The Tampa Bay Lightning find themselves shorthanded as they head into tonight’s Game Three matchup with the New York Islanders. Yesterday, Alex Killorn was suspended one game for his late hit on Brock Nelson. While Killorn’s status does little to help the Lightning, it’s Brayden Point’s condition that is a far more pressing concern. Injured in Game Two, Point looks like he may be ready to go tonight as the Lightning look to take a commanding 3-0 series. Nothing has been confirmed by the coach, but Point was reportedly at the morning skate earlier today:
Brayden Point was on the ice for morning skate. That’s a good sign for his status tonight. https://t.co/vNRGiQfHZS pic.twitter.com/aJyyorIJGI
— Diana C. Nearhos (@dianacnearhos) September 11, 2020
On the flip side, you can almost guarantee that the Islanders are going to leave everything out on the ice. Barry Trotz suggested after Game Two that this series is “close to flipping,… which tells me that he’s going to make a few tweaks to the game plan in advance of tonight’s tilt. The Islanders were blown out in Game One, but had an opportunity to play their game to near-perfection in Game Two. Look for an even better performance from them tonight.
The key for the Lightning, with the Islanders in such a vulnerable position, is to stick with their own game plan. There’s certainly an argument to be made that Tampa’s turn towards physical, chippy hockey in Game Two did little to improve their chances in the contest, despite the ultimate result. The Islanders are a frustrating bunch to play against, thanks in large part to their structured and disciplined system, but that doesn’t mean that the Lightning can afford to take their frustration out on their opponent. Relying on the penalty kill to the same extent again would be a mistake.
Ultimately, this game feels like a make-or-break moment for the Islanders, even though it’s not a trust must-win matchup. Much as opportunity knocked for New York throughout Game Two, it’s knocking loudly in a slightly different way right now for Tampa Bay. The only thing left to do is execute on the plan. Here’s hoping they deliver.
As always, thanks for reading.