Islanders penalty killing unit much better in Game 2 vs. Lightning
Semyon Varlamov of the Islanders stops a shot against Barclay Goodrow of the Lightning during the first period at Rogers Place on Wednesday in Edmonton, Alberta. Credit: Getty Images/Bruce Bennett
The Islanders entered Game 2 of their Eastern Conference final series against the Tampa Bay Lightning Wednesday focused on playing better on the penalty kill, after having surrendered three power play goals in Game 1. The good news for them is they cleaned up their issues in that department, killing all three power plays the Lightning had in Game 2.
Unfortunately for coach Barry Trotz’ team, though, their special teams glass proved to be half-empty, as their power play let them down in what ended up being a shocking, 2-1 loss that came when Nikita Kucherov scored the game-winning goal with 8.8 seconds left.
The Islanders had plenty of chances to win the game before Kucherov did, but their power play went 0-for-4, including failing on a five-minute major and a 38-second, five-on-three in the third period. And now they trail the best-of-seven series, two games to none. Game 3 is Friday night.
It would never have come to this if the Isles power play had just scored one time. But despite putting 13 shots on goal during their many man advantages, the extra man unit came up empty.
“We were trying to get a little bit too fine, I think,’’ Trotz said when asked what went wrong with his team’s power play. “Sometimes you’ve got to get a little ‘greasy,’ and we were trying to pass it in the net, I think, tonight, a little bit.’’
Trotz did give credit to Tampa Bay goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, the 2019 Vezina Trophy winner and a finalist again for the 2020 award as the NHL’s top goaltender.
“When we had some really good looks, Vasilevskiy was pretty big,’’ Trotz said. “But we had a five-on-three… It was only for 38 seconds, but they got through that, and we weren't able to take advantage of it.’’
Before the game, it had been the penalty kill that the Islanders were worried about. But that part of the game was no problem at all. They dominated the Lightning power play, allowing a total of only four shots on goal in Tampa’s three chances. That the Lightning lost first-line center Brayden Point in the second period to an injury certainly was a factor in that, but the Islander penalty kill was hardly threatened.
The Isles were ahead, 1-0, on Matt Martin’s goal at 1:24 of the first period, when Tampa Bay’s Alex Killorn was given a major penalty and a game misconduct at 5:55 of the period for hitting Brock Nelson from behind into the boards. The Isles had a chance to go up 2-0 — or more — with the man advantage. But they couldn’t do it. They got five shots on Vasilevskiy — several more were blocked — but they came away empty. Then, after Victor Hedman’s goal late in the first period had tied it, 1-1, the Isles failed to capitalize when Yanni Gourde was sent off for roughing Scott Mayfield in the second period. In the third, Ryan McDonagh was called for holding Nelson at 7:48 and Cedric Paquette was sent off for hooking the stick of Mathew Barzal at 9:10.
Trotz called timeout to rest his first power play unit, but the group didn’t get a shot on goal during the two-man advantage. Vasilevskiy snuffed the three shots they did get on the five-on-four advantage after it was over.
Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
