Head coach Barry Trotz said he would be contemplating the Islanders' loss to the Lightning in the 2019–20 conference final on his deathbed. Well, now he and his team will get a chance to improve it.
With a 6-2 win over the Bruins on Wednesday night, the Islanders advanced into the Stanley Cup semi-finals and earned another crack at the Lightning. The rematch is expected to begin later this week in Tampa, Fla.
During last season's bubble playoffs, the Lightning sent the Islanders packing after winning the series 4–2 before winning the Stanley Cup. The Islanders were gasped after the Flyers forced Game 7 in the second-round series, which led the Lightning to two easy wins to start the Conference Finals in Edmonton.
The Islanders won 5–3 in Game 3 and won 2–1 in double overtime to survive Game 5, but the Lightning eventually advanced. In six matches, the Lightning defeated the Islanders 20–12.
"We've talked zero about Tampa Bay, zero," Trotz said with a laugh after the win. "We started this journey beating Pittsburgh, and we were able to do that. Then we focused on Boston. We get a shot to go against the champs again. They're great. I just Watched them up close to Carolina. It's a good hockey team right now, and a very dangerous power play, I think they're getting about 50 percent, it seems.
"He has the power of a superstar, just like Boston does. He has some lines that can hurt you and a tight goalie, his defense is too deep and his front is too deep. So it's a big deal for us." There will be a challenge, but we will try to take it apart and see what we can do."
After a high-scoring encounter with the Panthers in the first round of the season, the Lightning cruised through the Hurricanes, winning the series 4–1. But this time the islanders will get more rest in the first match of the series.
This season the Lightning finished third in the Central Division behind both the Hurricanes and the Panthers. But the organization took advantage of the long-term injury cap rules and now has a 20-man lineup that is about $8 million above the cap.
It is with Nikita Kucherov, who missed the entire regular season because of hip surgery. He now has five goals and 13 assists in the latter 11 games of the season.
"If you want to win it all you have to beat the best," said Brock Nelson, who scored two of the Islanders' three goals in the win. "I don't think there's anyone sitting here thinking of taking revenge on Tampa." . Just taking each series one at a time. Now we can turn the pages and focus on them."