5 Takeaways: Islanders Suffer 4-2 Loss in Heated Game 2

The New York Islanders dropped a 4-2 result to the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena in Game 2 on Tuesday night. With the loss, the best-of-seven semifinal series is now evened up 1-1 as it shifts back to Long Island for Games 3 and 4.
Brock Nelson put the Islanders on the board with a power-play goal in the first period and Mathew Barzal trimmed Tampa's final score down 4-2 with a late goal in the third period.
Semyon Varlamov started and ended the game, despite missing time in the first period following a collision with Brayden Point. Varlamov made 23 saves on 27 shots in 50:46 of action, while Ilya Sorokin made six saves on six shots as he manned the pipes for 6:50 in Varlamov's first-period absence.

The chippy match was powered by Tampa's high-octane offense, which received big performances from its top offensive weapons. Point (1G), Ondrej Palat (1G), and Nikita Kucherov (3A) all inflicted some damage, while Tampa received contributions from its backend for the first time in the postseason as Jan Rutta (game winner) and Victor Hedman (power play) got on the board.
Andrei Vasilevskiy made 24 saves in his first win of the series.
"We can be a lot better and we will be," Islanders Head Coach Barry Trotz said. "We knew they were going to have their A-game...You got to have those details and we didn't have it."
Here are five takeaways from the Islanders' Game 2 loss:

ISLANDERS UNABLE TO WEATHER LIGHTNING'S GAME 2 RESPONSE

From the get-go Tuesday's contest was chippy as both sides shared some early exchanges, but as the game wore on the Islanders notoriously disciplined, but feisty game unraveled and their emotions got the best of them. While Tampa's power play only went 1-for-5 in the loss, the Lightning were able to prevent the Islanders from establishing their usual stifling and disciplined game. Instead, Tampa benefited from a high-flying offense that went to work.
"We knew they were going to come with a good response after we got the first game," Nelson said. "I] thought we did a pretty good job coming out of the gates 1-1, but it's hockey, there are bounces and breaks, whatever it may be, they were able to get a couple and they get the lead and we weren't able to get it back."
**ISLES-BOLTS GAME 2**
**ISLANDERS ARTICLES**
[Gamecenter
ISLANDERS BOLTS VIDEO
Full Highlights
Nelson Nets PPG
Barzal Cleans Up in Front
Postgame: Beauvillier & Mayfield
Postgame: Martin & Nelson
Postgame: Trotz
KINGER'S CALLS
Nelson's PPG
Barzal Cleans Up in Front
The opening frame set the tone for the game with plenty of hostilities and post-whistle scrums between the teams including one heavy-weight tilt between Matt Martin and Bolts forward Pat Maroon.
Following an evenly matched first period that was tied 1-1 and only trailing 2-1 heading into the third period, the game slipped away from the Islanders as the Bolts stormed away with the win. It wasn't a dominant effort by the Lightning, who held the widest shot advantage of 17-10 in the opening frame, but they were able to capitalize with some momentous third-period breaks.
"I thought for [first] two periods we were good for the most part," Trotz said. "We knew a very good hockey team was going to have a desperate push."
Point delivered the game's icebreaker - and his league-leading 10th goal of the playoffs - at 8:58, but the Islanders evened it up 1-1 with Nelson's power-play strike.
After going 0-for-1 on the power play on a Steven Stamkos slashing penalty at 9:23, the Islanders extra-man unit capitalized at 13:30.
Point went to the box for goaltender interference after colliding with Varlamov, who left for the room on the play and was replaced by Sorokin for the remainder of the period. Nelson buried a deflection off Tampa defenseman Ryan McDonagh in the slot to even the score.

Tampa regained the lead in the second period from Palat as their top line did further damage on a cross-ice stretch play. Hedman sprung Kucherov for a breakaway, but the Russian winger opted to not take Nick Leddy on and instead, whipped a pass to a streaking Palat in the slot. Palat rifled his low shot past Varlamov's blocker to provide the Bolts with a 2-1 lead at 13:15.
""The second goal, that one hurt quite a bit," Trotz said. "Because now, if they get the third one there's a little bit more separation."
Rutta extended the Lightning's lead 3-1 early in the third period as he scored the first goal from a Tampa blueliner this postseason. From the point, Rutta blasted a blistering one-timer on Barclay Goodrow's feed over Varlamov's right shoulder and into the top left corner of the goal at 2:16.
The Bolts cushioned their lead 4-1 on Hedman's power-play strike at 9:17 on Travis Zajac's second of two third-period penalties taken by the forward. The Swedish blueliner beat Varlamov with a wrist shot on a slick cross-slot feed from Kucherov.

Barzal cut to the net to bury a rebound late in the third period as he cut the Islanders' deficit down 4-2, off of Jordan Eberle's unsuccessful signature backhanded attempt that Vasilevskiy had the initial stop on.
With the late goal, Barzal has earned points in six of his last seven games including goals in both games of this series. Of the 24-year-old's 11 postseason points (5G, 6A), eight of them (5G, 3A) have occurred in the last seven games.

VARLAMOV STARTS AND FINISHES, SOROKIN STEPS IN

Varlamov made his seventh-straight start of the postseason made 10 saves on 11 shots before heading to the room just over midway in the period following a collision with Point. Varlamov was solid before heading to the room in the first period as he made some key saves including a backdoor glove save on Nikita Kucherov chance on the 4-on-3 power play.
"He was fine, he was going back to the net," Trotz said of Varlamov. "Then the NHL Player Safety called and said he had to go into the room. He did. I thought Sorokin came in and did a really good job. [Sorokin] came right in there and did a fantastic job."
Sorokin was stellar after coming in cold just over midway in the first period. The Russian rookie made six saves on six shots in 6:50 of action. In that time, Sorokin denied a wrist shot from Tampa captain Steve Stamkos off the rush and a promising look from Anthony Cirelli, who was sprung all alone and who's backhanded effort after a toe-drag across the crease was stopped.

Upon returning for the second period, Varlamov was solid in the loss. He now owns a 5-4 record in the postseason.

PENALTY KILL DISPLAYS NOBLE EFFORT

While the Lightning went 1-for-5 on the power play, the Islanders penalty kill unit was still solid in the loss and helped keep the game within the Islanders' grip. Tampa's league-leading power play (entering the game at 42.1%) has been on a tear with a power-play goal now in five-straight games with eight power-play goals in that stretch.
"Tonight we kept them at 20% [conversion on the power play], which is half the rate they usually hit at," Trotz said. "But we just can't take that many [penalties]."
In the first period, the Islanders PK came up with a pivotal performance after being down 4-on-3 for 59 seconds as Scott Mayfield and Maroon both went to the box 3:15 into the game and Ryan Pulock was subsequently assessed with a high-sticking minor.
The unit further a stifled Tampa's power play late in the first period and with the score tied 1-1 as Leo Komarov went to the box for interference.
In the third, when the Islanders were down 3-1, their PK kept it a two-goal game after Zajac went to the box at 4:41 for interference. Tampa Head Coach Jon Cooper utilized his timeout ahead of their power play, but the Islanders penalty kill gutted it out to come up with another solid effort.

TAMPA TOP'S BIG GUNS SHOW UP

After managing Tampa's top line of Palat, Point, Kucherov in check at even-strength play in Game 1, the high-flying trio combined for five points (2G, 3A) and nine shots in Game 2.
Hedman also scored his first goal of the postseason, on the power play, to pad the Lightning's lead 4-1 in the third period.

UPDATE ON PAGEAU

Jean-Gabriel Pageau didn't take shifts late in the third period. It caught attention since the centerman is Trotz's usual go-to for big faceoffs in the waning minutes of play, especially in the defensive zone.
But Trotz confirmed postgame that Pageau's absence late in the game was precautionary.
"He just tweaked something," Trotz said. "When they got their fourth goal I basically said, 'You know what, he's going to be fine for the rest of the series so I'm not going to put him in any more danger.' I expect him to fully be in in the next game."
Pageau totaled 13:37 time on ice, fired off two hits, threw three hits, and blocked two shots.

NEXT GAME:

The series shifts back to Long Island at Nassau Coliseum for Game 3 on Thursday night. Puck drop is scheduled for 8 p.m.