Two nights after evening their Stanley Cup Semifinals series with the Tampa Bay Lightning at 2-2 (Ryan Pulock preserved the win with a heroic, last-second save, denying Ryan McDonagh of, what would have been, the game-tying goal), the New York Islanders melted all the way down in Game 5, suffering their worst playoff defeat in franchise history.
The Lightning, who defeated New York in six games during the 2020 Eastern Conference Final, dropped the hammer Monday night in Tampa Bay, obliterating the Islanders in an 8-0 rout at Amalie Arena.
The defending Stanley Cup champions set the tone early with three first period goals, including an even-strength contribution from Steven Stamkos, who snuck one past Islanders netminder Semyon Varmalov just 45 seconds after the opening bell. That was one of two goals on the night for Stamkos, who also assisted on Brayden Point's power play tally early in the third period.
Meanwhile, the Islanders could not solve Vezina Trophy finalist Andrei Vasilevskiy in goal, as the 26-year-old stopped all 21 shots he faced on the night. The win was Vasilevskiy's third shutout of the postseason, as he continues to improve upon his impressive playoff numbers with a 2.05 goals-against average and a .936 save percentage in 16 games.
Things got chippy when Islanders forward Mathew Barzal leveled Tampa Bay defenseman Jan Rutta to end the second period, resulting in a five-minute major and Barzal's immediate ejection.
A combined 85 penalty minutes were handed down Monday night, with 46 stemming from this third period scuffle between Matt Martin and Barclay Goodrow (both were assessed 10-minute misconducts with Goodrow incurring additional minors for roughing and cross-checking).
The Lightning finished just third in their own division during the regular season, but have gotten a boost this postseason from forward Nikita Kucherov, who predictably had his fingerprints all over Monday night's win with three assists in a little under 15 minutes of ice time.
Kucherov's presence throughout the playoffs has been a source of controversy, as the former Hart Trophy recipient did not appear in any of Tampa Bay's 56 regular season games after offseason hip surgery. The Lightning were able to exploit a loophole, saving $9.5 million in cap space by stashing Kucherov on long-term injured reserve.
Stamkos, whose 439 career goals are the most in franchise history, also played sparingly during the regular season, missing over a month with an unspecified "lower-body" injury.
The fact Tampa Bay won 36 of 56 regular-season games (77 points) while essentially "saving" their two best players for the playoffs is a testament to how obscenely loaded the Lightning are, and why they should be considered heavy favorites to win their second Stanley Cup in as many years.
The Lightning will look to close out the Islanders when the series shifts to Long Island for Wednesday night's Game 6 at Nassau Coliseum. New York has won five of eight at home this postseason, outscoring opponents 28-18 in that span.
Opening faceoff on Wednesday is set for 8 p.m. ET.
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