After winning a chippy battle on Friday in Game 3, the Islanders will try to even the series, while the Lightning try to regain control and take a 3-1 lead in Game 4. The game will be televised at 3:00 PM on NBC, with the legendary Doc Emrick on the call.

The past two games have been back-and-forth battles, with momentum swung in the Islanders direction after a pivotal 5-3 victory in Game 3. Semyon Varlamov was excellent, stopping 34 of 37, while Andrei Vasilevskiy made 30 saves on 34 shots faced.

Brock Nelson and Anthony Beauvillier each put up a goal and an assist, and Adam Pelech scored his first career playoff goal and had a +4 rating.

Game 4 is arguably the most important game of the playoffs for both teams, as the series can look drastically different dependent on the winner of this game.

A Lightning win would result in a momentum swing back in Tampa’s direction, but if the Islanders emerge victorious, it would be down to a best of three with the Islanders having all the mojo.

Three Keys to the Game

1. Injury Status

Brayden Point and Casey Cizikas were both unfit to play in Game 3 for their respective squads, and both are game-time decisions for Game 4. Alex Killorn, who was suspended for Game 3, is expected to be back in the lineup for the Lightning.

Point is obviously a massive loss for the Lightning. Him and Nikita Kucherov have driven the offense and his loss has been felt. Point was injured for the majority of Game 2 and all of Game 3, where the Lightning scored five combined goals. When was available for Game 1, they scored eight. Tampa Bay has a lot of weapons but Point is arguably the best one they have.

Cizikas is quietly a major loss for the Islanders. While he hasn’t scored a goal yet for New York this postseason, he is a fabulous penalty killer, physical presence, and excellent forechecker. Cizikas is the kind of player teams want facing skilled opponents and top gunners such as Brayden Point. There is still no decision made on either player for Game 4.

2. Special Teams

Special teams are crucial in any playoff series. So far in this one, the decisive advantage has gone to the Lightning. Tampa Bay has gone 4/10 on the power-play and 9/10 on the penalty kill.

It is very unlikely that the Islanders will outscore Tampa so much at even strength that they can get away with having subpar special teams. If the Lightning’s power-play and penalty kill stay strong in Game 4, they will likely win the game and the series.

3. Physicality

Game 3 was a physical battle. Over 100 hits and 70 penalty minutes were recorded. With under a minute to play, Jean-Gabriel Pageau was breaking in on the empty net and got slashed in the back of the leg in the knee area by Nikita Kucherov.

Fights broke out, and the game spiraled out of control with constant scrums and punches thrown. It certainly is playoff-level intensity, as it is evident that these teams have a clear distaste for one another.

The Islanders and Lightning will not lose their hard feelings in Game 4. When a lot is on the line, that generally increases the physicality of a game and it would not be surprising to see a bloodbath every game the rest of the way. It will be interesting to see who gets the upper hand physically.

John Smark