The Islanders tied their series with the Tampa Bay Lightning at two games apiece following a 3-2 victory on Saturday night. Game 5 is in Tampa Bay on Monday Night, and it is a huge game for the Islanders. The Islanders won Game 5 in each of the first two rounds of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs and subsequently proceeded to win both series in six games. In fact, per the NHL, 78.8 percent of teams who won Game 5 in a previously tied postseason series ultimately won the series. 

Thus, the Islanders are fairly experienced in this type of situation. However, the Lightning provide the Islanders with a much tougher challenge than the Bruins and Penguins. It is going to be a tough game for the Islanders to win, but it is possible. Here are the keys to winning Game 5:

Strike First

Although earning the first goal is always important, it has been a complete game changer in this tight series. The team that scored first in all four games of the series thus far has gone on to win the game. If the Islanders can bury a goal early in the game, they will gain momentum. Hockey––particularly in the playoffs––is a game of momentum, and the Islanders need to take advantage of that.

Also, the Islanders are on the road. Although Amalie Arena is not very loud in comparison to other playoff atmospheres, the Islanders can take the life away from Lightning fans early with a quick tally. Goals are not easy to come by in this series, so it is very important for the Islanders to score first.

Play Oliver Wahlstrom, Bench Leo Komarov

Leo Komarov is a veteran who is valuable only on the penalty kill. The Islanders need to prioritize offense; Komarov will not help that cause, but Oliver Wahlstrom will. Wahlstrom is known to be an effective goal scorer, and he established that he is a legit scoring threat for the Islanders throughout the regular season. Komarov, on the other hand, had a chance to impress Islanders fans and score on a breakaway, but he missed. He simply does not have the scoring touch that Wahlstrom has.

The Islanders’ power play has not been very successful in this series. Wahlstrom can help out on the power play, as he can unload a wicked one-timer from the left slot. I truly believe that Wahlstrom, as a replacement for Komarov, can serve as the difference in a close game. 

Keep Kyle Palmieri On the First Line

Kyle Palmieri, Mathew Barzal and Jordan Eberle can make up a very dangerous first line. In order to beat a team such as the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Islanders need to have a threatening first line. Palmieri played on the line with Barzal and Eberle in Game 4 and it turned out to be successful. The three of them worked well together and generated momentum in the offensive zone. 

Palmieri is a shoot-first type of player, which is very valuable next to Barzal, a very skilled playmaker. Eberle–most of the time– is also a shoot-first player, which is why he is so successful next to Barzal. Having two shoot-first wingers on a line with a pass-first player can generate a ton of offensive pressure. 

Keep Brayden Point Away From the Net

Brayden Point dominated the Islanders last postseason, and unfortunately, he is doing the same this postseason. Point has scored a goal in all four games so far and has been the center of Tampa Bay’s offense. Barry Trotz, a defensive mastermind, will need to figure out a way to limit Point from controlling the game to limit the Lightning’s offensive production. That is a very tough task, as Point is a very skilled player, but the Islanders have conquered challenging tasks throughout the postseason. 

Brock Nelson and Anthony Beauvillier Need to Score

Nelson and Beauvillier carried the load for the Islanders in the first round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Since then, neither of them has had a lethal scoring touch. They have both been involved in goals and have scored some themselves, but if they can heat up and play like they did against the Penguins, it will be very hard for the Lightning to defend the Islanders’ offense.

Importance of Game 5

If the Islanders can pull off the victory in Game 5, they will be heading back to the Island for Game 6. Winning on the road in a very important game is not easy, but they Islanders have shown that they can be relentless in big games. They have done it twice in far louder arenas in these playoffs, so hopefully, they do it again. A Game 5 win will give the Islanders all of the momentum heading into Game 6. To say the least, the Lightning do not want to play an elimination game in front of 14,000 Islanders fans in the loudest arena in the NHL.

John Smark