Snap Shots: Islanders @ Lightning – 1/16/14

Jan 16, 2014; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Islanders right wing Kyle Okposo (21) skates with the puck as Tampa Bay Lightning center Tyler Johnson (9) attempts to during the first period at Tampa Bay Times Forum. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Welcome to Snap Shots, our condensed post-game recap of the New York Islanders latest NHL matchup

New York Islanders (18-22-7, 43pts) @ Tampa Bay Lightning (28-15-4, 60pts)

Tampa Bay Times Forum, Tampa Bay, Florida

7:30 PM EST

Islanders (2), Lightning (1)

SOG:

Starting Lineup:

26 Thomas Vanek – 91 John Tavares – 21 Kyle Okposo
16 Peter Regin – 51 Frans Nielsen – 12 Josh Bailey
40 Michael Grabner – 29 Brock Nelson – 15 Cal Clutterbuck
13 Colin McDonald – 53 Casey Cizikas – 17 Matt Martin

47 Andrew MacDonald – 37 Brian Strait
44 Calvin de Haan – 46 Matt Donovan
4 Radek Martinek – 14 Thomas Hickey

60 Kevin Poulin
45 Anders Nilsson

Notable Scratches: Evgeni Nabokov (IR), Travis Hamonic (Upper Body – DTD)

Game Summary

Period One: The opening period was not a great one for the Islanders. Right off the opening face off, Tampa Bay had a quick forecheck going, and put some pressure on Kevin Poulin in the first 30 seconds of the game; not how you want to start. The Islanders did show some offensive push after that, but Brian Strait got called on a questionable delay of game penalty, and it cost them. 5:45 into the first period, Marty St. Louis capitalized on a wide open net for his 21st goal of the season to give the Lightning a 1-0 lead. Play wasn’t terrible eventful for the rest of the period, as both teams failed to do much after that.

Period Two: The middle frame was a solid one for the Islanders. No team had any major plays early in the period, but as play went on, the chances came by. The Islanders came painfully close to scoring a few times, with great offensive push by the team, but they just couldn’t find the back of the net. The Isles would find a way to tie the game though, as Thomas Vanek scored a goal off a beautiful play by Frans Nielsen just a few seconds into the Islanders 3rd power play of the night with 1:38 remaining in the second period. That goal gave the Islanders some life, and the team looked confident leaving the ice after a good period of play.

Period Three: All momentum the Islanders had coming into the third and (usually) final period completely disappeared in the first half of the third period. They were giving up scoring chances, and lucky for them, Kevin Poulin rose to the occasion. The offense was severely lacking, as they had only registered one shot in the first half of the entire third period; weak stuff. However, the Blue and Orange seemed to find their offensive game, as they did have a late game push that gave fans a slight amount of confidence heading into overtime.

Overtime: The five-minute 4-0n-4 period was dominated by the Islanders, as most of the time was spent in Tampa Bay’s zone. The forecheck was strong, and the chances were piling up, but Isles just could’t find the back of the net. Tampa Bay, who outplayed the Islanders in the third period, were lucky to escape overtime without a loss.

Shootout: Frans Nielsen does what he does best, and gets the lone goal in the shootout. Kevin Poulin made 2 stops and was aided by a post en route to a 2-1 shootout victory in an impressive game in which the team found a way to win.

Statistics

Penalties

Turning Point

Frans Nielsen’s heads up pass in the 2nd period that lead to Thomas Vanek proved to be crucial, as it gave the Islanders a much-needed goal and momentum in the game.

What’s Ahead

The Islanders finish their six game road trip this Saturday with a 7 o’clock showdown against the Philadelphia Flyers.