Isles win in OT, force Game 7
UNIONDALE, N.Y. — Anthony Beauvillier scored 1:08 into overtime as the New York Islanders rallied to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 on Wednesday night to force a decisive Game 7 in their Stanley Cup semifinal series.
Jordan Eberle and Scott Mayfield also scored for the Islanders, who rallied from two goals down in the second period. Semyon Varlamov finished with 22 saves.
Brayden Point scored for the ninth straight game and Anthony Cirelli had a goal and an assist for the Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 25 shots.
Beauvillier got his stick on the puck to pick off a pass in the right circle, gathered it and quickly beat Vasilevskiy on the first shot on goal of the extra period.
With this possibly the final game at Nassau Coliseum as the Islanders plan to move into their new home at UBS Arena next season, fans showered the ice with beer cans and bottles in celebration.
Game 7 is Friday night in Tampa, Florida.
Mayfield tied the game with 8:44 left when he got a pass from Mathew Barzal, skated into the right circle and beat Vasilevskiy with a shot that went in off the crossbar.
Vasilevskiy had a nice glove save on Barzal two minutes into the second to preserve Tampa Bay’s 1-0 lead.
Cal Clutterbuck engaged in some pushing and shoving with Tyler Johnson and Blake Coleman, drawing a roughing penalty to put Tampa Bay on the power play 6½ minutes into the second.
The advantage lasted a minute as Victor Hedman was called for tripping and then Mikhail Sergachev was whistled for interference 45 seconds apart. The Islanders managed just one shot during the five-on-three, and one on the remaining advantage.
Cirelli made it 2-0 with
7:24 left in the second on a breakaway as he brought the puck up the left side and beat Varlamov between the legs for his fourth of the postseason.
The Islanders got on the scoreboard less than two minutes later as Barzal brought the puck up the middle of the ice and passed it off to Eberle, who skated in a put backhander past Vasilevskiy with 5:38 remaining.
Tempers flared at the second-period buzzer as Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos and Mayfield were involved in some pushing and shoving. Mayfield and Coleman received roughing penalties.