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 Jason Garrison scored 1:34 into overtime Friday night as the
Lightning beat the Islanders 2-1 at Barclays Center to take a three
games to one series lead.
Tampa Bay the reigning Eastern Conference champions, can move on to
the Eastern Conference Final by winning Game 5, which is scheduled
for Sunday afternoon at Amalie Arena in Tampa. The Lightning are on
the verge of advancing despite leading for just 66 minutes and 21
seconds in the first four games.
"That experience last year, going to the final, really helped this
group," Lightning right winger Ryan Callahan said. "We just continue
to go out there and work and we know we'll get those opportunities
eventually with the amount of skill we have. Hopefully one of them
goes in. Tonight's no different."
Games 3 and 4 weren't that much different for either team.
Garrison's goal gave the Lightning its only lead of Friday night.
Tampa Bay trailed for more than 47 minutes before right winger
Nikita Kucherov tied the game 7:49 into the third.
 In Game 3 on Tuesday, the Lightning led for just 6:40 but forced
overtime on a last-minute third period goal by Kucherov. Center
Brian Boyle then gave Tampa Bay a 5-4 win by scoring 2:48 into
overtime.
"There's no real panic button anymore," Lightning head coach Jon
Cooper said. "You don't know whether it's the first period or the
third period on our bench. They're just positive about the job they
have ahead of them until the last buzzer. It's been a lot of fun
being around this group."
The Islanders, meanwhile, are on the verge of suffering the same
fate they handed to the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference
quarterfinals. New York won that series in six games despite leading
the Panthers for just 45 minutes and 54 seconds -- and won two
overtime games in which it didn't lead until scoring the
game-winning goal.
"The last two games have been good hockey games -- that's how close
these two teams are, it's one shot away from taking the (series)
lead or not," Islanders head coach Jack Capuano said. "You can't ask
our guys for too much more."
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But if their season ends in this series, the Islanders will likely
lament their inability to generate more offense Friday. Kyle Okposo
scored a power play goal 4:20 into the first and nearly doubled the
lead with 10:49 left, when Ryan Strome's shot from in front of the
net disappeared beneath squatting Lightning goalie Ben Bishop (27
saves). The call of no goal stood because replays couldn't show if
the puck ever crossed the line.
The Islanders ended up outshooting the Lightning 16-6 in the first
but got just one shot during a four-minute power play following a
pair of roughing penalties on Callahan.
"You've got to tip your hat to 'Bish,' because he saved us in the
first," Cooper said. "That could have kind of changed the tide of
the game, especially when we didn't have too much going."
The Lightning outshot the Islanders 17-11 over the next two periods
and finally produced the equalizer on a broken play behind the New
York net. Tampa Bay center Tyler Johnson picked up a puck lost by
Nick Leddy and passed to Kucherov, whose shot fluttered over the
right arm of goalie Thomas Greiss (20 saves).
"When we got that one, you could tell on our bench we had a good
feeling of what could happen," Cooper said. "And it happened."
Garrison's game-winner capped a chaotic sequence that included
Islanders defenseman Calvin De Haan losing his stick. New York could
not clear the puck, which eventually found its way to Garrison in
front of the Stanley Cup Playoffs logo. De Haan eventually picked up
a stick but accidentally screened goalie Thomas Greiss (20 saves) as
Garrison's slap shot sailed into the net.
"We had chances to get the puck out on the wall, we didn't get it
out," Capuano said. "And then after that, we had pretty good D-zone
coverage. You give that shot up all day long. But it had eyes."
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