Prince scores twice for Islanders in Game 1 win over Bolts

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The New York Islanders survived an early goal and a furious third-period rally to defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning, 5–3, in Game 1 on Wednesday night.

The Isles rode a 33-save performance from Thomas Greiss and a pair of first-period goals by Shane Prince to take a 1-0 series lead. Game 2 is Saturday afternoon in Tampa.

Here are three thoughts on the series opener:

Pattern continues for Islanders

If the Islanders had a defining trait in their first-round win over the Panthers it was resilience. They were outshot by a wide margin but stayed within their system, countered when an opportunity presented itself and rallied around some terrific goaltending by Greiss.

It happened that way again in Game 1. The Isles got off to a tentative start on the road, allowing the Lightning to generate speed in the neutral zone as they hung back deep in their own end. It ended up costing them as Ondrej Palat entered the zone as the fourth man on a rush and beat Greiss with a 45-foot slapper just 3:05 into the first.

Watch: Islanders coach Jack Capuano takes puck to face

Less than two minutes later, the tide turned when Casey Cizikas blasted Tampa Bay's Erik Condra into the end boards. The hit forced the Lightning forward from the game and energized the Isles. It wasn't long before a muffin from Travis Hamonic beat Ben Bishop five-hole to tie it up, followed by back-to-back goals from Prince. Both were created when Brock Nelson won board battles, then fed the puck to Ryan Strome, who found Prince undefended in the low slot for easy one-timers. The makeshift line was New York's best of the night.

The Isles sagged after extending the lead to 4-1 on a John Tavares goal power play goal in the second period, and spent most of the third chasing the puck in their own end. But they survived Tampa Bay's third-period assault and assured themselves of at least a split on the road. It was far from a perfect game, but they found a way.

GALLERY: Top 10 New York Islanders of all time

Top 10 New York Islanders of All Time

#10: Bob Nystrom

Known as “Mr. Islander” for his scrappiness, Nystrom was drafted in the third round of 1972 and went on to score the most famous goal in franchise history: the one that won its first Cup, in 1980, resulting in a photo as iconic as Bobby Orr’s flying Cup-winner of 1970. A hard-nosed grinder and fighter, Nystrom also had seven 20-goal seasons as an Islander, winning four Cups during his 14 years with the team.

#9: John Tavares

Billed as the franchise’s savior, the first pick in the 2009 draft has lived up to his hype. Now captain and a two-time Hart Trophy (MVP) finalist, Tavares has led the once downtrodden Isles to the playoffs in three of the past four years, snapping their 23-year series win drought with an epic performance vs. Florida in the first round of 2016. He scored the tying goal with just under 54 seconds left in Game 5 and netted the winner in double OT to send New York to the second round.

#8: Pat LaFontaine

The third pick in the 1983 NHL draft after a 104-goal junior season, the classy LaFontaine arrived in time for the Isles' fifth straight run to the Cup final. Though he never won it, he became a fan favorite and the face of the franchise. He had eight straight 30-to-50-goal seasons often playing on the Helicopter Line (LaFontaine and no wings to speak of) and cemented his place in Isles legend by winning their 4-OT Easter Epic playoff game vs. Washington in 1987. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2003.

#7: John Tonelli

One of game’s greatest grinders, the furiously hard-working Tonelli came to the Isles in 1978 from the WHA where he’d played with Gordie Howe. A member of the heart and soul “banana line” (named for its yellow practice jerseys) with Wayne Merrick and Bobby Nystrom, Tonelli had a knack for upping his game in the playoffs. A stalwart on all four title teams, he assisted on Nystrom’s Cup-winning goal in 1980 and kept the dynasty alive with clutch tying and OT scores in the decisive Game 5 vs. Pittsburgh in the first round of 1982.

#6: Butch Goring

The “final piece” of the Isles’ dynastic puzzle, the veteran forward was acquired from the Kings at the 1980 trade deadline, bringing much needed grit, hustle, experience, discipline and superb special teams play (he’s the franchise leader in shorthanded goals, with 18). Goring paid immediate dividends (19 points in 21 playoff games en route to the Isles’ first Cup) and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as postseason MVP in ’81 after tallying 20 points in 20 games. A key member of all four Cup teams, he later coached the Isles and is now one of their broadcasters.

#5: Clark Gillies

A classic two-way power forward, the 6’ 3”, 215-pounder nicknamed “Jethro” (after a Beverly Hillbillies character) was drafted fourth in 1974. Playing on the Trio Grande line with Bryan Trottier and Mike Bossy, he added net-front presence and feared toughness. His bouts with notorious enforcers Dave Schultz, Terry O’Reilly and Ed Hospodar are legendary. A four-time Cup winner and six-time 30-goal scorer for the Isles, Gillies ranks fourth in games (872), goals (304), assists (359) and points (663) for the franchise. He was enshrined the Hall of Fame in 2002.

#4: Billy Smith

Acquired from the Kings in the '72 expansion draft, the cantankerous Battlin' Billy became one of the great money goaltenders of all time. He won the Vezina Trophy in 1982 but is best known for backstopping all four of the Isles’ Cup teams, winning a record 19 straight playoff series and the '83 Smythe when he held Wayne Gretzky goal-less in a four game sweep of Edmonton in the final. The franchise leader in games (675) and wins (304), Smith was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1993.

#3: Mike Bossy

Arguably the best pure sniper of all time, the Isles’ career goals leader (573) set an NHL record of nine straight 50-goal seasons while playing on a line with his friend Bryan Trottier. The 15th pick in the 1977 draft, Bossy became the first rookie to score 50 goals and the first player to tally 50 in 50 games (1981) since Rocket Richard in 1945. He was playoff MVP in 1982, scoring his famous flying goal in the Cup final vs. Vancouver. Limited to 10 seasons by a back problem, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1991.

#2: Denis Potvin

Called “The Next Bobby Orr,” the top pick in the 1973 draft went on to break the Boston icon’s scoring records by a defenseman en route to becoming the first blueliner to reach 1,000 points. A ferocious hitter and deft passer, Potvin was captain and mainstay of the Islanders dynasty. He won the Norris Trophy three times during his 15-year career (all with the Isles) and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1991.

#1: Bryan Trottier

One of the finest two-way forwards in NHL history, he inspired Isles coach Al Arbour to say he wouldn’t trade Trottier for Wayne Gretzky in his prime. A second-round pick (1974), Trottier spent 15 seasons with the Isles, becoming their all-time leader in games (1,123), assists (853) and points (1,353). He won the scoring title and Hart Trophy in 1979, potted 500 career goals for New York and earned playoff MVP honors in 1980 when the Isles won the first of their four straight Cups. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1997.

Lightning grounded

Turns out Tampa coach Jon Cooper was right to worry about the effects of going five days between games. His team, which didn't allow a single first-period goal to the Red Wings, gave up three to the Isles. It was a hole too deep for them to crawl out of.

The defense was soft early, losing battles and blowing coverages. But it was an especially tough night for Ben Bishop, who allowed four goals on 13 shots before being pulled for just the third time this season. The first goal by Hamonic, and the fourth by Tavares, were pucks he had to have.

“Just one of those things you’ve got to move on from,” Bishop said. “Just kind of forget about it and move forward.”

Although Andrei Vasilevskiy was perfect in relief, there's no doubt who'll get the start in Game 2. Bishop has been Tampa Bay’s unquestioned MVP this season. This team will only go as far as he carries it.

The switch to Vasilevskiy did seem to provide the spark the Bolts were missing early on. They started winning more of the puck battles and asserted their speed, putting the Islanders on their heels. While the two late goals by Nikita Kucherov and Valtteri Filppula weren’t enough to change the result, they did give the Lightning something to build on for Saturday. That little burst of momentum might go a long way in defining how this series plays out.

#http://www.120sports.com/video/v174963430/islanders-take-game-1-in-tampa

Amazing Greiss

Has any player done more to increase his value to this point of the playoffs than Greiss? The 30-year-old German has earned five wins in seven starts and has been as big a part of his team’s success as anyone.

In NHL playoffs, belief can work wonders for underdogs

Greiss allowed three goals on Wednesday, but this might have been his best game yet. After allowing the opening tally to Palat, he shut the door for the next 45 minutes, allowing the Isles to take control of the contest. He robbed Palat twice, once in the first period and again as time expired in the second to help sustain the lead. However, he saved his best work for the third as the Lightning outshot the Isles 17–5. With his defense off somewhere chasing butterflies, Greiss made highlight reel saves on Kucherov and Jonathan Drouin on successive shifts, then a pair on Nikita Nesterov that saved the game.

Greiss doesn’t have the credentials of Bishop, who earlier in the evening was honored as a Vezina Trophy finalist, but he looks up to the challenge of benching him for the summer.