New York @ Tampa Bay preview
Amalie Arena
Last Meeting ( Feb 1, 2025 ) NY Islanders 3, Tampa Bay 2
When it comes to getting into playoff position, the New York Islanders have done themselves no favors over their past three games and could be heading to Florida at the wrong time.
Riding a three-game home losing streak (0-1-2), the Islanders will face a scorching Tampa Bay Lightning squad in an afternoon matchup Saturday in Sunrise, Fla.
After losing 4-3 to the Calgary Flames last week, coach Patrick Roy's Islanders (32-29-10, 74 points) watched winger Kyle Palmieri appear to notch the go-ahead goal Monday in the final 10 seconds of a 3-all match against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
However, the score was denied for goaltender interference and upheld after a lengthy review by officials in Toronto -- infuriating everyone in home blue and orange.
"If Toronto is afraid to overturn calls made by the referee, we don't need Toronto," said the fiery Roy after the Islanders lost 4-3 in a shootout.
As most of the Islanders headed to the tunnel, Palmieri stood and sarcastically clapped for the officials after New York failed to tally against Columbus goaltender Elvis Merzlikins in the shootout.
The bad vibes carried over to Wednesday, as the Vancouver Canucks drubbed New York 5-2 to finish a four-game homestand at 1-1-2, leaving Roy's club trailing the Montreal Canadiens by one point for the No. 2 wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference entering play Friday.
Snagging four of eight possible points while pursuing the Canadiens and competing with the New York Rangers, Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings in the chase for the wild card isn't ideal.
Palmieri has been key offensively by netting eight of his 22 goals in the past 18 games.
Netminder Ilya Sorokin has posted a 27-21-6 record with a 2.76 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage in 54 games.
By contrast, the Lightning (42-25-5, 89 points) have flattened their opposition in the first two games of a three-game homestand, topping the Pittsburgh Penguins 6-1 on Tuesday and the Utah Hockey Club 8-0 on Friday. The latter win was revenge for a 6-4 loss at Utah last Saturday.
Milestone moments and overall achievements have stood out in the two games.
Brayden Point recorded his 300th career goal on Thursday, while Ryan McDonagh had two assists against Utah in his 1,000th game.
Nikita Kucherov managed seven points in the two wins, pushing his total to 105 in 68 games and leaving him behind only Colorado's Nathan MacKinnon, who has 108 in 73 outings. Darren Raddysh set a career high on Thursday with his 34th point after posting 33 in 2023-24.
Tampa Bay's attack netted eight goals for the fifth time this season and boosted its goals per game to 3.57, second only to the Eastern Conference-leading Washington Capitals.
In the crease, Andrei Vasilevskiy stuffed 25 Utah shots for his 40th career shutout and sixth this season, matching the Winnipeg Jets' Connor Hellebuyck for top honors. His teammates aided him with 23 blocked shots.
"The game (in Utah) did not look like tonight," Cooper said, citing Thursday's tighter defensive play. "It just goes to show that it really matters how you play in your own end, which does have an effect on how you play in the other end.
"These games over the last couple we've had here, they don't happen often. ... But we're doing (the right thing), and when it's constantly on repeat, good things are going to happen for you."
The Lightning are 26-8-2 at home including a 15-2-1 stretch since Jan. 1.
The two clubs will play again on Tuesday in Elmont, N.Y.
--Field Level Media