TAMPA, Fla. – The Islanders didn’t need revenge in their first meeting with the two-time Stanley Cup-champion Lightning as much as they just needed a good performance.
In the end, they got neither.
The Islanders, with a revamped lineup, lost, 4-1, on Monday night with their power play again misfiring in a chippy game that featured a combined 68 penalty minutes, spoiling defenseman Andy Greene’s 1,000th game and Jean-Gabriel Pageau’s 500th. It was their third straight regulation loss.
The Islanders were back at Amalie Arena for the first time since their second straight NHL final four ouster by the Lightning, a 1-0 loss in Game 7 on June 25 on Yanni Gourde’s second-period shorthanded goal.