Nikita Kucherov's GW Goal Powers Lightning Past Islanders for 2-0 Series Lead

The Tampa Bay Lightning continue to roll over the New York Islanders in the Eastern Conference Final.

After opening up the series with an 8-2 victory in Game 1, the Bolts took Game 2, 2-1, and have gone up 2-0 on the series thanks to Nikita Kucherov's game-winner with 7.8 seconds left in the third period. 

Barry Trotz started Semyon Varlamov in net on Wednesday after turning to the goalie to replace Thomas Greiss early in the first period of Game 1 but the results weren't any better. Varlamov allowed two goals on 21 shots while Tampa's Andrei Vasilevskiy remained solid with 27 saves in the win. 

One year after the Bolts were swept in the first round following a record-setting season, a revenge run through the playoffs has Tampa Bay two wins from reaching the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2015. 

Notable Performers

Nikita Kucherov, RW, Tampa Bay Lightning: 1 Goal (GWG), 3 SOG, 4 Hits

Victor Hedman, D, Tampa Bay Lightning: 1 Goal, 1 SOG, 4 Blocks

Matt Martin, LW, New York Islanders: 1 Goal, 7 PIM, 7 Hits

Kucherov Saves Short-Handed Offense

The Tampa Bay offense remains one of the most dangerous in hockey even when down to nine forwards and missing two of its best goal-scorers. 

That doesn't mean the Lightning would like to continue playing short-handed but it proved necessary on Wednesday night. 

The Bolts lost left winger Alex Killorn 5:55 into the first period after the 30-year-old was ejected for boarding Brock Nelson. Referees gave Killorn a five-minute major and game misconduct, taking a player with 48 points in 82 career postseason games out of action. 

Things got more desperate for the Lightning five minutes into the second period when center Brayden Point (40 points in 35 career playoff games) suffered an apparent injury and couldn't return to the ice. 

Wednesday already wasn't looking like a repeat of Game 1 for Tampa's offense. Losing both Killorn and Point—to say nothing of a still sidelined Steven Stamkos—made scoring even two goals difficult. 

Enter Kucherov, who essentially stole a victory in the third period with a perfect backdoor one-timer moments before regulation expired. 

The Lightning gained possession inside the Isles' zone with 20 seconds left and kept the puck below the faceoff dots until Ryan McDonough caught Kucherov backing away into open ice to the right of the slot and hammered home a quick shot. 

It was a brilliant piece of positioning by Kucherov and helped a short-handed Lightning team avoid another draining overtime.

Islanders' Power Play Falls Flat

That the New York Islanders went 0-for-4 on the power play would've been bad enough on its own Wednesday night. 

That they team squandered a five-minute power play in the first period and a 5-on-3 power play late in the third make it much worse. 

A goal in either situation could've completely changed the game, if not the series. With a continual five-minute power play after Killorn's ejection, the Islanders had a chance to run up the score early and take Tampa Bay out of the game. Instead they got nothing. 

On the two-man advantage with ten minutes left in the third period and the game tied at one, New York called timeout to make sure his team had an opportunity to take the lead. 

Again they failed. 

Now down in a 2-0 series deficit, it's hard not to look specifically to those two instances more critically.

The Lightning won't give many teams a chance to bury them. The Islanders had one on Wednesday, out-shooting their opponent 28-21 after losing that battle 34-24 in Game 1. 

Instead it was a wasted effort, and New York is in danger of getting blown out of the series. 

What's Next

The Lightning and Islanders will face off in Game 3 on Friday, September 11 at 8 p.m. on USA Network. 

This article will be updated to provide more information on this story as it becomes available. 

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