Be sure to 'like' Hockeybuzz on Facebook!
The Tampa Bay Lightning, for as hot and cold as they’ve been (the entire division -- no, conference -- has been hot and cold), are still in a strong position in the Atlantic Division. In fact, a win tonight and the Bolts move back into first place in the Atlantic. But after a homestand-starting 6-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night, the schedule only gets more challenging for Jon Cooper’s group, with a back-to-back against the New York Islanders and Florida Panthers beginning tonight.
With both the Atlantic and Metropolitan as tight as it is this late in the season -- the Bolts are just two points away from the first-place Cats with a game in hand while the Islanders are currently in the first wild card but just a single point away from third place in the Metro -- the Bolts expect the Isles’ best.
But not to the point where it can dictate the way they approach this pivotal contest.
“We can’t worry about where the Islanders are at or what they’re fighting for,… Cooper said. “We’re at home. We have the next five at home. We have to look after home ice.…
A Tampa Bay win would move the club into first place over Florida -- though the clubs would be tied in points -- and set the stage for a major winner-takes-first Saturday night matchup with the Panthers.
With Jaroslav Halak out of action, the Islanders will turn to their de facto No. 1, Thomas Greiss, for his seventh start since Mar. 9. Greiss stopped 23-of-26 in a Monday loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, and has lost five of his last six starts overall, with a .913 save percentage over that stretch. The 30-year-old Greiss backstopped the Islanders to a victory in their last head-to-head with the Bolts behind a 29-of-31 night, and is 2-0-0 in two career games against the Bolts.
Tampa Bay will counter with Ben Bishop. With wins in seven of his last 10 decisions, Bishop has straight rolled for the Bolts of late, and stopped 23-of-25 in a way in his last outing. Over that 10-game stretch, the 6-foot-7 netminder has come through with a ridiculous .949 save percentage. Bishop has four wins and a .904 save percentage in eight career games against the Islanders.
- Tampa captain Steven Stamkos has 10 goals and 23 points in 24 games against the Isles.
- Lightning d-man Victor Hedman has four assists in his last three games.
- Alex Killorn has just one goal in his last 11 games played.
- NY’s John Tavares has eight goals and 21 points in 21 career games against Tampa Bay.
- Islander defenseman Johnny Boychuk has gone seven straight games without a point.
Other news and notes
With Callahan and Filppula still out, expect Erik Condra, fresh off his first two-goal game in a Tampa Bay uniform, to remain in the lineup as the Bolts’ 11th forward.
Along with Halak, the Islanders are without d-man Marek Zidlicky and forward Mikhail Grabovski.
Ty Anderson has been covering the National Hockey League for HockeyBuzz.com since 2010, has been a member of the Pro Hockey Writers Association's Boston Chapter since 2013, and can be contacted on Twitter, or emailed at Ty.AndersonHB[at]gmail.com.