The Tampa Bay Lightning will be playing for the second time in as many nights when they visit the New York Islanders tonight. The Lightning will be trying to rebound from a 6-3 loss to the New York Rangers last night, while the Islanders haven’t played since dropping a 2-1 decision against the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday (April 2).
Although the two clubs last met over the weekend, so much has changed for the Islanders since then. They had entered Saturday’s contest against the Lightning with a small cushion while holding the top wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. However, now they are in danger of missing the playoffs altogether as the Florida Panthers have been surging of late. With 87 points, the Islanders enter tonight’s contest tied with the Panthers for the final two wild-card spots. The Pittsburgh Penguins sit just one point back as the race looks to go down to the wire.
Head to Head Matchup
Tonight will be the third and final meeting for the Lightning and Islanders this season. As mentioned, it hasn’t been too long since their last clash, as the Lightning pummeled the Islanders by a score of 5-0. Tampa Bay got goals from five different scorers, including Brayden Point, who notched his 48th of the season. Andrei Vasilevskiy had a strong performance turning away all 38 shots he faced. Conversely, Ilya Sorokin didn’t have his best outing of the season, allowing four goals on 21 shots before head coach Lane Lambert gave him the hook. The Lightning went 1 for 2 on the powerplay, with Point’s marker coming on the man advantage.
The Islanders will be desperately looking to turn the tides in the head-to-head matchup, as the Lightning have beaten them in six-straight regular-season meetings, dating back to Dec. 9, 2019. The Islanders have also been outscored 27-10 over the six losses. The Lightning also hold the edge all-time with a 56-49-3 record over the Islanders.
Players to Watch
Alex Killorn, who recently played in his 800th NHL game, is having yet another productive season as one of the Lightning’s secondary scorers. He notched his 25th goal of the season, matching his previous career-high set during the 2019-20 season. The goal also gave Killorn 60 points this season, breaking his previous career-high of 59. He has five goals and seven assists in 28 career games against the Islanders.
Point hasn’t been able to find the back of the net since the 5-0 win on Saturday. Rest assured, he will be on point as he attempts to hit the 50-goal mark for the first time in his career. He has averaged a point per game in 16 career games against the Islanders with six goals and 10 assists. Another Lightning forward to watch is Brandon Hagel. He has scored 28 goals this season, two shy of hitting the 30-goal mark for the first time in his career. He has found some success with three goals and one assist while being limited to just six career games against the Islanders.
Related: Islanders Are the Eastern Conference Dark Horse Contender
The Islanders’ veterans will need to step up tonight, and they could look to none other than Zach Parise, who has played an essential role with the club this season. While playing most nights in the bottom-six, the 38-year-old has scored 21 goals and 11 assists for 32 points in 78 games this season. He has 15 goals and 15 assists in 41 career games against the Lightning. He hasn’t scored in the past three games, but he had five goals in the six games before that.
Islanders’ All-Star Brock Nelson is also due for a big night offensively. While he leads the team with 69 points, he hasn’t scored a goal in his last five outings. So there is no better time than now for Nelson, who won the NHL Accuracy Shooting contest at this year’s All-Star Game, to put his sniping skills on display. In 26 career games against the Lightning, he has nine goals and six assists for 15 points.
Goaltending Matchup
After starting Vasilevskiy last night, Lightning backup Brian Elliott is confirmed to start for tonight’s contest. He has an 11-6-2 record this season with a 3.30 goals-against average (GAA) and a .891 save percentage (SV%). He has been solid against the Islanders throughout his lengthy NHL career, posting a 2.55 GAA and .914 SV% with a 10-2-9 record. He, however, struggled in his last start, allowing six goals on 34 shots against the Ottawa Senators.
Despite his struggles last Saturday against the Lightning, Sorokin is expected to get the start for the Islanders. However, they may be better suited to go with their veteran netminder Semyon Varlamov who has boasted much better numbers over his career against the Lightning. In 20 career starts, he has a 10-8-2 record against Tampa while posting a 2.48 GAA and a .919 SV%. Sorokin has only four starts against the Lightning, going 0-4 in the process with a 5.08 GAA and a .840 SV% in the four games. Yikes.
Game Storylines
The Islanders are looking for more out of their 30th-ranked power play. During practice on Tuesday, they shook up the power-play units as they continue to search for a spark with the man advantage.
“You can’t just keep beating a dead horse; if it’s not working, then you’ve got to change something up,” Bo Horvat said (from ‘Lane Lambert revamps Islanders’ struggling power-play units’, Newsday, April 4, 2023).
Speaking of Horvat, while he has played well defensively, the Islanders need more from him offensively during their final push for a playoff berth. Since being dealt to the Islanders in a blockbuster deal, he has just six goals and five assists in 26 games.
The Lightning still have a shot at catching the Toronto Maple Leafs and gaining home-ice advantage in their first-round series. With a 27-7-5 record at home compared to their 18-20-1 record on the road, you can bet that they will do everything in their power to catch them.
Tonight’s schedule will have huge implications on the Eastern Conference wild-card race as the Panthers host the Senators and the Penguins host the Minnesota Wild. With the Islanders’ playoff hopes hanging in the balance, fans should expect a much more tightly contested game than the one they saw last Saturday.