Tampa Bay Lightning

The Tampa Bay Lightning drew first blood in the Eastern Conference Finals, beating the New York Islanders 8-2 on Monday night in Edmonton, Alberta.

Whereas the Islanders were only two days removed from their series-clinching victory over the Philadelphia Flyers, the Lightning had an entire week to rest and prepare. That long layoff might have played a role in the result.

Tampa Bay had a 34-25 advantage in shots even though New York had five power plays.

Brayden Point led the way for the Lightning, scoring twice and assisting on three goals, and Nikita Kucherov was instrumental with a goal and four assists.

   

Notable Performers

Brayden Point, TB: two goals, three assists

Nikita Kucherov, TB: one goal, four assists

Andrei Vasilevskiy, TB: 23 saves

Yanni Gourde, TB: two goals

Jordan Eberle, NYI: one goal, one assist

   

Well-Rested Lightning Strike Early

You'd be forgiven for missing the Lightning's first goal.

Point needed only 74 seconds to put Tampa Bay in the lead. NBC Sports Network was still displaying the line combinations when the center beat Islanders goaltender Thomas Greiss.

Brayden Point is ELITE. #GoBolts with the ICEBREAKER in Game 1. #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/XTDi0LUaqx

— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) September 8, 2020

Jordan Eberle scored on the power play to bring the Islanders level, but they didn't enjoy that position for too long. Victor Hedman delivered a power-play goal of his own at the 8:12 mark, and Ryan McDonagh followed with the Lightning's third goal two-and-a-half minutes later.

A Hedman MISSILE! 🚀#GoBolts BACK on top.

📺: NBCSN
💻: https://t.co/pnHteIqPkD pic.twitter.com/w3Z4LBKtS6

— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) September 8, 2020

The Lightning are on a MISSION!#GoBolts extend the lead in the 1st. #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/rJZeuY6Owq

— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) September 8, 2020

The Lightning didn't just do it with their attack. They were firmly in control when at even strength in the opening frame.

Islanders had 3 shots on goal at 5-on-5 in the first period. (Lightning 7)

— Tom Gulitti (@TomGulittiNHL) September 8, 2020

In addition to their quick turnaround, the Islanders had to travel from Toronto to Edmonton, which isn't an easy trek under the best of circumstances. New York likely carried a level of mental and physical fatigue onto the ice Monday, and Tampa Bay exploited that in the first period.

The first 20 minutes of the game set the tone.

   

Greiss Fails to Replicate Game 7 Heroics

While he didn't tip his hand, Islanders coach Barry Trotz said he'd continue to switch between Greiss and Semyon Varlamov.

Greiss was one of New York's top performers in Game 7 against the Flyers, saving all 16 shots, and that probably played a role in his getting the call Monday.

Trotz waited 10:46 before reversing course.

Nobody should blame Greiss even though he allowed three goals on nine shots. His defense did him few favors during his brief time on the ice.

#Isles are a step slow to everything. Not much for Greiss to do on the last two

— Arthur Staple (@StapeAthletic) September 8, 2020

Varlamov in, Greiss out. Not all on Thomas Greiss, screened twice and victim of an otherworldly move by Point on the first. But rough start to this series.

— John Chandler (@JohnChandlerNBC) September 8, 2020

Little changed with Varlamov between the pipes, which presents the wrong kind of conundrum for Trotz since he has to choose between one goalie coming off a bad game and another goalie coming off an even worse game.

Varlamov will presumably start since he has been New York's primary goaltender.

A short memory will be key for the Islanders.

The Islanders are in a seven game series with Tampa pic.twitter.com/82fYr42UwY

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 8, 2020

      

What's Next?

The teams return to the ice Wednesday for Game 2. The puck will drop at 8 p.m. ET with coverage on NBCSN.

Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos will miss the Eastern Conference Final against the New York Islanders as he continues to rehab a core muscle injury.

The Lightning star underwent surgery to repair a core muscle in early March after not having played since February 25. Initially expected to miss the end of the season and possibly the playoffs, the NHL's hiatus because of the coronavirus pandemic allowed the forward to heal up without missing much ice time. 

"With the timing of all this, it was devastating at the beginning because I thought I would possibly be missing some playoff games," Stamkos said April 29, per Forbes' Justin Birnbaum. "And the stoppage happened, and we didn't know how long it was gonna be. So the silver lining in that was I'll be ready when we resume. So I've been able to still use this time to rehab. I've been going to the rink...about three times a week to skate and just start feeling normal again."

Stamkos hasn't always had the best luck when it comes to his health. The 30-year-old suffered a broken tibia in 2013 and then had thoracic outlet syndrome in 2016, requiring surgery. He went under the knife again only months later after tearing the meniscus in his knee.

Now he could miss even more time in the midst of a crucial run for Tampa Bay. Stamkos remains one of the most crucial players in the lineup for the Lightning.

The fourth-longest game in NHL history went in favor of the Tampa Bay Lightning after Brayden Point fired home a goal at 10:27 of the fifth overtime to end a 3-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets in Game 1 of their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series in Toronto's Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday.

Brayden Point puts an end to the 4th longest playoff game in NHL history!

What an epic Game 1 win for the @TBLightning. #GoBolts | #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/0cdRih1XGg

— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) August 12, 2020

Nikita Kucherov sent a shot toward the net that Columbus defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov blocked, but the puck appeared to injure the blueliner. With Gavrikov shaken, the puck found its way to Point, who found an open lane and scored his second goal of the evening.

Point's score was Tampa Bay's first shot on goal in the fifth overtime and 88th overall.

The game stands as the second-longest matchup in the modern era, with the Philadelphia Flyers' 2000 Game 4 conference semifinal win against Pittsburgh Penguins lasting 1:34 longer.

The longest game in Stanley Cup history ended 16:30 into the sixth overtime in the Detroit Red Wings' Game 1 semifinal win over the Montreal Maroons in 1936.

Blue Jackets goalie Joonas Korpisalo broke the all-time single-game saves record with 85, destroying the mark previously held by the New York Islanders' Kelly Hrudey, who had 73 in a 4-3 quadruple overtime win over the Washington Capitals in Game 7 of the 1987 Patrick Division semifinals.

Furthermore, the Blue Jackets and Lightning also combined to register the most combined shots on goal since the statistic was tracked in 1955-56, per NHL Public Relations.

Columbus defenseman Seth Jones also had 65:06 of ice time, which marks a record dating back to 1997-98, when the statistic was first officially logged, per NHL Public Relations.

The two teams traded goals in the first period, starting with Pierre-Luc Dubois' power-play effort at 2:39 thanks to a tip-in.

Another look at PLD's tip-in ⬇️#CBJ | @18Dubois pic.twitter.com/YVa2jUEBdF

— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) August 11, 2020

Point answered fewer than four minutes later with an even-strength goal to tie the game at one after a Kucherov shot found its way into a scrum and deflected off the goal scorer:

Pointer gets the credit, we get on the board. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/l0gyRcTxTu

— x - Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) August 11, 2020

Columbus was able to take the lead before the end of the second period when Oliver Bjorkstrand somehow snuck one home with 48 seconds remaining before intermission off a shot from the right corner:

Goal #1️⃣ for #️⃣2️⃣8️⃣#CBJ | #CBJAsOne pic.twitter.com/89jIdIZR2y

— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) August 11, 2020

It didn't take long for Tampa Bay to respond, however, as Yanni Gourde scored the game-tying goal 23 seconds into the third after jamming home a Blake Coleman shot that found a scrum in front of the net.

Both teams had their overtime scoring chances. Tampa Bay had 47 shots on goal after regulation ended, including 14 each in the third and fourth extra sessions.

But the game stretched on. In fact, it lasted so long that Game 1 of the first-round series between the Boston Bruins and Carolina Hurricanes, which was scheduled to occur at Scotiabank Arena following the Blue Jackets-Lightning game, was moved to 11 a.m. Wednesday.

The Blue Jackets' Twitter account put it best with the game in the fourth overtime:

This game is like a CVS receipt.

— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) August 12, 2020

In the end, the Lightning won and took a 1-0 series lead.

Columbus and Tampa Bay's series is a rematch of their first-round matchup from last year in which the Blue Jackets swept the Presidents' Trophy-winning Lightning in four games.

Columbus has played a lot of hockey of late: The Blue Jackets just finished a three-game stretch from last Thursday through Sunday against the Toronto Maple Leafs to close their qualifying-round series. The first two of those games went into overtime.

But the Blue Jackets must forge ahead and get ready for Game 2, which is Thursday at 3 p.m. ET.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have reportedly closed their team facilities because of multiple positive COVID-19 tests. 

Per TSN's Bob McKenzie, it's believed that three Lightning players and two staff members tested positive and that the "remaining players and staff are being tested." Sources confirmed to Joe Smith of The Athletic that three Tampa players tested positive for the coronavirus.

McKenzie noted the expectation is that the Lightning will reopen their facilities if there aren't any more positive tests. 

Phase 2 of the NHL's return-to-play plan began June 8, which allowed teams to open their facilities so players could take part in voluntary individual workouts. The plan limited the number of participants in a facility to six players and one staff member.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced in May that the league was planning a 24-team playoff format with two host cities to finish the 2019-20 season. Formal training camps (Phase 3) are scheduled to begin July 10. 

Phase 4 will be the start of the postseason, but no official return date has been announced yet.

Florida has seen a spike in COVID-19 cases recently as more businesses have started to reopen. The state announced on Friday a single-day record of 3,822 confirmed new cases. 

 

Tampa Bay Lightning star Steven Stamkos says he expects to return from injury if the 2019-20 NHL season resumes.

"With the timing of all this, it was devastating at the beginning, because I thought I would be possibly missing some [Stanley Cup] Playoff games," Stamkos said in a video shared by the Lightning on Friday (h/t Mike Battaglino of NHL.com). "And the stoppage happened. We didn't know how long it was going to be, so the kind of silver lining in that was I'll be ready when we resume."

The Lightning were dealt a tough blow in February when they announced their captain would miss six to eight weeks after undergoing surgery for a core muscle injury. That effectively ruled him out for the remainder of the regular season until the NHL postponed the campaign as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

"Any time you lose as big a part of your team as your captain, it's a loss," head coach Jon Cooper told reporters. "You can't replace him. He's one of the best in the world at what he does."

The injury derailed what had been a productive season for Stamkos, who had 29 goals and 37 assists through 57 games.

Cooper's comments underscored the center's value to Tampa Bay. The team has an embarrassment of riches among its forward group, including reigning NHL MVP Nikita Kucherov, but Stamkos' absence would have left a significant void.

The Lightning were swept in the first round of last year's playoffs after reaching the Eastern Conference Final in 2018.

A 23-year-old woman who worked as a coach for the Tampa Bay Lightning's girls' hockey program has filed a sexual assault lawsuit against Tampa Bay Sports and Entertainment, the parent company of the NHL franchise.

Anastasia Dawson of the Tampa Bay Times reported the lawsuit's details:

"A former youth hockey coach for the Tampa Bay Lightning says she lost her job after telling the organization's human resources department she was sexually assaulted by a team executive during a company trip, according to a lawsuit.

"The Hillsborough County woman, 23, is seeking punitive damages for post-traumatic stress disorder, back pay to her dismissal August 2018, and reinstatement to her job with the Lightning's community outreach program. She worked as a coach for the girls hockey program.

"According to the lawsuit, the woman began working for the Lightning in 2016 and was repeatedly 'subjected to disparate, discriminatory, and harassing treatment based on her sex.'"

The woman, who was not identified, said that Lightning community hockey coordinator and University of South Florida associate hockey coach Aaron Humphrey sexually assaulted her.

Criminal charges have not been filed against him, per Circuit Court Clerks office records obtained by the Tampa Bay Times.

Lightning spokesman Bill Wickett did not comment, citing the franchise's policy of refraining from remarks on pending litigation. Wickett said that Humphrey also had no comment.

Dawson provided more details from the ex-youth hockey coach's lawsuit:

"The assault occurred during an overnight company trip to Pensacola by the woman and five men, the lawsuit says. She repeatedly resisted Humphrey's advances but he sexually assaulted her, the lawsuit says.

"When she returned to work, the woman was 'scared and unsure as to how to handle the situation' and at first tried to act as if nothing had happened. But the harassment continued as she refused to engage in a sexual relationship with Humphrey, the lawsuit says."

The lawsuit also says she saw Humphrey at a Tampa bar in March 2018 and asked him to leave her alone. The lawsuit says Humphrey laughed and shoved his hand down her pants in response.

The lawsuit says the woman dealt with far greater scrutiny for her performance in addition to further discrimination at work. The lawsuit says she requested a meeting with vice president of community hockey development Jay Feaster, who said that he would refer the case to human resources.

The lawsuit says she was fired for a "violation in company policy" on Aug. 7, 2018. According to the lawsuit, when she asked the team's HR department about the sexual harassment complaints, a representative from the department replied: "Oh, I heard about that, but that's in the past and doesn't matter."

The news comes in the midst of the NHL's current suspension because of the COVID-19 pandemic. There is no timetable for the resumption of the 2019-20 campaign.

Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos will undergo core muscle surgery Monday and has been ruled out for the next six to eight weeks, the team announced Saturday. 

Stamkos is part of a Lightning team that appears well-equipped for a deep playoff run and a potential Stanley Cup win thanks primarily to a stacked forward group.

Last season, the Canadian both benefited from and helped those around him, as he scored 45 goals and added 53 assists for a career-high 98 points.

That came after Stamkos posted 27 goals and a career-high 59 assists for 86 points, as well as 16 points in 17 playoff games, in 2017-18.

This season, Stamkos has logged 29 goals and 37 assists for the Lightning, who occupy second place in the Atlantic Division with 85 points. 

While he has long been a key part of Tampa's success, the Bolts have experience playing without him.

In 2016-17, Stamkos was absent for all but 17 regular-season games because of knee surgery. The Lightning missed the playoffs by one point that season, which illustrates how important he is despite the fact that Tampa Bay is stacked with talent elsewhere.

The Lightning have come a long way over the past few years, though, with other players since developing into stars.

Andrei Vasilevskiy is one of the NHL's top goalies, Mikhail Sergachev is a rising star on defense to complement the likes of Victor Hedman, and forwards Brayden Point and Anthony Cirelli are progressing nicely.

Even though Tampa Bay may be the NHL's best all-around team and can play winning hockey until he comes back, there will be added pressure on winger Nikita Kucherov to carry the load and get his teammates involved in the meantime.

The Tampa Bay Lightning acquired forward Blake Coleman in a trade with the New Jersey Devils in exchange for prospect Nolan Foote and a conditional first-round pick that originally belonged to the Vancouver Canucks, the Devils announced Sunday.

New Jersey will receive a first-round pick in 2021 if Vancouver fails to reach the postseason this year. Should the Canucks reach the playoffs, the Devils will receive a 2020 first-round pick.

Coleman is in the midst of one of the best seasons of his four-year career, totaling 21 goals and 10 assists in 57 appearances. He is tied for third in the NHL with three shorthanded goals on the year. The 28-year-old is also an aggressive player defensively, and his 166 hits on the season are good for 13th in the NHL.

His two-way ability could be valuable for a team that has its eyes on the Stanley Cup. The Lightning rank second in the league with 83 points through 59 games, trailing only a fellow Eastern Conference squad, the Boston Bruins.

With a 10-game winning streak, Tampa Bay has showed it has what it takes to match up with anyone in the sport. Of course, the team is smart to be aggressive ahead of the trade deadline after a disappointing end to 2018-19. The team won the Presidents' Trophy before being swept in the first round by the Columbus Blue Jackets.

This trade could bring the Lightning one step closer to competing for a championship.

Meanwhile, it continues a rebuild for New Jersey, which sits in last place in the Metropolitan Division. Though Coleman was under contract for another season, the deal returns valuable assets that will help in the future:

If the Devils were going to trade Blake Coleman, they needed to get an impressive return. This seems to check those boxes.

A day of change continues with Coleman reportedly off to the Tampa Bay Lightning for a first-round pick and prospect Nolan Foote https://t.co/M52O0zNKtW

— Chris Ryan (@ChrisRyan_NJ) February 17, 2020

Foote, the son of former Colorado Avalanche star Adam Foote, was a first-round pick in 2019 and could help the team down the line.

After also trading captain Andy Greene to the New York Islanders, per ESPN, the Devils are clearly in sell mode.

The Tampa Bay Lightning and goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy agreed to a massive eight-year contract Monday that will pay him an AAV of $9.5 million, general manager Julien BriseBois announced.

"The Lightning are very proud to extend Andrei for another eight years today," BriseBois said in a statement. "Since joining the organization, Andrei has shown unmatched work ethic and professionalism both on and off the ice. We look forward to him continuing his career in Tampa Bay for the foreseeable future." 

The deal makes Vasilevskiy the NHL's third-highest-paid goaltender in terms of AAV, behind only Carey Price and Sergei Bobrovsky. The 25-year-old posted a 39-10-4 record with a 2.40 goals-against average and .925 save percentage in 2018-19, winning his first Vezina Trophy.

"I'm very excited to sign this extension with the Lightning today," Vasilevskiy said. "I'd like to thank the entire organization, including Mr. Vinik, Julien BriseBois and the great Bolts fans, for making this such a great place to play and live for me and my family."

Vasilevskiy has a 124-59-15 career record with a 2.55 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage through five NHL seasons. He's been the team's primary starter for each of the past three seasons, emerging as perhaps the most promising goaltender in the sport.

The 2019-20 season was slated to be the final year of his contract, so the Lightning needed to get an extension done before the team enters camp in the fall. Tampa will start next season among the favorites for the Stanley Cup but are looking to rebound from an embarrassing first-round sweep by the Columbus Blue Jackets after earning the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference last term.