Written by Brett Cyrgalis at NYPost.com
This was far from perfect.
But it was assertive. It was meaningful. And it put all the nostalgia right where it belongs — in the past.
The Islanders began their second-round playoff series against the Lightning with a decisive 5-3 victory on Wednesday night at Amalie Center. It was a victory that was flawed only by them sitting back — way back — while nursing a big lead in the third period, thus allowing the Lightning to push and gain some momentum. But it still ended in an Islanders win, and now the opening-round victory over the Panthers that ended a 23-year drought of playoff failure is gone and forgotten.
“To put the first round behind us, it meant a lot for a lot of reasons. But that’s not the end goal,” said captain John Tavares, whose terrific postseason continued with his sixth goal in seven games, this one turning out to be the game-winner when he made it 4-1 on a jaw-dropping wrist shot on a power-play rush up the left wing midway through the second period. “It was good to turn the page and get focused on this series.”
It was clear from the get-go that the opposition is not the Panthers, not by any means. This Lightning team is fast and skilled — just ask the Rangers, who lost to them in seven games during last season’s Eastern Conference final. And they normally get better goaltending than what they received Wednesday from Ben Bishop, who was named as one of three finalists for the Vezina Trophy moments before surrendering four goals on 13 shots through 28:59 before coach Jon Cooper pulled him.
But that was as much a result of Tampa’s flawed defensive-zone coverage, and the Islanders taking full advantage.
To continue reading this article, click here.
