“Whatever guy’s in there, we’ve just got to continue to do what we need to do and get pucks and bodies to the net”, Capuano said. But he played his usual thump-first game while averaging 23:39 of ice time per game. Ben Bishop yields 1.61 goals per game. Tavares chased Bishop (13 shots) with his sixth of the playoffs, a power play score for a 4-1 lead, 8:59 into the second. The Islanders-Panthers series was fast-paced and chippy, with both teams forwards significantly faster than the oppositions defensemen.
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“Bish is Bish. The kid bounces back, so I’m not anxious”. Probably. Second period? It was a little more even. Third period? Jason Garrison looks as sloppy as ever.
“That’s the big thing about the playoffs, it only matters if you win or lost”, Bishop said when asked about shaking off the clunker. While their elite franchise player Steven Stamkos is presumably out for the series along with former Ranger blue-liner Anton Stralman, the Lightning are an offensive force and can get the job done on the back end. But the way his team stormed back in the third – coming close to erasing a three-goal Islanders lead – restored confidence in the coach of the Lightning. They can’t get too comfortable though, and they need to hold on to the momentum that has certainly stuck with them since they won their first round series over the Florida Panthers.
Goaltending will be an interesting matchup. “And then when it came to the game, we didn’t execute”. That offensive zone pressure eventually led to goals for Nikita Kucherov and Valtteri Filppula.
Ondrej Palat appeared on the relevancy radar as a blip when he netted the OT victor in game four, and has since disappeared again.
Outlook: The Lightning had fewer points during the regular season but got home-ice advantage because the Islanders made the playoffs as a wild-card team. It will all come down to goaltending as Bishop can easily will the Lightning to winning the series, while Greiss has shown poise, but doesn’t have the same playoff experience as his counterpart. Tyler Johnson tops in assists with 5 while Alex Killorn heads in penalty minutes with 16.
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Proving that they could bang, the Bolts hung with the Red Wings, who attempted to slow them down with a lot of physical abuse. Center Brian Boyle scrapped with just about everyone on the Wings and mocked Justin Abdelkader with a chicken dance when the Red Wing refused to drop the mitts with him. Ryan Strome is most likely going to suit back up and take his spot which is ultimately what most Islanders fanatics wanted anyway. Regardless of who is in the net, the Lightning must increase the number of shots on goal. The Lightning came at NY with everything they had in the third period, outshooting them 17-5 and out-chancing them 32-10. You have to be impressed with the way NY has played, especially on the road. Drouin’s been phenomenal so far, recording four assists and making brilliant plays on the powerplay. “You just have to move on from it”, the Lightning goalie said. A major factor in this series will be the play of Islanders goaltender, Thomas Greiss.
