Kieffer Bellows gets first road test as Isles begin critical stretch away from home

Kieffer Bellows is about to experience his first games away from home with the Islanders. But the road ahead could be icy.

The promising rookie left wing and his teammates will play at Tampa Bay on Saturday night and at Washington on Monday night. The Lightning are second in the Atlantic Division and third in the NHL with 73 points after winning five straight. The Capitals lead the Metropolitan Division and are second in the NHL with 77 points.

“I’m really excited,” Bellows said about the trip after Friday’s practice in East Meadow. “It’s always nice to be on the road with your teammates. You build a little bit more chemistry. You get to hang out. We’re going against a good Tampa Bay team and a good Washington team.

“But our focus first is on Tampa Bay. They’ve got a lot of firepower, great goaltending throughout and great defense, and they’re coached well. It’s going to be a big task for us. But I know this team is up for it.”

This team will need to be up for it and more away games after that. The Islanders are 3-0-2 in their last five games and have 30 left. They are fourth in the Metropolitan Division with 68 points, one behind Columbus with three games in hand. The race for a playoff ticket is tight, and they’re beginning a brutal stretch of six out of seven away from home ice.

“It’s extremely important,” Anders Lee said. “It will be a tough stretch, but this is a good test for us and one that we want to rise to the occasion for.”

The Isles are 14-8-2 in road tests. After playing the Lightning and the Capitals, they will face Philadelphia at Barclays Center on Tuesday night, then head to Nashville, Vegas, Arizona and Colorado. All seven opponents are either in playoff position or right on the edge.

“I feel we’re a good team, too,” Barry Trotz said. “But I think for us sometimes it’s easier to play on the road than it is at home with certain teams.”

Bellows looks as if he can help. He got called up Monday, debuted with an assist in Tuesday’s 4-3 overtime win over Dallas at Barclays Center and delivered his first two goals in Thursday’s 5-3 victory over Los Angeles in Brooklyn.

“It’s been an immediate impact, obviously,” Lee said. “He’s played with a lot of confidence and it’s shown.”

After scoring 15 goals in his last 26 games at Bridgeport, Bellows said, “I feel like myself” at this level, too. The 2016 first-round pick expressed his confidence “to make plays and play the game that got me here.”

The Islanders needed to get more from their third line and have, with Bellows joining Derick Brassard and Michael Dal Colle.

“We work well together,” Bellows said. “We have good chemistry. But I think the biggest thing about our line is we work hard. We don’t take a shift off. We try to be reliable in all three zones.”

Notes & quotes: Defenseman Scott Mayfield didn’t practice. “Just maintenance,” Trotz said.