They feel it's similar to what they went through twice in the playoffs last season, when they lost Game 1 to the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference Second Round and to the Dallas Stars in the Stanley Cup Final.
They won the next four games against the Bruins to win the series. They won the next three games against the Stars before winning the Stanley Cup in Game 6.
"Sometimes it's enticing, you want to try to thread something, you see an open guy, but you've got to be disciplined and know that they've got great defensive players and keep everything to the outside," defenseman Ryan McDonagh said. "So a lot of times just driving pucks deep and getting to our cycle game and getting some shots and scramble game going, that's when it opens maybe a seam pass here or there. Too many times we mismanaged the puck with it on our stick. We'll look at that and continue to work toward being higher percentage."
One of the turnovers burned them for a goal.
Forward Steven Stamkos had two chances to get the puck deep from the right point in the Islanders zone in the second period. New York defenseman Nick Leddy stuffed his first attempt. Stamkos got the puck back but played it to the middle of the ice.
Islanders forward Josh Bailey picked it off and hit center Mathew Barzal with a stretch pass. Barzal had a step on Lightning defenseman Jan Rutta and scored for a 1-0 lead at 12:32 of the second period.
"Just trying to make a play there and you can see what can happen, they can go the other way and it can be the difference in a game," Stamkos said. "I need to be better in that situation. I think our team realizes how patient we are going to have to be."
Stamkos' giveaway was one of seven by Tampa Bay. New York had one.
Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock's shot from the right point beat Vasilevskiy at 5:36 of the third period for a 2-0 lead.
"We just made too many mistakes, the unforced errors," Cooper said. "Managing the puck is a big thing against this team. They managed it better than us and they got one extra break."
The Lightning said they have to do a better job of taking what the Islanders are giving them in Game 2. That means more chipping and chasing than playmaking.
"They're a very well-structured team and they compete really hard, but you know what, if they have good structure, you just put it behind them," forward Alex Killorn said. "We're a really good forechecking team and at times when their [defensemen] sag it looks like a good opportunity to carry the puck. But if we stick to what has gotten us this far and understand what our strengths are, which is the forecheck, we'll be OK."
Even if they manage the puck well, Killorn said the Lightning can't expect to generate the rush chances they had against the Panthers and Hurricanes in this series because of how Islanders defensemen sag.
"When teams step up, that's when you can chip it by them and create 2-on-1s, create 3-on-2s," Killorn said. "There's not going to be a ton of that in this series. But there were some positives once we got in the zone. There are things we can take advantage of in terms of our offensive-zone play."
Only if they make better decisions with the puck.
"When we do that, I think our play will improve," Cooper said.
