Mishkin's Extra Shift: Lightning 8, Islanders 2

This one shared some similarities with the Lightning's 7-1 blowout win over Boston in Game Three of the previous series. In both, the Lightning jumped out to an early multi-goal lead. They netted three power play goals. And by the third period, the Lightning had put the game out of reach and didn't face much pushback from the opposition.

In this game, the Lightning tied the franchise record for goals in a playoff game. Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov each recorded a franchise playoff-high five points. Kucherov set a team postseason record with four assists.
One of the questions surrounding the Lightning was whether, after a week since their last game, they might be affected by rust. Certainly, that was not the case. The Lightning came roaring out of the gates and dominated play during the opening 11 minutes. During that time, they built a 3-1 lead.
Point opened the scoring at 1:14 with a spectacular individual rush. As he entered the offensive zone, he used a stutter step to change speeds on Ryan Pulock. Then, he quickly accelerated wide on Pulock, got past him, and knifed to the front of the net. Ondrej Palat had moved into the low slot, which prevented Adam Pelech, who had to worry about leaving Palat open in front, from closing off Point's path to the net. Point tucked in a forehand to give the Lightning a 1-0 lead.
The Islanders did tie the game on a Jordan Eberle power play goal at 4:33 and a few minutes later, with the Lightning on a power play chance of their own, New York had an opportunity to take the lead. Brock Nelson stole the puck inside the Islanders blue line and countered on a shorthanded breakaway. But his attempt missed the net wide. Late on the man advantage, Point won an offensive zone faceoff and eventually set up Victor Hedman for a shot from the center point. Alex Killorn screened Thomas Greiss and the puck sailed past Greiss' stick and into the net. Just over two minutes later, the Lightning added another. Point forechecked Pulock deep in the New York zone and forced a turnover. The Lightning worked the puck back to the point, where Kucherov set up Ryan McDonagh. The quick puck movement allowed McDonagh to move to the left circle before shooting. Palat screened Greiss as the puck went into the top of the net.
At this point, the Lightning had dominated five-on-five play. They owned nearly all of the puck possession. Their forecheck was causing problems for the Islanders. And outside of the one turnover that led to Nelson's opportunity, the Lightning had managed the puck cleanly. They were successfully breaking down the Isles' structured team defense and effectively establishing position in front of the Islanders net.
Following McDonagh's goal, Barry Trotz made a goalie switch, inserting Semyon Varlomov. Over the next 20 minutes - from the mid-point of the first to the middle of the second period - the Islanders put together their best hockey of Game One. They were aided by the fact that the Lightning took three penalties during this segment and the Islanders, despite not scoring on the three man advantages, did generate momentum from the chances. At the same time, the Lightning weren't as consistent as they had been earlier at getting pucks deep to the New York end. Beginning with Varlomov's entrance at 10:46 of the first until J.G. Pageau's penalty at 10:56 of the second, the Lightning managed to put only two shots on net. Fortunately for them, one of them went in. Similar to the earlier tallies, the Lightning got a player to the front of the net. Yanni Gourde jumped on a loose puck in the low slot and scored. Andy Greene knocked the puck out of the air, but video review showed that the puck had crossed the line before Greene batted it out. So by the time Pageau headed to the box, the Lightning, despite a quiet previous 20 minutes, had a 4-1 lead. But on that power play, they posted three more shots and applied consistent pressure. Just as Pageau's penalty was ending, Greene was whistled for a high-stick. Twenty-four seconds later, the Lightning scored their fifth goal of the game. Standing unguarded at the side of the net, Point redirected a pass from Hedman into the net.
Following Point's power play goal, the Lightning controlled action for the rest of the night. They killed one final penalty late in the second period to preserve their 5-1 lead. And in the third, the ice was tilted. The Isles were credited with eight third period shots, but six of those came in the final minute. The Lightning had 16 third period shots of their own, adding three more goals.
In any lopsided win, there are elements that are unlikely to be repeated in future games. For example, the Lightning should not expect to see the kind of time and space they had in the third period when the game was effectively over. On the other hand, there were parts of Game One that might carry over into the rest of the series. The Lightning found success when they had traffic in front of the New York goalies, managed the puck well, and worked it deep in the Islanders d-zone. The Tampa Bay power play looked sharp, scoring three times against an Islanders penalty kill that hadn't allowed a power play goal in New York's previous eight games. At the same time, the Islanders power play also was dangerous. The Isles amassed 10 power play shots in Game One. The Lightning found themselves shorthanded five times over the first 40 minutes - that's a number they'll look to reduce as the series progresses.
Afterwards, Jon Cooper acknowledged that New York's frenetic schedule over the past few days may have played in factor in how things unfolded. Certainly, the Isles will regroup and be ready for Game Two on Wednesday.
Lightning Radio Three Stars of the Game (as selected by Phil Esposito):
1. Brayden Point - Lightning. Two goals and three assists. 2. Nikita Kucherov - Lightning. Goal and four assists. 3. Victor Hedman - Lightning. Goal and two assists.