Game 5 Preview: Islanders at Lightning

NEW YORK ISLANDERS AT TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
GAME 5 | 8PM | ROGERS PLACE
LIGHTNING LEAD SERIES 3-1
TV: NBCSN | CBC | SN | TVAS | NHL.TV
RADIO: 88.7FM | 98.7FM | 103.9FM
It's do-or-die for the New York Islanders, who trail the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-1 in the Eastern Conference Final and are on the brink of elimination. The Isles have one more chance to keep their season alive in Game 5.
"We've got one life left," Head Coach Barry Trotz said. "We're going to try to see if we can keep going here. We've got to earn the right to keep playing."

The Islanders were stunned in Game 4 as they had a 1-0 lead slip from their grasp in a matter of 27 seconds to then trail the game 2-1. Brock Nelson had opened up scoring at 11:27 in the second period as he potted his ninth goal of the postseason (tied with Anthony Beauvillier for the team lead). Just 15 seconds later, Tampa's Blake Coleman converted on a breakaway and on the next shift following the center-ice faceoff Ondrej Palat provided Tampa with their first lead as he scored their second goal 12 seconds later. Brayden Point and Pat Maroon also scored for the Lightning.
"I look at their goals [in Game 4] and we could have prevented a couple of them for sure," Trotz said. "Our details are usually pretty good. They've capitalized when we haven't performed our details."

FOCUS ON THE THINGS YOU CAN CONTROL:

With an opportunity to keep their season alive, the Islanders are keeping their focus on the immediate task at hand, opposed to getting overwhelmed by the larger challenge of overcoming a 3-1 deficit.
It's a mentality the Islanders have leveraged all season long, no matter the score or how daunting the circumstances may be. The shift-by-shift mentality is crucial for the Isles, who are most successful when everyone is buying into their individual role and executing the collective game plan.
"It's all about focus, we've done it all through the playoffs here," Trotz said. "Focus on the moment, focus on what you need to do, focus on what your moment of execution has to be and have fun doing it. There's 27 teams and 700 players that would love to be in this position. Our guys have no quit. I know this team. They've given everything they have."
ISLES-LIGHTNING GAME 5
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'Stay in the Fight'
ISLES-BOLTS VIDEO
Barzal & Lee Availability: 9/14
Barry Trotz Availability: 9/14
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ISLES PLAYOFF PROMOS
Play Fan Faceoff
Playoff Auction
Playoff Getup Challenge

POSSIBLE LINEUP CHANGES:

With the adversity of having Casey Cizikas and Tom Kuhnhackl leave the Edmonton bubble due to undisclosed injuries, the Isles had to adjust. Jean-Gabriel Pageau has moved to Cizikas' normal spot between Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck for the past two games, while Derick Brassard skated alongside Leo Komarov while Ross Johnston, drew in the lineup for Michael Dal Colle, in Game 4.
Trotz noted that he is considering mixing up his lines in hope of creating some production of the Anders Lee-Mathew Barzal-Jordan Eberle trio, who has been uncharacteristically quiet in this series. Combined, the trio have only recorded six points (1G, 5A) throughout the series, but all but one assist were posted in Tampa's 8-2 rout of Game 1.
"We'd love to be producing more than we have," Lee said. "We understand that it's a big part of our team as a lineup is that everyone needs to chip in in some form or fashion. Our line had been producing and has been a little dry of late. Just finding those opportunities. I don't think they're coming on as frequently as we would like as a line. That's expected [when] you get this far. Tampa has done a good job of limiting us, but the few we get just find a way to put the puck in the net."
Trotz noted that message to the line and his whole team has been to make the most of each opportunity. He has expectations that a few players need to raise their games, but for the most part, would like his group to focus on playing a well-rounded game rather than fuss over points and plus/minus.
"Sometimes you just have to outplay whoever you are out against." Trotz said. "That doesn't mean you have to outscore them just outplay them or even play them even. Sometimes when you think you have to outscore them you get yourself on the wrong side and you end up cheating. Just play the right away shift-in and shift-out and you usually get results."

POSITIVE MINDSET:

While being down 3-1 in the series isn't ideal, the Isles are choosing to focus on the positives of the situation, they're still playing in the Eastern Conference Final and they still have 60 minutes left to hopefully change the outcome.
And after relinquishing a 3-1 series lead to Philadelphia in their Second-Round series that went to a Game 7, the Isles more than anyone, know how difficult it is to close out the fourth win.
"The good thing is we haven't been in a situation like this so far in playoffs - being down 3-1 in a series or being down in a series," Mathew Barzal said. "It's going to be a good test for this group. You're going to see our best."

LIGHTNING NOTES:

• Brayden Point returned to the lineup in Game 4 after missing Game 3 and part of Game 2 with an injury. The 24-year-old center had an impact in his return - as he has all series and for most of the postseason - as he posted a goal and an assist to record his sixth multi-point playoff game of the postseason. Point (9G, 16A) also tied Colorado's Nathan MacKinnon and his teammate Nikita Kucherov (6G, 19A) for the most points in playoffs.
  - Kucherov posted two assists in Game 4 and also recorded his sixth multi-point playoff game of the postseason. Kucherov extended his point streak to four games with nine points (2G, 7A) during that span.
  - Palat scored the game-winner and added an assist in Game 4 for his third multi-point playoff game of the postseason. Palat has scored his eight goals of the postseason in the last eight games.
  - Andrei Vasilevskiy earned his seventh win in his last eight starts and picked up his NHL-leading 13th win of the 2020 Playoffs. The netminder has won 13-of-17 starts this postseason.
  - Yanni Gourde ignited Tampa with his cross-ice aerial pass that led to Coleman's breakaway. The center has three assists in the last two games and five points (2G, 3A) in the series.
  - The Lightning have owned a 3-1 series lead in each of their three all-time playoff series matchups against the Islanders and closed the previous two series out in Game 5 (3-2W in OT in Game 5 of 2004 ECQF and 4-0W in Game 5 of 2016 ECSF)
  - Tampa Head Coach provided an update on their captain Steven Stamkos, who hasn't played in the postseason due to a lower-body injury and was already ruled out for the Eastern Conference Final. "He's been skating on and off, he's on a rehab regimen," Cooper said. "A lot of days he's skating by himself or if we've got optionals, we've got a few guys skating. There's certain things he can or can't do. It's great to have him around, but nothing has changed in the playing department any time soon."