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National Hockey League
NY Islanders 3, Tampa Bay 2
When: 8:00 PM ET, Saturday, June 19, 2021
Where: Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York
Referees: Francois St. Laurent, Kelly Sutherland
Linesmen: Michel Cormier, Ryan Gibbons
Attendance: 12978

Josh Bailey, Mathew Barzal and Matt Martin all scored in the second period Saturday night for the host New York Islanders, who survived a third-period rally by the Tampa Bay Lightning to earn a 3-2 win in Game 4 of an NHL semifinal series in Uniondale, N.Y.

The win evened the best-of-seven series at two games apiece. Game 5 is scheduled for Monday night in Tampa.

Goalie Semyon Varlamov made 28 saves for the Islanders, though defenseman Ryan Pulock made the save of the game as time expired by sprawling across the net to block Ryan McDonagh's shot.

Brayden Point and Tyler Johnson scored in the third for the Lightning. Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy recorded 27 saves.

The Lightning outshot the Islanders 11-4 in the first and had the first six shots of the second before New York took control.

Brock Nelson set up Bailey's goal by coming to a complete stop, doing a 360 and passing across the ice to Bailey, who deked McDonagh before firing a shot through McDonagh's legs and beyond Vasilevskiy's glove at the 5:30 mark.

The Islanders took advantage of Lightning star Point losing his stick to double the lead with 6:14 left. Cal Clutterbuck fired a shot from just inside the blue line that ricocheted off a leaning Vasilevskiy and to Barzal, who would normally be covered by Point. Instead, Barzal pounced on the rebound and fired the puck into the open net.

Martin, who missed the wedding of his brother-in-law Gunnar Esiason -- son of former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason -- Saturday, backhanded home a rebound of a shot by Adam Pelech with 2:03 remaining.

Point began the Lightning's comeback by racing up the right side of the ice and deking Andy Greene before firing a shot past Varlamov 3:45 into the third. It was the seventh straight game in which Point has scored a goal.

Johnson pulled the Lightning within a goal 2:58 later, when he was stuffed twice by Varlamov before he skated around the ice with the puck and fired a shot past the screened keeper.

The Lightning almost tied the game as time expired, when McDonagh did his own 360 at the doorstep and got the puck past Varlamov, who was out of the crease. But Pulock slid across and blocked the puck as the crowd of 12,978 erupted.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Tampa Bay   NY Islanders
Tyler Johnson 1 Points Cal Clutterbuck 2
Tyler Johnson 1 Goals Josh Bailey 1
Erik Cernak 1 Assists Cal Clutterbuck 2
N/A Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Andrei Vasilevskiy .900 Save Percentage Semyon Varlamov .933
Andrei Vasilevskiy 27 Saves Semyon Varlamov 28
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Tampa Bay 30 2 0-1 3-3 8 21
NY Islanders 30 3 0-3 1-1 4 27
Upcoming Games
  • NY Islanders will play their next game on the road against Tampa Bay. The Islanders have a W/L % of .625 after a win and .478 after a loss.
  • Tampa Bay will play their next game at home against NY Islanders. The Lightning have a W/L % of .639 after a win and .632 after a loss.