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NYHN Daily: Islanders Fall in Game 2 to Lightning & more

Published

3 years ago

June 16, 2021

The Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the New York Islanders by a score of 4-2 to even up this semi-finals series at two apiece. Has the support for the Islanders grown this postseason? These stories and more in today’s daily links!

The Islanders have spent most of the playoffs battling from behind and on Tuesday that was no different. Ondrej Palat broke a 1-1 tie in the second period with a goal from the slot to give Tampa Bay back the lead and Jan Rutta and Victor Hedman extended it in the third period. Rutta’s goal at 2:16 of the third period was the first goal by a Tampa Bay defender in the postseason. (NYI Hockey Now)

These are not the same old New York Islanders anymore. As if you needed more proof than the team’s second consecutive trip back to the Stanley Cup Semifinals, all you had to do was look at new Twitter data from Betonline.ag. (NYI Hockey Now)

The Tampa Bay Lightning evened the Stanley Cup Semifinals with a 4-2 win against the New York Islanders in Game 2 at Amalie Arena in Tampa on Tuesday. Brayden Point scored for a fifth straight game, and Nikita Kucherov had three assists for the Lightning, who have not lost consecutive games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs since the 2019 Eastern Conference First Round (11-0). Andrei Vasilevskiy made 24 saves. (NHL)

The New York Islanders expected the Tampa Bay Lightning to raise their level in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Semifinals on Tuesday, and that’s exactly what the defending Stanley Cup champions did. But the Islanders couldn’t respond in kind in a sloppy effort in a 4-2 loss at Amalie Arena in Tampa. So the best-of-7 series is tied with Game 3 at Nassau Coliseum in New York on Thursday. (NHL)

So this was what all the pre-series gushing was about from every corner of the hockey world – including from the Islanders themselves – about the deep, dangerous defending Stanley Cup champion Lightning. Forgive those of us who spent the regular season watching a numbing parade of intra-division games against the likes of the Devils and Sabres and forgot what the rest of the league looks like, especially its elite teams. (Newsday)

What was the turning point in Game 3? Did you notice what changes were made to the Islanders’ power play? Want to know a key stat about the Lightning? (Newsday)

Ten years ago tonight, the Boston Bruins hoisted the Stanley Cup for the first time in 39 years. That improbable run to the 2011 Stanley Cup win in Vancouver on June 15, 2011, and the way the city of Boston and the team embraced each other during it and in the months and years after is something Boston Bruins team President and hall of famer Cam Neely holds dear to his heart. (Boston Hockey Now)

Money will be tight around the NHL again this summer. The flat salary cap figures to be a fixture until 2024, give or take a year, and RFAs will bear the brunt of the cap-strapped teams, lack of suitors, and restricted free agency rules, which should be more appropriately termed restrictive. The Pittsburgh Penguins have five RFAs, and not all will be back. (Pittsburgh Hockey Now)

Philadelphia Flyers forward Oskar Lindblom won the Bill Masterson Memorial Trophy for the 2020-21 season, the NHL announced on Tuesday night. The Flyers tweeted out a great video of Lindblom’s journey over the past 18 months. (Philly Hockey Now)

Lucas Wallmark and the Florida Panthers have parted ways — again. On Tuesday, CSKA Moscow of the KHL announced it had signed the center to a one-year deal. (Florida Hockey Now)

If we’re voting for the sexiest trade Steve Yzerman has made during his tenure as GM of the Detroit Red Wings, certainly the deal that brought Jakub Vrana and first-round pick to the team wins the day. However, that move must do some more moving in order to lay claim to the title as Yzerman’s best trade in Detroit. (Detroit Hockey Now)

This has been a lousy few days. As people who watch and care about the Colorado Avalanche, it was a lousy feeling watching last night’s Vegas-Montreal game. But Avalanche fans must keep their head up and cannot give up on their team now. (Colorado Hockey Now)

“There aren’t a lot of bona fide [No. 2 centers] but there are plenty of No. 3’s that are out there.” That’s one NHL scout’s assessment of the UFA landscape for centermen this off-season. This is especially relevant to the San Jose Sharks, as Doug Wilson’s top priorities this off-season are addressing his goaltending and adding a third-line center. (San Jose Hockey Now)

NHL Mailbag: What are the Avalanche’s offseason plans? Rask’s future with Bruins? NHL.com’s Dan Rosen answers your weekly questions here. (NHL)

Oskar Lindblom of the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday won the Masterton Trophy, awarded annually to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. Lindblom was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, on Dec. 10, 2019. He was in remission on July 2, 2020 and played in a playoff game two months later. (NHL)

The votes are in and have been tallied, and David Pastrnak is the NHL’s lead Locker Room Legend. The Boston Bruins forward claimed victory in the hotly contested category at the 2021 NHL Fan Choice Awards, whose winners were announced Tuesday. The Bruins, San Jose Sharks, New York Islanders, Vegas Golden Knights and Montreal Canadiens each had two category winners, the most of any NHL team. Pastrnak’s linemate Patrice Bergeron also was victorious in the Best Dressed category. (NHL)

Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand want another chance to play for the Stanley Cup. And it seems like the Boston Bruins are leaning toward giving them that chance, 10 years after they were key figures in the Bruins’ 2011 Cup championship. (NHL)

Alec Martinez of the Vegas Golden Knights has no problem stepping in front of opposing shots. His play has inspired his teammates as he blocked the most shots during the regular season, with a 40-block lead on Oilers Adam Larsen, who ranked second. Vegas calls him a warrior. (NHL)

The Tampa Bay Lightning followed the recipe and cooked up a win to get even with the New York Islanders in the Stanley Cup Semifinals. “It was a team effort,” Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman said of the 4-2 home victory in Game 2 on Tuesday. “It was more used to the way we were playing.” (NHL)

Gerard Gallant has agreed to be the next coach of the New York Rangers, a team source said Monday. Gallant replaces David Quinn, who was fired May 12 after the Rangers (27-23-6) finished fifth in the eight-team MassMutual East Division and failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. (NHL)

Quebec will increase the number of people allowed to attend sporting events and festivals to 3,500 on Thursday, one day before the Montreal Canadiens next home game. Quebec Health Minister Christian Dubé told reporters Tuesday afternoon, before the change was announced, that COVID-19 cases are down in the province since restrictions were loosened in late May to allow 2,500 people to attend events in large venues, but the final decision would be up to public health officials. (TSN)

The Montreal Canadiens saw their seven-game playoff winning streak come to an end in Monday’s 4-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 1 of their third-round series. Shea Theodore scored the first goal of the game for Vegas, which head coach Peter DeBoer stated postgame was a clear objective for his team.”We talked in our pre-scout meetings that they would be uncomfortable in their structure playing from behind,” DeBoer said. “No one made them play from behind for a while. “The goal was huge and at the right time with how we were playing.” (TSN)