Islanders couldn't overcome scoring issues vs. Lightning in Eastern Final

The New York Islanders were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Tampa Bay Lightning, losing 2-1 in overtime in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final on Thursday at Rogers Place in Edmonton.

The Islanders entered the Stanley Cup Qualifiers as the No. 7 seed in the East after finishing the regular season with a .588 points percentage (35-23-10) and were No. 6 in the playoffs after they defeated the Florida Panthers in their best-of-5 series in four games. New York then won their best-of-7 first-round series against the Washington Capitals in five games and eliminated the Philadelphia Flyers in seven games in the second round.
Here is a look at what happened during the 2020 postseason for the Islanders and why things could be even better next season:

The Skinny

Potential unrestricted free agents: Derick Brassard, F; Tom Kuhnhackl, F; Matt Martin, F; Andy Greene, D; Thomas Greiss, G
Potential restricted free agents: Mathew Barzal, F; Ryan Pulock, D; Devon Toews, D
Potential 2020 NHL Draft picks: 5

What went wrong

Top line goes dry: The Islanders trailed for a total of 8.8 seconds in Games 2, 3, 5 and 6 combined, and the series could have gone differently had they received more production from forwards Jordan Eberle, Anders Lee and Barzal. Eberle scored the double-overtime winner in Game 5 but had two goals over the last 17 games. Lee did not score in the conference final after he had four goals in the second round against the Flyers. Barzal had four assists against the Lightning but did not score a goal in the last seven games of the playoffs. New York scored 12 goals in the series and was held to two or fewer in five of the six games.

No answer for Hedman: The Islanders struggled mightily against Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman, who was a monster all series and strengthened his case to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Hedman had four goals and two assists in the conference final and played more than 29 minutes in each of the last three games. New York has depth on defense, but the series was evidence it lacks someone of Hedman's caliber.
Power play: The Islanders finished the series 2-for-19 and had 34 shots on goal with the man-advantage. None of those shots came in overtime in Game 6 when Tampa Bay was penalized for having too many men on the ice.

Reasons for optimism

Core is returning: Thirteen players who played in Game 6 of the conference final are signed at least through next season and three others (Barzal, Pulock, Toews) are restricted free agents, so the majority of the roster is expected back. They'll be eager to build on taking another step in the playoffs after being swept by the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round last season.
Sorokin is here: Prized goalie prospect
Ilya Sorokin
agreed to terms July 14 and is penciled in as Semyon Varlamov's backup next season. The 25-year-old was 26-10-3 with a 1.50 goals-against average, a .935 save percentage and nine shutouts in 40 games with CSKA Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League this season. He was tied for second in wins, third in GAA, tied for fourth in save percentage and first in shutouts among KHL goalies to play at least 20 games.
Center depth: The Islanders are arguably one of the deepest teams in the League at center following the addition of Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who was acquired from the Ottawa Senators on Feb. 24 and gave up a chance at unrestricted free agency to sign a six-year contract with New York the same day. Pageau, who had 11 points (eight goals, three assists) in 22 postseason games, joins Barzal, Brock Nelson and Casey Cizikas to form a formidable group down the middle.