TAMPA — The Lightning took what seemed to be a comfortable four-goal lead into the third period Saturday against the Islanders, and given the way they’d played defensively in their previous two games it certainly seemed that would be enough.
But there was something different about the Lightning’s game. They didn’t protect the middle of the ice as well. They weren’t quite as careful with the puck, and in the third period some of those poor habits came back to haunt them.
“We were kind of teetering from the start of the game,” said defenseman Ryan McDonagh.
Before they knew it, the Lightning found themselves trying to hold on to a one-goal lead as the clock ticked down after New York scored three goals in a two-minute, 49-second stretch of the third.
Still, Tampa Bay was able to recover to get two points, extending its winning streak to three games with a 5-3 victory at Amalie Arena.
The Lightning outscored their opponents 19-4 during their three-game homestand and now head out on the road for a four-game trip that begins with a rematch with the Islanders Tuesday in Long Island.
“They’re a really hard-working team, so we knew that,” Lightning center Brayden Point said. “I think maybe a little bit in the decision-making, you know, (we were) trying to look for more offense sometimes rather than just making the smart play. ... There’s things to learn, and we definitely got some lessons (Saturday).”
With two more goals, Point has four over the past three games. Nikita Kucherov’s four points gave him nine on the homestand and 109 for the season, briefly giving him sole possession of the NHL scoring lead. (He was later tied by Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon.)
Lightning goaltender Jonas Johansson, making his first start in 16 days, stopped the first 27 shots he faced before the Islanders’ third-period rally. He finished with 35 saves on 38 shots.
A lead not like the others
The Lightning jumped on their opponent for the third straight game, taking a three-goal lead into the first intermission. Kucherov opened the scoring just over two minutes into the game with his 33rd goal of the season. Nick Perbix doubled the lead about 5 ½ minutes later, jumping on a long rebound.
Kucherov set up both of Point’s goals with some beautiful passing. On one, he faked a one-timer from the right circle, drawing goaltender Ilya Sorokin to his side, then threaded a pass though the slot between two defenders, giving Point a wide-open net.
At that point, the Lightning had scored 12 straight goals dating back to Thursday’s 8-0 rout of Utah.
But something was amiss.
“If I’ve got to be honest, we probably didn’t deserve that 4-0 lead,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “We had a bunch of really skilled players that made some really nice plays and shot pucks in the net.”
Though they didn’t score in the first two periods, the Islanders had 30 chances, including 18 high-danger opportunities. Their expected goals number was 4.67. But Johansson stopped them all.
Holding off a comeback
The game changed at 4:40 of the third period, when Anthony Cirelli challenged Alexander Romanov after the Islanders defenseman upended Brandon Hagel as he pursued the puck across the blue line. Cirelli was penalized for roughing, and New York’s last-in-the-league power play scored at 5:58 on Ryan Pulock’s shot from the right point.
“I obviously didn’t like it,” Cirelli said of Romanov’s hit.
The sequence opened the door for an Islanders team fighting for its playoff life.
Less than two minutes after Pulock’s ...
