2020 ECF: Tampa Bay Lightning vs. New York Islanders | TBL leads 3-2 (Pt.2)

[AD1066]

I see you Tampa, buying time for Stamkos before the finals. Clever.

 

[Anisimovs AK]

Tampa's gonna choke. The Sharks of the East.

A team thats made it to the conference finals 4 out of the last 5 times its made the playoffs (4 out of the last 6 years total) is a choker?

Classic HF Hot Take right there

 

[beach]

It will be Saturday as they won't compete with the NFL on a Sunday I would imagine.

There is a game on Saturday. Don't tell TB yet - wait until Thursday night at around 11 PM.

 

[flying squirrel]

Until this Lighting franchise finds ways to score goals in ECF's elimination games, they'll continue to have a mental monkey on their backs. More than not, the Lightning's scoring dries up when they have the chance to eliminate ECF's opponents. Sure, injuries are part of the story over this span but something bigger is taking place (Bad voodoo like mojo, who knows?). Fact, other Lightning players have to step up when injuries happen, period. Love Bogo, but he had a sweet chance to make it 2-1 last night and other Lightning players had chances also. Reminded me of Gourdes missed open net agaisnt Caps, gotta sink those to become Champions. Until this Lightning franchise overcomes this, they'll come up short when trying to eliminate Eastern Conference Final foes.....

Goals scored by Lightning in ECF elimination games

1. 2011 - 0 goals in game 7 (Lost to Boston, they advance to finals)
2. 2015 - 2 goals in game 7 (Beat Rangers)
3. 2016 - 2 goals in game 6 (Pitt force game 7)
4. 2016 - 1 goal in game 7 (Lost to Pitt, they advance to finals after Lightning was up 3-2)
5. 2018 - 0 goals game 6 (Caps force game 7)
6. 2018 - 0 goals game 7 (Lost to Caps, they advance to finals after Lightning was up 3-2)
7. 2020 - 1 goal in game 5 (Isle force game 6)

6 total goals scored in 7 games with the chance to advance to "Stanley Cup" final by Lightning and they've moved to final only once because of this fact (Beat NY Rangers in ECF's) . Lightning have a scoring demon to slay, and we'll see if they're capable of doing it soon enough......

 

[beach]

A team thats made it to the conference finals 4 out of the last 5 times its made the playoffs (4 out of the last 6 years total) is a choker?

Classic HF Hot Take right there

Well, TB is 0-5 in their last 5 conference final potential series close-out games. So there's that....

 

[miscs75]

Mayfield says thank you to the hockey gods after his stick mishap vs Philly. I guess they had to get paid back eventually. Now win 2 more games and play the coach who ran the Isles during the fisherman era.

 

[Pure Slaughter Value]

Watching hockey for 30 years you manage to miss Lidstrom, Chelios, Bourque, and Leetch? Maaan...

After another five years he'll be up there, at least with Leetch and Chelios imo

 

[Filthy Dangles]

Yikes Shat....looks like me hungover (or sober) on the first tee box.

 

[Ragamuffin Gunner]

"Ok boys, let's turtle for 5 periods and hope the other guys flob a shot!"

-Barry Trots

 

[beach]

"Ok boys, let's turtle for 5 periods and hope the other guys flob a shot!"

-Barry Trots

Whatever it takes Buddy.

 

[Imnotagoodposter]

"Ok boys, let's turtle for 5 periods and hope the other guys flob a shot!"

-Barry Trots

It’s worked hasn’t it

 

[Sentinel]

A team thats made it to the conference finals 4 out of the last 5 times its made the playoffs and failed to win a Cup is a choker.

Fixed that for you. A textbook definition of a choker.

 

[Sentinel]

After another five years he'll be up there, at least with Leetch and Chelios imo

Wow. You must have not paid attention. Chelios was a force of nature.

 

[T REX]

Until this Lighting franchise finds ways to score goals in ECF's elimination games, they'll continue to have a mental monkey on their backs. More than not, the Lightning's scoring dries up when they have the chance to eliminate ECF's opponents. Sure, injuries are part of the story over this span but something bigger is taking place (Bad voodoo like mojo, who knows?). Fact, other Lightning players have to step up when injuries happen, period. Love Bogo, but he had a sweet chance to make it 2-1 last night and other Lightning players had chances also. Reminded me of Gourdes missed open net agaisnt Caps, gotta sink those to become Champions. Until this Lightning franchise overcomes this, they'll come up short when trying to eliminate Eastern Conference Final foes.....

Goals scored by Lightning in ECF elimination games

1. 2011 - 0 goals in game 7 (Lost to Boston, they advance to finals)
2. 2015 - 2 goals in game 7 (Beat Rangers)
3. 2016 - 2 goals in game 6 (Pitt force game 7)
4. 2016 - 1 goal in game 7 (Lost to Pitt, they advance to finals after Lightning was up 3-2)
5. 2018 - 0 goals game 6 (Caps force game 7)
6. 2018 - 0 goals game 7 (Lost to Caps, they advance to finals after Lightning was up 3-2)
7. 2020 - 1 goal in game 5 (Isle force game 6)

6 total goals scored in 7 games with the chance to advance to "Stanley Cup" final by Lightning and they've moved to final only once because of this fact (Beat NY Rangers in ECF's) . Lightning have a scoring demon to slay, and we'll see if they're capable of doing it soon enough......

Drop 2011. Different coach and roster. Most of these guys were around in '15 and beyond.

I would this graphic choking IMHO. Gotta do better whether point is in or not. 0-2 when he's out.

Someone figure it out.

 

[Elysian]

I see you Tampa, buying time for Stamkos before the finals. Clever.

Also buying time for Bishop

 

[Mr Misunderstood]

I know Hedman gets all the love and deservedly so, but man Cernak is friggin annoying as an Isles fan.

He's always in the way with his stick/body and then Hedman comes in and sweeps it up. They're a great pair and doing a hell of a job shutting the Isles down.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

The turning point of game 5 was TB not scoring on the 4 mins accidental Beauvillier highsticking PIM. Once the Isles killed that PIM. TB let the Isles off the hook. Game 5 was really no different than games 2, 3, and 4. First mistake loses the game. There will be another game on Thursday. I can see TB coming out hard, they do not want a game 7.

 

[JoVel]

Also buying time for Bishop

So they're also forcing the Stars into a goalie fight like Vegas? Lightning's genius is immeasurable!

 

[Elysian]

So they're also forcing the Stars into a goalie fight like Vegas? Lightning's genius is immeasurable!

I actually think no matter what Khudobin starts game one, but I'd feel a lot better about the finals with Bishop back.

 

[VinikToWinIt]

Yikes Shat....looks like me hungover (or sober) on the first tee box.

Me when someone lets me play through.

 

[Pure Slaughter Value]

Wow. You must have not paid attention. Chelios was a force of nature.

Paid a ton of attention. I put Bourque and Lidstrom above him. I put Leetch and Chelios a step below. I put Hedman a step below that but rising steadily.

 

[2ndGenIslander]

im just thankful the game ended in OT. when they end in regulation, Kutcherov uses the opportunity to start chopping away at peoples knees and ankles..

 

[DrMartinVanNostrand]

Game 2: Point misses the last ~35 minutes, Lightning score one goal.
Game 3: Point doesn't play - Lightning score three goals
Game 4: Point doesn't play last ~10 minutes, Lightning score zero goals with a goalie in net (had a 3-1 lead so this one is a little easier to disregard)
Game 5: Point doesn't play - Lightning score one goal in ~92 minutes of hockey

35 + 60 + 92 = 187 (+10 if you include Game 4)

187 minutes of hockey, or just a little over the equivalency of three games worth of play...Lightning have scored five goals in that time. They are obviously already without Stamkos. When either Kucherov or Point is also missing, there is ZERO goal scoring ability left on the roster. If it wasn't Kuch or Hedman last night, nobody was going to score the winning goal. Lord knows Kucherov had his chances and could've had a breakaway if Cirelli had pulled the trigger on a pass quickly enough (and he had the opportunity; he saw Kucherov and had the puck, but he was a second late getting the pass away and the chance was gone by then). But if it's not going to be them, nobody else can do it. The second line is completely useless. The third line is certainly a good energy line but they aren't much for creating goal scoring chances. None of the D's other than Hedman can get a shot through.

Having missed Game 3 and suffered a re-aggravation of his injury which caused him to miss Game 5, there's no reason to assume Point will be good to go in Game 6. Hopefully he is, but there's no way you can say he will with any kind of certainty. And if he can't play in Game 6, then the Lightning are all-caps f***ED. Because, if this goes 7, with their history of collapsing in the Conference Finals, the Islanders are winning that 7th game. Winner of Game 6 wins this series, and the Lightning can't win without Point. Can't win because they can't score without him and, obviously, you can't win if you can't score. Vasi let one 100mph one-timed slapshot beat him last night, and that's all the Islanders needed to be assured of a coin-flip overtime game. Vasi is the starting pitcher on a team that can't score any runs and knows that he has to be perfect or he's going to end up losing, and that's a ridiculous amount of pressure for a goaltender to have to deal with. It broke him in 2018 when he cracked under the pressure in Game 7 with the Lightning in a goal scoring drought then, and I could see the same thing happening here if it continues.

TL;DR - Lightning need Point in Game 6 or the Islanders are most likely going to win this series.

 

[VinikToWinIt]

So they're also forcing the Stars into a goalie fight like Vegas? Lightning's genius is immeasurable!

"INTERMINABLE!"

-Doc Emrick, probably

 

[holy]

Really hope Tampa loses because of how smug non Tampa fans are being about them. All I see are posts about how they got it in the bag.

Let’s go Isles, show these clowns hockey isn’t played on paper.