More than 19,000 people gathered inside Tampa’s Amalie Arena this afternoon to watch the Tampa Bay Lightning sail into the Eastern Conference Finals with a 4-0 victory over the New York Islanders in Game 5.
From the minute the puck dropped, the Lightning displayed total domination. They opened with authority, and boasted a 2-0 lead by the end of the 1st, with Victor Hedman and Boyle each netting a goal.
With 4:22 left in the 1st, tensions rose and a gathering of the clans took place, resulting in penalties for each team. Isles captain John Tavares was hit with two penalties — roughing against Andrej Sustr and slashing against Ryan Callahan. Sustr also took a seat in the box for roughing against Tavares.
The Islanders were already at a disadvantage going into Game 5 today. The Lightning were 4-1 at home this postseason, with the only loss coming against the Islanders in Game 1 of this series. In addition, the Lightning managed to keep Tavares from scoring since Game 1, when Tavares scored a goal and added an assist driving the Isles to victory.
Hedman scored another goal in the 3rd to give the Bolts a 3-0 lead. He now has four goals this postseason and a total of nine points in the last 10 games.
The Lightning’s Nikita Kucherov scored the 4th and final goal of the game in the 3rd. For Kucherov, it was his 9th goal of the postseason in the last 10 games.
Lightning goalie Ben Bishop stood tall and stopped all 28 shots launched at him, gaining his 5th career playoff shutout.
The Islanders had a tough 1st period, and just couldn’t get into a groove. Despite a tough, exhilarating and incredibly hard fought series, the Isles simply couldn't put together the kind of game tonight that they'd shown previously.
For the Lightning, the road to the cup continues; they're now set to return to the Eastern Conference finals for the second consecutive season.
The Lightning will face the winner of the Washington Capitals vs Pittsburgh Penguins series. Game 6 of that series will be on Tuesday at 8 p.m.
This article appears in May 5-11, 2016.