Islanders struck by Lightning

Tim Wallace celebrates after giving the lightning the late lead (Photo by Scott Audette/NHLI via Getty Images)

          After falling behind early, the Islanders bounced back from a 2-0 deficit, but were left heartbroken, as the Lightning beat the Isles, 4-3.
          It was the former Islander, Tim Wallace, who delivered the final dagger in the Isles' heart, with his goal late in the third.
          With the loss the Islanders fell to 30-33-11 on the season, to give them 71 points.  With eight games left to play the Islanders sit thirteen points out of a playoff spot, and their hopes of making a run are quickly slipping away.  
          The first period saw the Lightning score the only goal.  The Lightning's star center, Steven Stamkos, scored his first of two goals at the 15:49 mark of the first.  Stamkos would find the puck in a crowd of players and was able to slip a backhander through the five-hole of Isles' goaltender, Al Montoya.  
          The Isles would fall further behind at the start of the second period.  At the 1:46 mark, Stamkos would fire a one-timer over the right pad of Montoya for his second of the game.  The scores were Stamkos' league leading fifty-first and fifty-second goals of the year.  He now sits seven goals ahead of Evgeni Malkin.  The Isles would cut the Lightning lead down, at the 8:15 mark of the period.  
While on the powerplay center Frans Nielsen picked up a loose puck and buried a backhander over the glove of the Lightning goalie, Dwayne Roloson.  The goal was Nielsen's fifteenth of the year.  The Isles would then tie the game late in the period.  At the 19:24 mark, right winger Kyle Okposo took a pass from behind the net by his linemate, center Josh Bailey, and buried his own backhander past Roloson, to tie the game at two.  The goal was Okposo's sixteenth of the year.
          The Isles would take their first lead of the game at the beginning of the third.  Just forty-six seconds into the frame left winger, Matt Moulson would bury his team leading thirty-third goal of the year, knocking in a rebound left by Roloson.  The Islanders would hold the lead until the 9:08 mark, when center Tom Pyatt would tip the puck into the upper right corner of the net, to tie the game at 3.  The goal was Pyatt's eleventh of the year.  The Lightning would get the final goal of the game at the 12:10 mark of the third.  Former Islander, right winger Tim Wallace, would take a Stamkos drop pass and bury a wrist shot over the right pad of Montoya, to give the Lightning the 4-3 win.  The goal was Wallace's third of the year.  
          The Islanders will try to right their ship when they travel a bit more south, to take on the Florida Panthers.  Puck drop is scheduled for 5 PM.