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• #ISLANDERS LIGHTNING SERIES#

#ISLANDERS LIGHTNING SERIES#

The Lightning conceded just two power play goals in their series against the Hurricanes, who had the second-best power play during the regular season. Not only is Tampa’s power play better, but so is their penalty kill. A below-average power play during the regular season has become a reliable one in the playoffs, although not as reliable as Tampa’s. That’s how great Tampa’s power play is.Ĭonversely, the Islanders have been uncharacteristically good on the power play. This is obviously uncharacteristic of New York, but it’s difficult to assume that the Islanders will turn it around and get back to being a top penalty killing team in this series.Įven if their elite penalty killing had translated into the playoffs, the Islanders would still be in trouble. Over 40% of the goals that the Bruins scored in their six games against the Islanders came via the power play. They gave up their fair share of power play goals to the Pittsburgh Penguins in round one and were even worse against the Boston Bruins. That definitely has not been the case during these playoffs. The Islanders have been one of the best penalty killing teams in hockey. This could prove to be especially problematic for the Islanders. Superstar defenseman Victor Hedman has been spectacular as the quarterback of Tampa’s power play. They’re the best power play team in the playoffs and convert on the man-advantage more often than not.ġ3 of Kucherov’s 18 points and five of Point’s eight goals have come on the power play. The Lightning are good at everything, literally everything, but the power play is the reason they’re so elite at this point in time. They’re facing elite defensive teams that don’t concede many goals? They’ll bring the heat. They’re taking on two exceptionally high-scoring teams in the Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes? They’ll adapt. The Lightning are especially scary because of their unique versatility that no other team exhibits and the fact that they can win playing any style of hockey. The Lightning shine at both ends when these two are on the ice.īefore we talk about the rest of Tampa’s team, we need to talk about their power play. They’ve been so good that they’ve emerged as the team’s top defensive pairing. Kucherov, Point, and Stamkos are three stars that make the Lightning’s top-six so dangerous.ĭefensively, Ryan McDonagh and Erik Černák have been unbelievable. Stamkos is playing like Stamkos, Anthony Cirelli is proving to be incredibly valuable as a two-way forward, and Alex Killorn has never looked better. This season, that line might be as good as Tampa’s top line. Last season, due to Stamkos’ absence, the Lightning’s second line was arguably the team’s worst. We’ve already seen Stamkos’ impact on this team and on the second line, in particular. Tampa Bay beat New York in six last year and went on to win the cup without their captain and second-best player. He has eight goals and is good against the forecheck and hard to defend, two of the Islanders’ greatest strengths.Ī key reason why it’s hard to believe the Islanders will win this series is Steven Stamkos. The Islanders were unable to stop Kucherov during the 2020 ECF, which is cause for concern a year later.īrayden Point is another player the Islanders need to watch out for.

He has a whopping 18 points in 11 games and will look to terrorize the Islanders for the second-straight year. Tampa Bay’s best player and one of the best players in the NHL, Nikita Kucherov hasn’t skipped a beat after missing the entire regular season due to injury. Let’s take a look at this formidable Lightning team and what the Islanders can and must do in order to emerge victorious. It’s difficult to imagine the Islanders making it out of this series, but they could be up to it. The Lightning are the reigning Stanley Cup champions and are arguably the best team in hockey. This will mark the first round of the playoffs in which teams will be facing opponents that they did not play during the regular season, making things even more difficult. So many different players on the team have stepped up massively on different occasions and the Islanders have done a great job of exploiting the weaknesses and mistakes of their opponents. The New York Islanders will face the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference Final for the second consecutive season.įinishing the regular season in fourth place in the East Division, the Islanders have been the underdogs in each of their playoff series. The Islanders will be the underdogs once again as they take on the reigning champions.