Stanley Cup semifinals: Lightning-Islanders Game 2 live updates

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Nikita Kucherov set up three goals and the Lightning beat the Islanders 4-2 in Game 2 of their Stanley Cup semifinal series Tuesday at Amalie Arena.

Jan Rutta and Victor Hedman scored the first two goals by Tampa Bay defensemen this postseason. Brayden Point and Ondrej Palat also scored for the Lightning.

Tampa Bay goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 24 of the 26 shots he faced as the Lightning improved to 11-0 over the past two postseasons in games following a loss, including 4-0 this year.

After Point opened the scoring nine minutes into the game, the Islanders’ Brock Nelson tied the score 4-1/2 minutes later with a power-play goal after a bad goaltender interference call against Point.

Nelson scored from the slot after Ryan McDonagh deflected a Josh Bailey pass on to his stick. The goal came 20 seconds after Adam Pelech shoved Point into New York goaltender Semyon Varlamov, resulting in a goaltender interference call against Point.

Varlamov went to the locker room and was replaced by Ilya Sorokin. Varlamov returned at the start of the second period.

After Rutta and Hedman scored in the third period to extend the Lightning lead to 4-1, Mathew Barzal scored the Islanders’ second goal with just over three minutes remaining.

Here’s how it happened:

Third period

LIGHTNING GOAL! Jan Rutta scores through traffic from the right point, the first goal by a Lightning defenseman this postseason. Anthony Beauvillier was unable to get the puck out, and Rutta shot past Josh Bailey with two Islanders players blocking Varlamov’s view. Lightning 3, Islanders 1.

Steven Stamkos draws a cross-checking penalty from Travis Zajac

Casey Cizikas blocks a Hedman blast from the point

Islanders kill the penalty

Zajac slashes Barclay Goodrow, and the Lightning go right back on the power play

LIGHTNING GOAL! Victor Hedman scores his first goal of the postseason and second by a Lightning defenseman off a cross-seam pass from Kucherov. Lightning 4, Islanders 1.

Komarov and Gourde penalized for fighting

Cernak penalized for slashing Leddy

Lightning clear the puck

Gourde clears the puck

Beauvillier penalized for roughing Kucherov

Killorn backhand attempt stopped by Varlamov

Stamkos misses the net and the puck comes out of the offensive zone

Sergachev shot from the point blocked by Cizikas

Greene clears the puck and the Isles kill the penalty

ISLANDERS GOAL. Barzal scores. Lightning 4, Islanders 2.

Hedman shot goes off the crossbar

Islanders pull Varlamov for an extra attacker

Vasilevskiy saves Bailey shot from the left side

Lightning ice the puck

And another icing brings the faceoff back inside the Lightning zone

Lightning clear, and we have another icing

Cirelli picks off the puck and clears it out of the zone

(Lightning win 4-2)

Second period

Varlamov returns for the second period. He may have been instructed by the spotter inside the building to be checked out under the concussion protocol.

Vasilevskiy makes a save on a Beauvillier chance on an odd-man rush.

Cernak with a big hit on Nelson

BColeman penalized for slashing Pageauo lost his, then dives to block a Hedman shot with his right skateB

Blake Coleman penalized for slashing Pageau

Eberle shot from left side saved by Vasilevskiy

McDonagh clears the puck down the ice

Varlamov stops Gourde shorthanded breakaway after a Dobson turnover

Gourde clears the puck out of the zone

Gourde again clears the puck

Cirelli clears the puck

Hedman puts the puck back into the Islanders’ end, and the Lightning kill the penalty

Varlamov stops a couple of Palat chances from in close after a Pulock turnover

Vasilevskiy stops Dobson drive to the net

Pulock shot from the right point blocked by Palat

Cernak blocks Pageau shot

Hedman blocks Mayfield shot, even without his stick

LIGHTNING GOAL! Ondrej Palat scores from the slot after Kucherov gets sprung on a breakaway, skates in a circle to buy time, drawing two defenders to him. Tampa Bay had six men on the ice at the time, but it went unnoticed by the officials. Lightning 2, Islanders 1.

Vasilevskiy stops Eberle and Komarov from in close

Varlamov stops Colton shot from the slot with Maroon in the way

Cernak shot from the right circle blocked by Nick Leddy

Vasilevskiy with a big left pad save on Beauvillier from low in the slot after a tight pass from Bailey in the closing seconds of the period

(Lightning lead 2-1 after two periods)

First period

Blake Coleman hits Cal Clutterbuck

Scott Mayfield steals the puck from Brayden Point

Andrei Vasilevskiy turns away shot from Jean-Gabriel Pageau

Ondrej Palat wrist shot saved by Semyon Varlamov

Victor Hedman wrist shot saved by Semyon Varlamov

Erik Cernak exit out of the zone picked off, leading to some chances for the Islanders

Mikhail Sergachev turnover

Pat Maroon, Mayfield exchange pleasantries after a hit along the boards. Maroon penalized for holding, Mayfield for roughing, so we’ll have 4-on-4 play

Victor Hedman blast from the right point misses wide

Lightning will have a 4-on-3 advantage for just under a minute before we go to 5-on-4 after Ryan Pulock penalized for high-sticking

Varlamov with a huge save on Nikita Kucherov shortly after stopping Point from in close

Kucherov turns over the puck, and Nick Leddy skates it out of the zone

Palat shot knocked down by Varlamov

Maroon stuff attempt stopped by Varlamov

Isles kill the penalty

Jordan Eberle fires wide off the rush from the left circle

Sergachev shot turned aside by Varlamov after Mayfield turnover

Yanni Gourde backhand shot knocked down by Varlamov

LIGHTNING GOAL! Point scores under Varlamov’s left arm from the edge of the crease after a pass from Kucherov from below the goal line. Lightning 1, Islanders 0.

Stamkos penalized for slashing

Goodrow clears the puck out of the zone

Vasilevskiy robs Travis Zajac and Kyle Palmieri

Hedman clears the puck

Lightning kill the penalty

Adam Pelech pushes Point from behind, and Point crashes hard into Varlamov. Point penalized for goaltender interference.

Varlamov heads to the locker room and will be replaced by Ilya Sorokin

ISLANDERS GOAL: Brock Nelson scores from the slot after Ryan McDonagh redirects a Josh Bailey pass for Kyle Palmieri on the back door. Lightning 1, Islanders 1.

Matt Martin and Maroon penalized for fighting

Stamkos shot turned aside by Sorokin

Alex Killorn draws an interference penalty against Alex Komarov

Sorokin makes blocker save on Kucherov shot

Clutterbuck sticks the puck out of the Islanders zone

Vasilevskiy stops bad-angle backhand attempt from Pageau after Pageau was sprung by Zajac

Nelson dives to clear the puck out of the zone

Sorokin catches Cirelli shot from the right circle

Sorokin stretches to his right to stop Cirelli drive

(The teams are tied 1-1 after one period)

Your pregame scouting report

They can’t play scared, but they can’t be overconfident, either.

The Lightning have shown remarkable resiliency the past two postseasons, going 10-0 in games after a loss, and hope to continue that trend tonight in Game 2 of their Stanley Cup semifinal series against the Islanders.

So while they have no reason to fear falling behind by a game in the series, they don’t want to stumble into a two-game deficit, either.

“It’s easy to panic and kind of feel like we really, really need to win the next game,” defenseman Victor Hedman said. “And we want to win the next game, obviously, but you just have to go out there and play your game.”

With the Lightning, everything is about trust. Trust your game, trust your teammates, trust in the process, and trust that things will work out.

They usually do.

Tampa Bay hasn’t lost back-to-back playoff games since it was swept by Columbus in the opening round after winning the Presidents’ Trophy in 2018-19.

During last season’s run to the Stanley Cup, the Lightning reeled off four straight wins after dropping the second-round opener to the Bruins and beat the Stars in six games after losing the first game of the Cup final. This postseason, they are 3-0 in games following a loss.

To avoid a repeat of Sunday’s 2-1 setback in Game 1, the Lightning spent time Monday reviewing video, reminding themselves of what they need to do to be successful.

Tampa Bay missed numerous opportunities and drew only two penalties, the second in the final minute. Head coach Jon Cooper said Tuesday his team didn’t make the Islanders work hard enough in the game.

They also could use more offense from their blueliners. In a statistical quirk, Lightning defenders continue to seek their first goal of the postseason, 12 games after it started.

Last year, defensemen scored 17 during the 25-game playoff run, including a dozen even-strength goals. Hedman led the way with 10 goals and 12 assists en route to the Conn Smythe Trophy. This postseason, he has 11 assists, only two at even-strength.

Sunday wasn’t all bad for the Lightning. Third-line wing Blake Coleman’s wife, Jordan, gave birth to the couple’s second child, a daughter named Carson, about five hours after the game.

Can Coleman, Hedman and the Lightning turn the page on their Game 1 loss? Follow along, starting at 8 p.m., as they aim to even the series before it heads to Uniondale, N.Y., for Games 3-4.

Setting the scene

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