The New York Islanders were never going to go away quietly. Down 2-0 in the Eastern Conference Final heading into Friday night’s game, it was basically a do-or-die moment for them; the Tampa Bay Lightning had a golden opportunity to take a virtual stranglehold on the series. Unfortunately for the Bolts, a string of self-inflicted wounds, odd happenings, and the Islanders’ ability to capitalize combined to result in a 5-3 loss. And so, we have ourselves a series.
Arguably the most disappointing part of Friday’s game from Tampa’s perspective is the fact that, despite shooting themselves in the foot time after time during the game, they hung around right until the end. The Lightning were “off… for most of the evening, but had every chance to come out with a victory. It was a winnable game, even without Alex Killorn and Brayden Point.
Here are my thumbs up and thumbs down from Friday’s game:
Thumbs Down: Vasilevskiy’s Pads Much as they did in Game Two, things got off to a rocky start in Game Three for Tampa Bay. This time, though, Andrei Vasilevskiy’s pads were at least partially to blame. Immediately prior to Cal Clutterbuck opening the scoring midway through the first period, Vasilevskiy’s pad was dangling freely from his leg. He looked to the officials for a whistle to no avail, and shortly thereafter found himself looking at the puck in the back of his net. What an odd sequence.
Thumbs Up: Tyler…? Johnson…? Scores…? It’s been a *very* rough return to play for Tyler Johnson, who hasn’t lived up to the reputation his previous playoff performances demand. Maybe things will change now, as Johnson scored his first goal since the Columbus series to tie the game at three in the third period. It was a big goal at a big moment, it was a skilled tip, and it gave the Lightning new life (for a few minutes, anyways). Perhaps this is something he can build on.
Thumbs Down: Ryan McDonagh From my perspective, the eye test wasn’t particularly friendly to Ryan McDonagh on Friday night. He got walked on Anthony Beauvillier’s second period goal, and did nothing but watch and wave his stick on Brock Nelson’s game winning goal. The underlying numbers suggest that my optical assessment was fairly accurate; per Natural Stat Trick, McDonagh sported a 27% expected goal share (!) at five-on-five. The Lightning need more from him moving forward.
Thumbs Up: Ondrej Palat’s Monster Performance Palat’s resurgence during this postseason has been incredibly special. Anyone who was concerned that it was simply a product of playing with Point had those fears tossed aside thanks to the monster performance he turned in with Point out of the lineup. Not only did he tip in an important third period power play marker, but he also generated beyond-elite results at five-on-five; Natural Stat Trick showed him as earning an 81% shot attempt share and 89% expected goal share. Thumbs Down: Cooper’s Lineup Decision What’s the point of dressing 11 forwards and 7 defenders if Luke Schenn isn’t going to play at all? His eight minutes of ice time were less than each and every forward's..
Thumbs Up: Mikhail Sergachev’s Backhand Snipe When Sergachev has confidence to do things with the puck, he delivers memorable moments. His first period goal on Friday was an example of that, as he danced his way into the slot before firing a beautiful backhand into the Islanders net to knot things at 1-1. You can bet that his agent was watching, smiling.
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Sunday’s Game Three is of paramount importance for Tampa Bay. A 3-1 series lead looks a whole lot different than a 2-2 series, especially as Dallas has pushed Vegas to the brink in the West. The Lightning weren’t at their best on Friday, but managed to stick around until almost the end; a better, more structured performance on Sunday should provide an opportunity to earn a win.
As always, thanks for reading.