Here are some takeaways from Day 33 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs:
Lightning getting it done with defense
For so long the Tampa Bay Lightning were known as a run-and-gun, up-tempo, fly-the-zone and stretch-the-ice team. They can play that way still, but they're winning in the Stanley Cup Playoffs again because they know how to lock it down and rely on defense and goaltending. They provided more evidence of their maturity in tight games in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Semifinals against the New York Islanders at Nassau Coliseum on Thursday. The Lightning took a 2-1 lead into the third period and didn't give the Islanders much the rest of the way. They almost completely shut them down in the final five-plus minutes; the Islanders last shot on goal came with 5:49 remaining. They managed four shot attempts the rest of the way, one after goalie Semyon Varlamov was pulled. The Lightning improved to 6-1 on the road and 10-1 when they take a lead into the third period. They have scored as few as two goals in seven of their 14 playoff games; they're 4-3 when they do, including 4-1 on the road. It's not a coincidence. -- Dan Rosen, senior writer
The Islanders need to adjust
The New York Islanders didn't have trouble generating shots in their 2-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Semifinals on Thursday. New York had 62 shot attempts, but less than half (28) reached goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy. The Lightning helped Vasilevskiy by blocking 21 shots and the Islanders missed the net with 13. It's difficult enough to score against Vasilevskiy, a finalist for the Vezina Trophy voted as the top goalie in the NHL, but the Islanders have to get more shots past the Lightning defense and to the front of the net to create more scoring chances. Options include shooting more before the Lightning can get into position defensively and having the defensemen intentionally shooting wide off the end boards to get the puck to a forward down low. Defenseman Ryan Pulock did that to create a chance for Leo Komarov with 5:49 remaining, but the Islanders didn't do enough of that. Regardless, the Islanders need to find a way to get to the inside with the puck more. -- Tom Gulitti, staff writer