New York had plenty of momentum to open the first period of play, but all of the shots the Isles took were just wide of the cage. Meanwhile the Lighting got all sorts of shots on the cage of Al Montoya-ringing the pipes on several occasions.
Montoya did everything he could on his part to keep the Lighting off the board, making 26 saves in the cage. It was just the turnovers on the defensive end that cost his team the victory.
Tampa Bay cashed in on their first goal of the game, on a power play opportunity when Ryan Malone struck for a 20 foot wrister at the 16:32 mark. The Isles just did not have the legs to keep up with the speedy Bolts, who had the ice tilted in their favor for most of the night.
The Lightning cashed in on their first goal via the turnover when Vincent Lecavlier (3) found the back of the net on a 26 foot wrister at the 15:14 mark. Tampa Bay scored twice in the third, thanks to Steve Stamkos and Brett Clark, both off the lack of hustle by the Islanders.
New York found their only goal of the game, at the 7:55 mark, when Michael Grabner (2) scored on an odd-man short-side shot. 'Grabs' used his blinding speed and a wicked wrister, to find the back of the net.
One stat that stands out in the eyes of most fans is the fact that the Isles only had 17 shots in the night. Looking at the bright side of the night, the Isles defense and penalty kill continue to shine, as the team recorded 23 total blocked shots in the game.
New York looks to end the Florida road trip on a high note, as the team will take on the Panthers on Saturday. Face-off is slated for 7:30 p.m. with the game slated to air on the MSG Plus network.
Isles Milestone Moment: The New York Islanders had a milestone moment when forward Brian Rolston played in his 1,191st game, which ties him for 92nd place all-time with Gilbert Perrault and Marc Bergevin.
Stacy Podelski
http://www.smacksportvideos.com/
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