Power returns in victory against Islanders

by Erik Erlendsson | @Erik_Erlendsson | Like us on Facebook
November 10, 2016

TAMPA, Fla. – My how things have changed this season for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Many a time last season the power play offered more fizzle than sizzle. But through the first month of the season, the Lightning’s play with the man advantage has proven to offer plenty of pizazz.

Tampa Bay used the strength of a pair of power play goals to push past the New York Islanders 4-1 on Military Appreciation night at Amalie Arena.

Steven Stamkos led the way with a power play goal and two assists while Tyler Johnson had a power play goal and assist. Brian Boyle and Nikita Kucherov also scored for Tampa Bay, which improved to 5-1-1 at home this season.’’

{mprestriction ids=”1,2″}

Steven Stamkos led the way with a power play goal and two assists while Tyler Johnson had a power play goal and assist. Brian Boyle and Nikita Kucherov also scored for Tampa Bay, which improved to 5-1-1 at home this season.

Andrei Vasilevskiy finished with 31 saves in net to pick up the victory while Victor Hedman became the franchise’s all-time assist leader among defensemen with 188, sixth most in franchise history overall.

But it was the power play that led the way as for the sixth time in 14 games on the season, the Lightning scored more than one power play goal in a game. That’s quite the turnaround from a season ago when they recorded more than one power play goal just nine times.

“We moved the puck well and created a lot of opportunities, and for us to rely on that and to know that we have that is huge for us,’’ Hedman said. “You know you can’t lose momentum when you have a power play, you have to gain it.’’

The Lightning did just that on Thursday.

After another somewhat slow start and being held without a shot on goal for the opening 6:38 of the game, Tampa Bay used the power play to not only jumpstart their game, but grab the lead, build
momentum and never looked back.

Stamkos would notch his team-high eighth goal of the season at the 8:03 mark of the first period, wiring a wrist shot from the left circle past Jaroslav Halak. Less than three minutes later, Kucherov finished off a strong shift from his line to snap off a wrist shot – again from the left circle – that beat Halak to the top area on the short side at the 11:00 mark for his fifth goal this season, third against the Islanders.

“I liked our power play,’’ Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said. “I thought we fed off that.’’

The power play would strike again early in the second period after some good puck movement under pressure allowed Tampa Bay to maintain possession and find an open Johnson at the right circle where he fired home his fifth goal of the season just 2:50 in to the period.

That goal chased New York starter Jaroslav Halak from the net after allowing three goals on 16 shots. It’s the second time in two meetings against the Islanders that Tampa Bay has chased New York’s starter from the net after seeing Thomas Greiss removed in the Nov. 1 meeting at Barclays Center.

The Lightning would ease up for the remainder of the second period, getting just one shot on goal for the remaining 17 minutes of the period while the Islanders turned it up, finishing with 16 shots on goal in the middle frame. But Vasilevskiy did his best work in those moments, only conceding a goal to Andre Ladd at the 8:04 mark of the period.

“He played unbelievable,’’ Hedman said. “He bailed us out especially there in that last part of the second period. He came up big for us.’’

By the time Boyle scored 1:08 in to the third period, the game was all but put away and Tampa Bay controlled most of the play for the rest of the game, easing in to their eighth win of the season.

“It kind of ultimately popped their balloon a little bit,’’ Cooper said of the Boyle goal. “It’s 3-1. It’s a game, plus they had momentum. We needed that buzzer to go in the second period and, as I said, it helped us being up two instead of just one and then you get that fourth one and it kind of sucked a little air out of their tires.’’

Postgame notes: LW Jonathan Drouin missed his fourth consecutive game with an undisclosed upper-body injury. … C Valtteri Filppula returned after missing the previous game with a lower body injury. … Tampa Bay recorded multiple power play goals in a game for the sixth time this season; the Lightning did so just nine times all last season. … Tampa Bay improved to 8-0-1 this season when scoring three or more goals.

{/mprestriction}