NHL Playoffs: The Lightning blitz the Islanders in a devastating Game 5 rout

Tampa, Florida - The Tampa Bay Lightning need just one more game for their second-straight appearance in the Stanley Cup finals after they shocked the New York Islanders on Monday night.

Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy got his fourth shutout of his career as Tampa goes up 3-2 in the Stanley Cup semifinals.
Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy got his fourth shutout of his career as Tampa goes up 3-2 in the Stanley Cup semifinals.  © IMAGO / Icon SMI

The Lightning got an easy win in game five, destroying the Islanders 8-0 to take a 3-2 series lead in the Stanley Cup semifinals. Tampa now needs just one more win to advance to the final round and play for a second consecutive Stanley Cup championship.

Tampa captain Steven Stamkos (31) definitely found his scoring rhythm with two goals and an assist to lead the Lightning on the scoreboard, while Brayden Point scored yet another goal in his eighth-straight playoff game. In goals, Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 21 shots to earn his fourth playoff shoutout, helping squeeze all the life out of the Isles’ hopes to overcome the defending champs.

There was just too much going for the Lightning, as they started the onslaught just 45 seconds into the game with Stamkos’ first score of the night. The wealth of goals were spread around as Alex Killorn also netted two goals and Yanni Gourde, Ondrej Palat, and Luke Schenn lit the lamp themselves in an utterly dominant performance.

NHL: Players held back from Beijing Games amid league-wide Covid outbreak
NHL NHL: Players held back from Beijing Games amid league-wide Covid outbreak

It quickly became obvious that this was going to be the kind of game that would slip away for the Isles, and they did very little to avoid getting absolutely manhandled. There was no offensive pressure to speak of, as New York averaged only seven shots on goal in each period. Discipline on the ice was even more of a problem: 12 penalties for six power-play opportunities led directly to three goals for Tampa.

The Islanders just weren't in this game, and they looked as if they were just warming up Tampa to take them out for good in Game 6.

The Islanders head back home hoping that history won't repeat itself

The Islanders are certainly no stranger to getting routed by Tampa in the playoffs. They suffered an 8-2 loss in the first game of last year’s semifinals, a series that the Lightning eventually took in six games. New York faces a similar fate if they can’t hold off Tampa in what could very well be the last game of their season.

The Lightning look to close out the semifinals in Game 6 on Wednesday night, from New York.

Cover photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Wire

More on NHL: