Islanders turn in complete performance to take 1-0 road lead off Lightning

In Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Semifinals, the Islanders struck Lightning.

Top center Mathew Barzal and defenseman Ryan Pulock scored in a 2-1 win at Tampa Bay that justly reflected the road team’s dominance of this series opener, anchored by the stout Semyon Varlamov’s 30 saves.

Lightning sniper Brayden Point ruined the shutout bid with 53.7 seconds remaining on a 6-on-4 power play with Andrei Vasilevskiy pulled, earned on a late Brock Nelson high-sticking penalty.

But Barry Trotz’s Isles set the pace. They mostly stayed out of the penalty box against the NHL’s top playoff power play. And they flustered the reigning Stanley Cup champions into sloppy puck management that had the Amalie Arena crowd groaning.

They are now a leg up on avenging last year’s six-game elimination at the Lightning’s hands in this semifinal round, a series in which they fell behind, 2-0. Game 2 is Tuesday night.

“Getting the first one is huge,” Barzal said. “I thought early on they were pressing. When you’re playing against them it sucks, because you’re chasing the puck. They’re so skilled. But I thought when we had a chance to make the right play, we did, and we didn’t give them too much.”

Barzal, the tip of the Islanders’ spear the last couple weeks, flicked one through Vasilevskiy’s five-hole to open the scoring 12:32 into the second with defenseman Jan Rutta on his hip. Barzal got the lead pass for his fourth goal in five games from Josh Bailey after a Steven Stamkos offensive zone turnover.

Then Pulock punctured the previously dazzling Vasilevskiy’s armor with a 48-foot slap shot off an assist from Jordan Eberle 5:36 into the third, after Eberle and Leo Komarov won a half-wall battle.

It was a nice shot by Pulock under the goalie’s right arm, but there was no screen, and it was a terribly soft goal allowed from Vasilevskiy, a Vezina Trophy finalist for a fourth straight year who’d played every bit up to that status through two periods.

By contrast, Varlamov continued his excellent play in winning his fourth straight playoff start and his fifth of six. The only loss in that stretch was an overtime defeat to Boston.

He made a big stop on David Savard seven minutes into the second period and another on Alex Killorn 3:47 into the third, among many poised stops to stem the tide.

“We think Varly is one of the best goalies in the league,” Eberle said.

Varlamov and Trotz both correctly pinpointed the Islanders’ “discipline,” in the coach’s words, as a reason for Sunday’s result.

“We didn’t give up stupid penalties,” Varlamov said. “This team is playing very well on the power play. They only had two power plays today, which is great.”

Indeed, the Lightning entered the series with 15 power play goals and a 28.1% success rate (15 out of 36), both league-highs this postseason. But the Isles gave them only two man advantages and killed off the first straddling the second intermission on a Kyle Palmieri offensive zone interference.

“Any time you play a team like Tampa or Boston or anyone with a lethal power play, you don’t wanna be in the box all night because you’re just asking for a loss,” Barzal said.

Barzal’s second period goal had been coming, though, as Tampa mismanaged the puck and the visitors’ chances mounted.

“Our work ethic was there. Our compete was there. Our minds weren’t there,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “Some of our decisions were poor.”

Bailey already had hit a crossbar off a Lightning giveaway. Anthony Beauvillier had nearly finished on a backhand. And Barzal — bouncing back from a huge first period neutral zone hit from Killorn — had undressed top Tampa defenseman Victor Hedman for a chance in close.

The shots ended up an even 31 apiece for the game, but Trotz’s team was the better 5-on-5 club.

“I think number one was just managing the puck,” Trotz said. “Two, we were disciplined. And three, we didn’t take a lot of unnecessary risk. I thought we made pretty good decisions. Even though we only got two goals I thought we managed the game pretty well.”

The Isles immediately established they were up to the task with a strong first period, outshooting Tampa 14-11, including 13-4 in the final 12 minutes.

Their own power play was a poor 0-for-3 for the game, including two fruitless advantages in the first. And Vasilevskiy robbed Palmieri with his glove 9:21 in on even strength. Then he stopped a Casey Cizikas deflection of a Nick Leddy point shot with his right pad at 17:16.

But Varlamov made a few big early saves. The series’ physicality was established right away, with the Isles’ Matt Martin and Tampa’s Barclay Goodrow drawing matching minors for unsportsmanlike conduct just eight seconds in.

Cooper quipped when asked if the Islanders had frustrated his team: “This is no different than the team we basically beat in the bubble. We just made too many mistakes.”

But that underplayed how effectively the Islanders commanded this game and took control of this series. They were the better team on Sunday, and it wasn’t close.