![]() The Islanders fell to 4-6 all-time in Game 7s, 4-5 on the road. Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak also returned to the lineup after missing the previous two games. His status for Friday night was uncertain until just before faceoff. Kucherov left Game 6 after a taking a hit to the lower back from Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield. They had some heartache before they were able to win a Cup and now they have a chance to win two.” You’ve gotta keep going back," Trotz added. This group believed that we could do this," Trotz said. Their character, their work ethic, their ’s undeniable. “I said to them that this group is special. The teams met in last year's Eastern Conference final, with the Lightning advancing in six games. New York's season ended with a playoff loss to Tampa Bay for the second straight year. Point failed to score a goal for just the second time in the past 13 games. Kucherov played despite missing most of Game 6 with an injury. Tampa Bay reached the Cup Final for the fourth time in franchise history despite not getting big nights offensively from playoff scoring leader Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point, whose streak of consecutive games with at least one goal ended at nine - one shy of the NHL playoff record. The Islanders, who were aiming for their first Stanley Cup Final berth in 37 years, forced a winner-take-all showdown by rallying to win Game 6 on Anthony Beauvillier’s overtime goal.īut with the Lightning playing relentless defense, while also outshooting New York 31-18, opportunities were limited Friday night. They also bounced back from losses to beat the Islanders in Games 2 and 5 and haven’t suffered consecutive playoff losses since being swept by Columbus in the first round in 2019. The Lightning improved to 14-0 in games following a playoff loss since beginning last year’s championship run. "Vasy made some big saves when he had to, but guys had huge blocks at the end of the game and it was so nice to be in front of our home fans and have that atmosphere and get that win.” ![]() “After we got that goal we just kept pushing,” Stamkos added. "He’s the steady rock that allows us to go out there and play with pace, play with confidence, play with a lead, and I thought we did an unbelievable job of that. “He's the best in the world for a reason," Lightning captain Steven Stamkos said. Vasilevskiy, vying for his second Vezina Trophy in three years, also beat the Islanders 8-0 in Game 5 and shut out Florida and Carolina to clinch series wins over Panthers and Hurricanes in the first two rounds. It marked the first time in NHL history a Game 7 ended 1-0 with a short-handed goal. Vasilevskiy turned away seven shots in the final period to finish his fifth career playoff shutout - fourth this postseason. "In the third period we left it all out there. And then they got the short-handed goal and that energized the building,” Trotz added. “I thought we managed the first period and it was pretty quiet. We weren’t paying enough attention and it ended up in the back of the net," Islanders coach Barry Trotz said. “It’s disappointing because that was an opportunity for us to do something against them. Gourde beat Islanders goalie Semyon Varlamov from the slot off a nifty pass from Anthony Cirelli at 1:49 of the second period, culminating a sequence that began with defenseman Ryan McDonagh blocking a shot at the other end. That was just a textbook Game 7," Vasilevskiy said. Yanni Gourde scored a short-handed goal, giving Vasilevskiy all the offensive support needed to advance the Cup Final matchup against the surprising Montreal Canadiens, who upset the Vegas Golden Knights in the other semifinal. “But when you get to the playoffs it’s about defending.” ![]() “It’s a hard lesson to learn, especially the players coming up today and the skill, the rules getting put into place that open up skill and to skate and to score,” Cooper added. “It's becoming a broken record, but it's not how many you put in the net, it's how many you keep out," coach Jon Cooper said Friday night after Vasilevskiy had 18 saves and benefited from exceptional play in front of him to beat the New York Islanders 1-0 in Game 7 of their NHL playoff semifinal. Thanks to Andrei Vasilevskiy and another stellar defensive performance, the defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning are headed back to the Stanley Cup Final. NHL, Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Islanders Vasilevskiy shines again, Lightning blank Islanders 1-0
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