Semyon Varlamov, Islanders beat Lightning 2-1 in Game
Semyon Varlamov made 30 saves and the New York Islanders got goals from Mathew Barzal and Ryan Pulock to beat the defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 on Sunday in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup semifinals.
Varlamov won his fourth straight playoff start, joining teammate Ilya Sorokin as only the third pair of goaltenders from the same team to have personal winning streaks of at least four games in a single postseason.
Sorokin won four in a row during New York s first-round victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Varlamov won four games in the second round, including the final three as the Islanders rallied to eliminate the Boston Bruins.
The Lightning looked disjointed and not mentally prepared for Sunday s series-opening loss to the Isles. "You have to have everything working in unison," said Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper of this stage of the playoffs, "and we just weren t there tonight."
Islanders Shut Down Tampa Bay in Game 1
The Islanders and the Lightning haven’t faced each other since the final buzzer went off in Game 6 of the same series last September. COVID 19 protocols kept the Islanders from exacting any type of revenge on Tampa Bay.until this afternoon.
Barry Trotz and Jon Cooper knew there would be a “feeling out period” for each team and there was. From that point on, the Islanders dominated most of the game. New York’s forechecking game picked up right where it left off in Game 6 of the last series vs. the Bruins. The Islanders neutral zone defense was outstanding and kept the Lightning’s explosive offense out of their zone. The style of play was frustrating Tampa Bay and as the last seconds of the second period ticked off, the camera showed Victor Hedman of the Lightning slamming his stick on the ice.