How do you fall behind 3-0 in the first five minutes of a game? The answer is a deadly cocktail of lethargy, poor execution, and an unlucky break. The Lightning lost 5-1 to the Islanders in Brooklyn last night, very clearly affected by it being the second game of a back-to-back on the road. Tampa Bay didn’t look fast, didn’t pass well, and lost puck battles. The offense was insipid and the defense was aimless. But when a team had won 18 of their last 20 games, they should be forgiven a clunker.

On the Brock Nelson power-play tally, Ryan McDonagh failed to clear the zone when presented with the opportunity, and the Lightning failed to wrest possession from the Islanders when the puck was up for grabs along the boards. New York went up 1-0 and, from the Lightning point of view, it was not ideal but workable.

The second goal was a defensive breakdown from both members of the Braydon Coburn and Mikhail Sergachev defensive pair. Coburn coughed the puck up on the breakout and Sergachev allowed Andre Vasilevskiy to take the shooter while he eliminated the pass through the crease. Unfortunately, when Sergachev tried to block the pass from Matt Martin to Cal Clutterbuck, the puck snuck under his stick to make the score 2-0. Not great, but surmountable.

The goal less than 20 seconds later that would make it 3-0 was another collapse by the Lightning breakout. Vasilevskiy’s pass to Victor Hedman was quickly reversed to the far side and Anton Stralman lost the race to the corner. But the puck would shoot up the boards and somehow bypass Matheiu Joseph on his wing. Devon Toews walked into a shot and poof!—it was a three-goal margin.

The Lightning did have a strong push to begin the second. Nikita Kucherov hit the post on the power play. Anthony Cirelli provided a nice screen on Islanders goaltender Thomas Greiss on a long-distance Erik Cernak shot. And Steven Stamkos and Ondrej Palat combined for several chances before the first TV timeout of the period, only to see their two best opportunities foiled by shot blocks from Mathew Barzal and Anthony Beauvillier. It wasn’t until Brayden Point lost Casey Czikas in coverage, which allowed the Islanders to extend the lead to four, that the game became officially out of reach.

Greiss deserves credit for a strong goaltending performance. The Lightning had chances to cut the lead and try to make it competitive—they finished with 23 Scoring Chances at 5v5 to the Islanders 15—but Greiss was sharp. Vasilevskiy also made multiple, high-difficulty saves. Even though Vasilevskiy surrendered four goals, he managed to save the Lightning from further humiliation. It was a forgettable night for Tampa Bay.

The Islanders are a much better team and far more structured under Barry Trotz. They have a nice bridge between their promising young talent and their skilled veterans. If the Islanders thrash the Lightning in their next meeting, at the Nassau Coliseum on February 1st, there might be more to glean since the Lightning will have had a night off to rest. But last night, the problem seems obvious. The Lightning flopped. The Lightning play tomorrow night at Dallas. Expect much more vitality and scoring.

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