Lightning vs. Islanders: The Biggest Takeaways from Tampa Bay's Series Win

The Tampa Bay Lightning had unfinished business after last year's Stanley Cup Final.

The Lightning had lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in six games, and neither head coach Jon Cooper nor any of his players were satisfied with merely getting to the championship round.

But as the 2016 playoffs started, few gave Tampa Bay a legitimate chance to return to the Stanley Cup Final and meet its goal. Superstar Steven Stamkos was sidelined with a blood clot, and defenseman Anton Stralman had a fractured fibula—and there was no telling when he would be back in the lineup.

Despite those issues, the Lightning have been the NHL's most successful team through the first two rounds of the playoffs. They whipped the Detroit Red Wings in the first round by a 4-1 margin and did the same thing to the New York Islanders.

Tampa Bay has overcome key injuries and played hard-nosed, effective hockey. The team has advanced to the Eastern Conference Final against the Pittsburgh Penguins or Washington Capitals, and here are the biggest takeaways from its second-round victory over the Islanders. 

Tampa Bay Lightning: Depth Scoring

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

Brian Boyle (right) celebrates with his teammates.

The Lightning's top line of Tyler Johnson, Nikita Kucherov and Alex Killorn dominated in the first round against Detroit, scoring 10 of the team's 12 goals.

Cooper wanted to spread the scoring around, so he took a chance and took Killorn off the top line and put him with Jonathan Drouin and Valtteri Filppula, while Ondrej Palat was put on the top line.

The Lightning's top two line scored with regularity throughout the series. Drouin has one goal and eight assists in 10 postseason games, and his rise has been one of the team's top stories during the postseason.

In addition to Drouin's line, Tampa Bay also got key goals from the third and fourth lines. Brian Boyle scored the overtime winner in the third game, and that victory in Brooklyn gave the Lightning momentum in the series they would not relinquish.

Kucherov scored four goals in the series, as did defenseman Victor Hedman.

New York Islanders: John Tavares Held in Check

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

John Tavares could not find the range against Tampa Bay after the series opener.

John Tavares scored at will for the Islanders in their opening-round series against the Florida Panthers, and he had a goal and added an assist in New York's series-opening 5-3 win at Tampa Bay.

It looked like he would continue to be a dominating figure, but the Tampa Bay defense made stopping Taveras its first priority the rest of the way.

The Islanders captain was unable to get on the scoresheet the rest of the series, and that basically was the reason why the Islanders suffered four straight losses. 

Tavares is a smart, instinctive and creative player, but Victor Hedman and Braydon Coburn prevented him from taking more than a stride or two with the puck before he was challenged.

Islanders head coach Jack Capuano acknowledged that Tampa Bay's defense did its job well. 

"Johnny competes, whether it's the Olympics, or whether it's going to be the World Cup, Johnny's going to be matched against top players," Capuano told Brian Compton of NHL.com. "I thought [Victor] Hedman and [Braydon] Coburn and their D did a really good job."

Tampa Bay Lightning: Seizing the Opportunity

Frank Franklin II/Associated Press

The Lightning celebrate after Jason Garrison's Game 4 overtime goal.

The situation was awfully tough in Game 3 for the Lightning.

The Islanders had a 4-3 lead in a back-and-forth game, and as the minutes dwindled down, it seemed that Cal Clutterbuck's goal would hold up and the Islanders would take a 2-1 lead in the series.

But Tampa Bay was not discouraged, anxious or filled with doubt. The Lightning pulled goalie Ben Bishop, and the pressure on the Islanders mounted. Suddenly, Kucherov took a perfect pass from Drouin, and the high-scoring forward whistled a hard shot by New York goalie Thomas Greiss. The score was tied, and Boyle would win the game for Tampa Bay early in the overtime.

The Islanders were seething and knew they could not let another home game slip away. They had a 1-0 lead in the third period of Game 4, but Kucherov would score the tying goal once again. While he didn't wait until the final seconds, his goal at seven minutes, 49 seconds of the final period had a deflating impact on the home team.

The game went to overtime, and the Lightning put it away early on a slap shot from the point by Jason Garrison. The 3-1 lead in the series gave the Lightning a chance to close out the series at home Sunday, and they did that with ease in a 4-0 triumph.

New York Islanders: Defensive Woes

Kathy Kmonicek/Associated Press

Johnny Boychuk and the Islanders defense struggled to contain Tampa Bay's speed forwards.

The New York Islanders defense appeared to be at least a step behind the Tampa Bay forwards throughout their second-round series. 

One of Tampa Bay's best assets is its speed, and the Lightning took advantage of a New York defense that could not keep up. Johnny Boychuk, perhaps the Islanders' most dependable defenseman during the year, struggled badly throughout the playoffs. He did not score a goal or an assist, and he was minus-seven through 11 postseason games.

In addition to Boychuk, fellow blueliner Calvin de Haan was minus-five, while Thomas Hickey was also minus-five.

Greiss struggled at key moments in the series, giving up the tying and winning goals in the third period and overtime in back-to-back games at home.

Tampa Bay Lightning: Clutch Goaltending

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

The second-round series did not start out well for Bishop, as the Lightning dropped a 5-3 decision in the Game 1 against the Islanders at home.

After Bishop gave up four goals by the midway point of the second period, Cooper pulled him from the game and replaced him with Andrei Vasilevskiy. That game proved to be an aberration, as Bishop was on top of his game in the final four games of the series.

He had an impressive .948 save percentage in those games, and he continually frustrated the Islanders with his positioning and his quickness. 

He blanked the Islanders in the series clincher, and he has five playoff shutouts on his career resume. 

"He's got some pretty remarkable numbers right now," Boyle told NHL.com correspondent Corey Long. "This whole season…he's been phenomenal for us. We've relied on him maybe too much, but it's a good situation for us to have him playing at his best."