly as they head to Washington to take on the Capitals tomorrow night. Now six points back of the Capitals, the Lightning are in must win territory. It’s time to forget Saturday and prepare for Sunday.

As always, thanks for reading.

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