Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

The New York Islanders Prove They Can Play With The Tampa Bay Lightning

06/14/2021 at 8:22am EDT

from Chris Johnston of Sportsnet,

For the NHL’s ultimate underdogs, this was a moment worth savouring.

In their first look at the Tampa Bay Lighting since last year’s Eastern Conference Final, the New York Islanders landed a solid counter-punch by bottling up the defending champs with a 2-1 victory to open this third-round rematch.

Mathew Barzal and Ryan Pulock scored the only goals Semyon Varlamov needed to secure the Islanders a win nine months in the making. That’s how long they’ve had to stew on a six-game defeat at the hands of Tampa inside the Edmonton bubble last fall.

“Both teams were familiar [with each other] and both teams went at it,” said Islanders coach Barry Trotz.

“They’re the standard of the league, I would say,” added Barzal.

And yet New York was full value for its win at Amalie Arena, keeping the Lightning’s most dangerous shooters at a safe distance. Brayden Point broke Varlamov’s shutout bid in the final minute, but he, Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos were held to just four total shots in the game.

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Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.

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