TAMPA, Fla. — The Lightning are the Islanders’ road block.
The defending Stanley Cup champions ended the Islanders’ season one round short of the Stanley Cup Final for a second straight season. And in their stingy, 1-0, win in Friday night’s Game 7 at Amalie Arena, they continually thwarted the Islanders’ pass attempts while blocking 20 shots.
Semyon Varlamov, the Islanders’ best player, made 30 saves, only allowing Yanni Gourde’s shorthanded goal in the second period.
Andrei Vasilevskiy made 18 saves for his fifth career playoff shutout, only needing to stop seven shots in the third period despite Varlamov being pulled for an extra skater with 2:23 left.