Nuts & Bolts: Lightning get their first chance to close out the Isles

TUESDAY'S MATCHUP
The Lightning and the Islanders are playing Game 5 of a best-of-seven, Eastern Conference Final series tonight...Tampa Bay has won seven of its last eight playoff games against the Islanders dating back to a 2016 Eastern Conference Semifinal matchup in which the Bolts won in five games after dropping the opening contest...The Lightning are 11-3 all-time versus the Islanders in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and are 2-0 in series matchups against the Isles...The Bolts have lost exactly one game in each of their three all-time playoff series against New York...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)...Nikita Kucherov (2-7--9 pts.) paces the Lightning for scoring in the Eastern Conference Final...Brayden Point (3) and Ondrej Palat (3) lead the Bolts for goals in the Eastern Conference Final.

TUESDAY'S STORYLINES
Tampa Bay leads the Eastern Conference Final 3-1 and can advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the third time in team history (also: 2004 and 2015) with a victory tonight...The Lightning could set a franchise record for fewest games needed to reach the Stanley Cup Final with a win tonight (needed 16 wins to reach SCF in 2004; 20 wins in 2015)...The Bolts could become one of 14 teams in NHL history to reach the Stanley Cup Final in 15 games or less since all four rounds became best-of-seven since 1987 and the first to do so since Vegas (15 games) in 2018...Tampa Bay has never lost a playoff series when owning a 3-1 lead, going 8-0 in such situations and closing out the series in Game 5 on seven of those occasions, including the last six in a row when up 3-1 (only series Bolts didn't close out in five games when up 3-1 came in 2015 ECSF vs. MTL, falling 2-1 in Game 5 before closing the series with a 4-1 win in Game 6)... Tampa Bay has owned a 3-1 lead after four games in all three of its series in the 2020 Playoffs, closing out the previous two in overtime in Game 5 (Brayden Point at 5:12 of OT in 1st Rd. vs. CBJ; Victor Hedman at 14:10 of 2OT in 2nd Rd. vs. BOS)...The Lightning have won seven of their last eight games and 10 of their last 12...The Bolts have yet to lose back-to-back games this postseason, going 4-0 in games following a loss, including Sunday's Game 4...The Lightning are 13-9 all-time in Game 5s in the playoffs and 4-1 in Eastern Conference Final Game 5s.
POINTING THE WAY
Tampa Bay center Brayden Point returned after missing Game 3 at NYI to score a goal and add an assist in Game 4 for his sixth multi-point game of these playoffs, tied with Nikita Kucherov for most multi-point games on the Lightning and tied for fourth most in the NHL in 2020 (most: 8 - Nathan MacKinnon)... Point recorded his 24th and 25th points of the 2020 Playoffs and is in a three-way tie for the postseason scoring lead with teammate Nikita Kucherov and COL's Nathan MacKinnon.
2020 NHL PLAYOFF SCORING LEADERS
T-1. Nathan MacKinnon (COL) - 9-16--25 pts. (15 GP)
T-1. Brayden Point (TBL) - 9-16--25 pts. (16 GP)
T-1. Nikita Kucherov (TBL) - 6-19--25 pts. (17 GP)
4. Miro Heiskanen (DAL) - 5-17--22 pts. (20 GP)
Point's 25 points this postseason are tied for the second most in a playoff season in Lightning history and one point from matching Brad Richards' record from 2004.
MOST POINTS IN A PLAYOFF SEASON IN TBL HISTORY
1. Brad Richards (2004) - 12-14--26 pts. in 23 GP
T-2. Brayden Point (2020) - 9-16--25 pts. in 16 GP
T-2. Nikita Kucherov (2020) - 6-19--25 pts. in 17 GP
4. Tyler Johnson (2015) - 13-10--23 pts. in 26 GP
Point has recorded points in 14 of 16 games this postseason and owns a six-game and seven-game point streak (tied for 2nd-longest point streak in TBL playoff history).
IN THE NIK OF TIME
Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov tallied two assists Game 4 at NYI for his sixth multi-point game of the 2020 Playoffs (T-4th most in NHL) and 24th career multi-point playoff game to tie Martin St. Louis for most in franchise history.
MOST MULTI-PT. PLAYOFF GAMES IN TBL HISTORY
T-1. Martin St. Louis - 24 multi-pt. games (63 GP)
T-1. Nikita Kucherov - 24 multi-pt. games (82 GP)
3. Steven Stamkos - 15 multi-pt. games (70 GP)
Kucherov has recorded a point in every game of the Eastern Conference Final and leads the Lightning for scoring in the series (2-7--9 pts.)...Kucherov needs one point to match his own record for most points in a playoff series in Lightning history (5-5--10 pts. in 5 GP in 2018 ECQF vs. NJD)...Kucherov's seven assists in the ECF are a franchise record for most assists in a playoff series...Kucherov's 19 assists in the 2020 Playoffs are the most in the NHL this season and the most all-time in a playoff season in Lightning history.
MOST ASSISTS IN PLAYOFF SEASON IN TBL HISTORY
1. Nikita Kucherov (2020) - 19 assists (17 GP)
2. Brayden Point (2020) - 16 assists (16 GP)
3. Martin St. Louis (2004) - 15 assists (23 GP)
Kucherov's 19 assists are tied for the third most by a primary winger in a single postseason in NHL history.
MOST ASSISTS BY A WINGER IN A PLAYOFF SEASON IN NHL HISTORY
1. Mark Recchi (PIT) - 24 assists in 1991 (24 GP)
2. Rick Middleton (BOS) - 22 assists in 1983 (17 GP)
T-3. Nikita Kucherov (TBL) - 19 assists in 2020 (17 GP)
T-3. Brian Bellows (MNS) - 19 assists in 1991 (23 GP)
PUTTING UP PALAT OF POINTS (AND GOALS)
Bolts left wing Ondrej Palat scored a goal and added an assist Game 4 at NYI for his third multi-point game of the 2020 Playoffs and 13th career playoff multi-point game...Palat's goal was the game-winner in Game 4, his seventh career playoff game-winning goal, tied for third most in Lightning playoff history... Palat has scored a goal in back-to-back games and three of the four Eastern Conference Final games...Palat scored his eighth goal of the 2020 Playoffs, matching his career best for goals in a playoff season (also: 8 goals in 2015) and tied for the third-highest total in the NHL this postseason...Palat has scored at least one goal in seven of the last eight games...Palat has scored all eight of his goals this postseason in the last eight games...Palat passed current teammate Tyler Johnson and moved into third place among Tampa Bay's all-time goal leaders with his tally Sunday.
TBL ALL-TIME PLAYOFF GOAL LEADERS
1. Nikita Kucherov - 35 goals (82 GP)
2. Martin St. Louis - 33 goals (63 GP)
3. Ondrej Palat - 29 goals (84 GP)
4. Tyler Johnson - 28 goals (85 GP)
With two points in Game 4, Palat passed Steven Stamkos and moved into fifth place among Tampa Bay's all-time playoff scoring leaders.
TBL ALL-TIME PLAYOFF SCORING LEADERS
4. Tyler Johnson - 28-30--58 pts. (85 GP)
5. Ondrej Palat - 29-26--55 pts. (84 GP)
6. Steven Stamkos - 23-30--53 pts. (70 GP)
VASY FOR VEZINA
Tampa Bay goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 26-of-27 shots Game 4 at NYI for his seventh win in his last eight starts and NHL-leading 13th win of the 2020 Playoffs...Vasilevskiy has won 13 of 17 starts this postseason...Vasilevskiy's 13 wins are tied for the second most in a single playoffs in TBL history.
TBL MOST GOALIE WINS IN A SINGLE PLAYOFFS ALL-TIME
1. Nikolak Khabibulin (2004) - 16 wins (23 GS)
T-2. Andrei Vasilevskiy (2020) - 13 wins (17 GS)
T-2. Ben Bishop (2015) - 13 wins (25 GS)
4. Andrei Vasilevskiy (2018) - 11 wins (17 GS)
OH MY GOURDE
Lightning center Yanni Gourde tallied two assists Game 4 at NYI for his fourth multi-point game of the 2020 Playoffs and fifth of his playoff career...Gourde has posted points in two-straight games (0-3--3 pts.) and three of four games so far in the Eastern Conference Final (2-3--5 pts.).
THE ROAD AHEAD
Game 6* - Thursday, September 17 - 8 p.m.
Game 7* - Friday, September 19 - 7:30 p.m.
\If necessary
Want more info and live score updates? Click here to subscribe to the 2019-20 Game Day Guide email list.*