Another game with a chance to grab a playoff spot, another game where the New York Islanders fall flat on their faces... sort of.
After a terrible first period and an uninspiring second period, the Isles made things lively starting six minutes into the third period.
Goals from Ryan Pulock, Marc Gatcomb, and Tony DeAngelo came in quick succession, giving the Isles a fighting chance, but ultimately Tampa would pick up an empty net goal to seal the win as they celebrated Ryan McDonagh’s 1000th NHL game.
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Originally, Andrei Vasilevskiy seemed poised to start the game, but Jonas Johansson was in net instead after warmups, which had the MSG broadcast wondering if the Isles would be able to take advantage of a goalie who hadn’t played in a while.