NHL: Tampa Bay Lightning vs New York Islanders | 28 March, 2 AM

[Mary C]

POTENTIAL STARTING LINEUPS: 

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING: 

C | Brayden Point 

LW | Ondrej Palat 

RW | Nikita Kucherov 

LD | Victor Hedman 

RD | Mikhail Sergachev 

G | Andrei Vasilevskiy 

 

NEW YORK ISLANDERS 

C | Matthew Barzal 

LW | Anders Lee 

RW | Kyle Palmieri 

LD | Adam Pelech 

RD | Scott Mayfield 

G | Ilya Sorokin 

 

At the UBS Arena in Elmont, New York City, the Tampa Bay Lightning are scheduled for a visit to play against the New York Islanders. Monday, March 28 at 2AM is the moment to watch out for if you want to bear witness to the Atlantic-Metropolitan game. 

 

Per their last meeting on November 16, Tampa Bay schooled New York in a 4-1 game. Lightning collected 28 shots, 41 hits, 24 faceoffs won, and 38 penalty minutes. The Islanders, on the other hand, had 26 shots, 41 hits, 30 faceoffs won, and 30 penalty minutes. Lightning and NHL’s top goalie for season 2018-19, Andrei Vasilevskiy, managed to make 25 saves during that game. Islanders’ left-wing, Anders Lee, admitted his frustration back then, but will be the same this time around?  

 

As of late, Tampa Bay Lightning has landed on the Atlantic Division’s 4th place with 39 wins and 18 losses with a 3-lose streak. The Metropolitan Division’s New York Islanders are in 6th place with 28 wins and 25 losses but with a 2-win streak. If we take a look at the GPG, SPG, SV, A, and GAA per team, Lightning outperforms the Islanders on three GPG, SPG, and A. As for season leaders for points and goals, it’s head-to-head with Lightning’s Stamkos with 67 points and 28 goals, and Islander’s Nelson with 44 points and 29 goals.  

 

With this information alone, Lightning has the advantage but the Islanders are slowly getting into their rhythm as they pick up the pace from their winning streak. While it’s unlikely for New York to make the playoffs, they’ve been on the rise recently, maybe feeling a sense of urgency as the season ends in three months. Our prediction? Sorry New York, it’s still Tampa Bay for us. With Vasilevskiy very much alive and well, there’s a huge gap in power for the upcoming game. Hopefully the underdogs stand a chance against Lightning.  

 

2 AM PST, March 28, 2022. UBS Arena, NY.