Simply calling Monday night’s 8-0 win over the New York Islanders a “route” is comical. This wasn’t a route; this was a complete evisceration of an opponent. The Tampa Bay Lightning have the talent to unload as they did Monday evening, but against an opponent as stout and disciplined as the Islanders? That requires a descriptor beyond “impressive.” From puck drop to the reverberating sound of Amalie Arena’s horn signaling the end of the game, this was a masterful display of domination by the Lightning.
“It was a matter of time,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “(Monday) was time.