The Islanders remained short-handed in this game and lost 5-3. There was a significant uptick in the talent the team faced, as the Lightning are much better than the Blackhawks. To boot, the low-scoring Islanders faced one of the best goaltenders on the planet, Andrei Vasilevskiy. The Islanders fell behind early in this game, 1-0. This was problematic, not only because they struggled to score, but because they were facing an excellent goaltender, a bad combination.
The Lightning, oddly, are led in time on ice by three forwards. It is usually defensemen who lead a team in time on ice. For instance, the Islanders are led almost every night by young defenseman Matthew Schaefer. The Lightning are led in time on ice by Nikita Kucherov. Brandon Hagel is second, and Jake Guentzel. How many other teams are led in time on ice by forwards?
Islanders and Lightning Game Summary October 10
The Islanders were hoping to build on their excellent victory in their last game against the Chicago Blackhawks. The Lightning came into this game as the winners of three in a row. They are one of the best teams in the National Hockey League. Here is how the game played out.
In the first period, Jake Guentzel scored for the Lightning, giving them a 1-0 lead. Then Brandon Hagel scored, and it was 2-0 Tampa Bay. Just like that, the Islanders were in a near-insurmountable lead, especially against a good goaltender. 2-0 is how the first period ended.
In the second period, Tony DeAngelo scored for the Islanders. That made the score 2-1. He was the first defenseman to score for the Islanders this season. However, Emil Heinemen took a penalty almost immediately thereafter (18 seconds). That ended any momentum the team had. Of course, Jake Guentzel scored for the Lightning on the power play. The score was 3-1. Then Matthew Schaefer scored from the blue line, and the score of the game was 3-2. They took a penalty right after this goal as well. However, the Islanders killed this penalty. Then Breden Schenn scored on the power play to tie the game at 3. That was the score after the second period.
In the third period, Brandon Hagel scored his second goal of the game. That goal gave Tampa a 4-3 lead. Then he scored an empty net goal, and Tampa led 5-3. That was the final score of the game.
Best on the Power Play Ever?
Wayne Gretzky called Nikita Kucherov the best power play player ever. That is high praise from someone who should know. There is no question that Kucherov is dangerous on the power play, but he is missing Darren Raddysh, who signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Raddysh has a heavy shot and scored ten power-play goals last season. He was a frequent passing target of Kucherov.
This Game and The Next
The Islanders lost this game 5-3. The player of this game was the Lightning forward Brandon Hagel. He had three goals for the Lightning. A hat trick was too much for the Islanders to contend with. They host the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night at 7:45. Tampa Bay visits the Rangers on Tuesday at 7:15. The Rangers beat them 5-1 in the first game of the regular season.
Conclusion: A Team That Cannot Fall Behind or Take Ill-Advised Penalties
When the Islanders fell behind in this game 2-0 in the first period, the game was over for all intents and purposes. This is something they could not afford to do against a good team. What is worse, they cut the lead to 2-1 with a momentum-changing goal in the second period, and then 18 seconds later they took a penalty. Then, they scored to make the score 3-2, but they took another penatly almost immediately thereafter. They were fortunate to tie the score at 3 after the second period.
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