TAMPA, Fla. — Maybe the Islanders surprised the Lightning a little bit. Maybe the difference in pedigree allowed the Lightning to forget the Islanders are a team predicated on hustle and work ethic and, as coaches love to say, compete level.
Maybe, after the Isles’ 5-3 win in Game 1 of their second-round series on Wednesday night at Amalie Arena, the Lightning have quickly remembered what they’re up against.
“I don’t know if we thought it was going to be easy or what,” Tampa Bay alternate captain and former Ranger Brian Boyle said on a quiet practice day Thursday, when both teams had optional skates. “We tried to make it easy, and it really burned us.”
What’s clear now is this is not the same Islanders team of the past, when they would be undercut by inexperience. They finally have the franchise’s first postseason series victory since 1993 after beating the Panthers in the first round, but now that’s behind them. They’re loose and energized and are embracing the challenge that sits before them in a Tampa Bay team that made it to the Stanley Cup final last season.
And the Islanders embrace it by knowing their makeup, by knowing that they now have some experiences of their own they can lean on. There was the six-game first-round loss to the Penguins in 2013, when the stage seemed just a bit too large. There was the first-round series loss to the Capitals last spring, when Game 7 was an utter no-show that still stings some players — most notably captain John Tavares — whenever it is brought up.
But they also have this regular season, when a one- or two-goal deficit did not mean it was time to head for the exits. Instead, they have shown more resolve, more professionalism in their ability to keep their heads down and fight through adversity. And it’s that experience that has brought them here, holding a lead in the second round and the unmentionable thought of a place in the conference final hanging in front of them.
“We still have some guys that are young that haven’t been there, but I just think overall with this group, I’ve seen the maturity of them,” said coach Jack Capuano, who personifies their low-key, blue-collar mentality. “We were down early in games a lot this year, even down a couple of goals, and we find a way to be resilient and come back where maybe two, three, four years ago, that wouldn’t have been the case. I’m not saying we would have mailed it in, but we couldn’t find ways to win those close games, or come from behind and win those close games.
Jack CapuanoAnthony J. Causi“So they’ve proved to us now that they’re going to work. They’re not going anywhere. They’re just going to keep coming.”
That’s something the Lightning have now realized, as their 1-0 lead 3:05 into Game 1 vanished just 100 seconds later, when the Islanders started to push back. They kept pushing, growing a 4-1 lead by the third period that was enough for them to limp over the finish line.
“They kept coming in waves, and they got some bounces and they deserved them,” said Boyle, whose team hadn’t played since they closed out their first-round series against the Red Wings in five games on April 21. “We weren’t playing the right structure or [had the right] mentality for a long stretch. I don’t think you can blame the layoff. I think it’s a mental thing. We weren’t ready to pay the price.”
It’s also clear to the Islanders that their opponent is a lot more like the one they saw in the third period, cutting the lead to 4-3 and owning possession, than the one that played the first 40 minutes. As is the case in playoff series, the surprises quickly become few and far between, and both teams now have a good idea of what to expect from the other.
“They’re out there having fun, embracing the challenge that they have in front of them,” Capuano said. “And it’s a great time of year to play. We’re still one of the few teams that’s playing. You have to enjoy it, that’s the main thing.”
