After defeating the Philadelphia Flyers in seven games, the New York Islanders advanced to the Eastern Conference Final for the first time since 1993. However, in order to advance to their first Stanley Cup Final since 1984, they will need to defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning at Rogers Place in Edmonton in a seven game series.

The two teams will make for a very interesting matchup heading into the final four. While the Lightning have the offensive talent on their side, even without their captain Steven Stamkos, the Islanders have played very well off of structure and goaltending. With these two different factors coming into play, how do the teams stack up against each other entering the series?

The Lightning blew out the Islanders 8-2 in Game 1 Monday night, but the series is still wide open.

How They Got Here:

The Islanders are coming into the series off a very back and forth series with Philadelphia. New York ran the play in Game 1 with a 4-0 win in game one with Semyon Varlamov making 29 saves and Andy Greene scoring the winner. In Game 2, Varlamov was yanked after letting up three goals, but the Islanders responded with three of their own before falling in OT on a goal by Phil Myers. In Game 3, the Islanders got back on their game lead by secondary scoring from Matt Martin and Derrick Brassard in a 3-1 win. On the very next night, Game 4 was a wide open affair with each team getting 30-plus shots, but it was the Islanders who pulled away in the third period on two goals by Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Brock Nelson.

Game 5 saw the Islanders once again fall behind in the third after three straight Philadelphia tallies, but even without Mat Barzal the team rallied to tie the game late, but lost in OT on a Scott Laughton tip-in. In Game 6, the Islanders played a very strong structure game, only allowing 31 shots, but they paid dearly for the mistakes they made in a 5-4 double overtime loss. While the Islanders were reeling heading into Game 7, Barry Trotz made the call to switch goalies from Varlamov to Thomas Greiss, who made 36 saves in game four, and the Islanders made his night easy from there. He only had to make 16 saves, and Scott Mayfield scored about halfway through the first to send the Islanders ahead in a 4-0 win in Game 7.

The Lightning meanwhile are coming in of a five game victory over the Boston Bruins, and they did it in convincing fashion. They were outplayed in the first game after letting up the first three goals in Game 1, but rallied to make it close in a 3-2 loss. Game 2 was a back and forth affair with Boston and Tampa exchanging goals in each frame. Although the Bruins got a Brad Marchand goal to tie the game late in the third, Ordrej Palat scored in overtime to even the series. Game 3 was a rout less than 24 hours later, as the Lightning put up seven goals on Jaroslav Halak and Dan Vladar, and the Bruins were on the brink of elimination. Boston wouldn’t go away quietly in Game 5, as the Bruins and Lightning traded goals in the second and third. However, in the second overtime, Victor Hedman walked in from the point and wired the puck past Halak, and the Lightning knocked out the Bruins in a 3-2 overtime win.

Playoff History:

The two clubs have met in the postseason twice in their histories, but the previous playoff meetings have been dramatically lopsided in Tampa’s favor. The two clubs first met in 2004, where the Lightning took the first game of the series but lost the second game at home. However, the Lightning would regroup from that loss and not only win three straight games to close the series, but also win the Stanley Cup that June. Meanwhile, their most recent series was in 2016 in the second round of that year’s playoffs. Although the Islanders stole Game 1 off two goals by Shane Prince, the Lightning responded in Game 2 with a 4-1 win. New York would lose back to back overtime games in heartbreaking fashion, setting the stage for a 4-0 rout in Game 5 to send the Lightning to the Conference Final.

Regular Season Series:

The teams were able to complete all three games of the season series, and New York won two of the three games with all games ending in regulation. The first matchup came on Nov. 1 at Nassau Coliseum. After a scoreless first period, Mat Barzal and Yanni Gourde traded scores in the opening half of the period, but a Ryan Pulock shot from the right point would leave the Islanders up 2-1 after two. The Islanders would pull away in the third after a Josh Bailey tic-tac-toe goal and an Anders Lee backhand. The Lightning tallied a goal with the net empty, but Brassard got the goal right back, and New York took care of the Lightning for a 5-2 win, their eighth straight at that time.

The second game took place on Dec. 9 at Amalie Arena, and New York once again played strong hockey. After a scoreless opening frame, Ross Johnston let a snap shot go from the right dot on an odd man rush, and he beat Vasilevskiy for the opening tally. Minutes later on a penalty kill, Casey Cizikas cleared a puck for a Bailey breakaway, and he dragged the puck and scored on a forehand shot for the 2-0 lead. Although Stamkos buried a backhander past a sprawling Varlamov late in the second, Brock Nelson scored two in the third and Lee tallied a fifth goal in a 5-1 victory.

The finale of their season series took place on Feb. 8, once again at Amalie Arena, and this game was the most tightly contested. After a Ryan Pulock shot was picked up by Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point found himself one-on-one with Varlamov, and he let a slapper go past him for a 1-0 lead for Tampa after two. In the third, after Yanni Gourde sent a puck to the right wing corner, Carter Verhaeghe came out with the puck, and a fine individual effort put Tampa up by two. A Brassard power play marker got the Islanders back within one late, but Stamkos put the game away with an empty netter, for a 3-1 final.

Players to Watch:

For the Islanders, the team now has an interesting decision to make moving forward. After Greiss shut down the Flyers in Game 7 but was pulled minutes into Game 1, Varlamov could once again get the nod as starter. Although Varlamov has played sensational hockey in the bubble and has been one of the main reasons for the Islanders’ success, Greiss played very well in the three games he got last series, going 2-0 and letting up two goals on 54 shots in his two starts, and he also made a relief appearance where he let up one goal on 21 shots in game two. Both goalies have played well and could rotate going forward.

In addition to their goaltenders, Josh Bailey has looked impressive this postseason as well. He may not have the tremendous goal scoring ability like most of his teammates, but his playmaking abilities have been on display alongside Nelson and Anthony Beauvillier. His 15 assists are the most on the team by a sizable margin, and he has helped to make up the team’s most potent line these playoffs. Nelson stayed hot in the final four games of the series against the Flyers, tallying points in all four contests, four goals and three assists, and he earned three points in game seven. Beauvillier may have cooled off these past few games, but he still has eight goals and four assists to his credit as well. As a result, the Islanders’ best line hasn’t let up throughout these playoffs, and those names will be interesting to watch heading into the series.

In Stamkos’ absence for the Lightning, all eyes have been on Kucherov for the time being. However, another player that has carried the load for the Tampa offense has been Point. Not only tallying a pair of overtime goals in the team’s opening round series against Columbus, but he was electric against the Bruins as well. He put up a goal and seven helpers, eight points altogether, in the five games against Boston, and he has continued to develop as a bright young player in this league. In Game 1 of this series, he tallied two more goals.

His fellow linemate, Ondřej Palát has also contributed as well, tallying six goals in these playoffs. He looked particularly impressive against the Bruins, tallying goals in each of the final four games and two helpers. That top line has looked great for Tampa so far these playoffs, and the Islanders defense will have a big job to shut down the potent offense.

With Tampa coming in hot after a dominant Game 1 victory, the Islanders need to recover. Game 2 is set for Wednesday at 8 p.m. EST.

Matthew Page

I am a first year student at Hofstra University and an avid Islanders fan. I have been writing for Drive4Five since March 2020. My family has been season ticket holders for the team since 2016, and hockey is my favorite sport. As I expand my knowledge in the field of Journalism, I am writing to express my love for the Islanders and the NHL.